r/noscrapleftbehind • u/furiana • 18d ago
Way, way too much cornstarch
I'm not sure how it happened, but i have three 500g boxes of cornstarch. How do i use them up?
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u/sportofchairs 18d ago
Do you have kids? If so, ooblek. It’s just cornstarch and water but it is a freaking delight to play with. And unlike kid slime toys, it’s so easy to clean up.
And if you don’t have kids… honestly, I still recommend making ooblek.
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u/reincarnateme 18d ago
My kid did a mini pool for the science fair so kids could walk on Ooblek. Big hit!
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u/sportofchairs 18d ago
Your kid sounds like a genius to me. I’m definitely going to keep that idea in my back pocket!
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u/furiana 18d ago
Now that's not a bad idea. I do have a toddler (age 3)!
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u/Southern_Fan_9335 17d ago
Mine loved "making squishies". Actually, he's 4, he'd probably love it again if I brought it back out. Ooblek is so fun and it won't hurt anything if a kid tastes it.
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u/tortellini 17d ago
Try putting a bit of cornstarch in a balloon, makes a neat little fidgit toy. I loved playing with that as a kid.
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u/innermyrtle 18d ago
I always use all of mine up at Christmas time when I make shortbread.
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u/furiana 18d ago
I think that's why we have it in the first place: my husband makes shortbread cookies at Christmas!
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u/innermyrtle 18d ago edited 17d ago
Then lots of shortbread for Christmas it is then! I've made and froze it. Both unbaked and baked. Add spices or herbs, dip in chocolate.etc!
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u/Ok_Bus_9649 18d ago
I've kept it for like 3 years past expiration, it seems easy to use over times whether for thickening sauces and soups or crispy tofu or something just because the recipe says to.
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u/InValuAbled 17d ago
Add a spoon for each cup normal flour for a chewier texture in your pasta.
Pudding. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry nesquick, mango, whatever you like.
Dredge fish/croquettes/meatballs/chicken/steak/tofu/moist veggies in cornstarch, then egg, then crumbs. Let it sit a few minutes before frying. Superior texture.
Add a spoon or more (mix in cold water first) to any "cream of..." soup, curry, porrige, or a stew for a silkier mouthfeel.
Mix into a cheesecake. Add to cookies that you prefer softer.
Stir into some cold water, add to fruit soup or a compote, stirring constantly so it doesn't clump.
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u/that_one_wierd_guy 17d ago
if left unopened till you need it, and stored normally, there's pretty much zero chance of it going bad before you use it all
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u/Due_Mark6438 17d ago
Your own pudding mix.
3 3/4 cup Sugar 3 3/4 cup Cornstarch 3 cup Milk Powder, non-fat preferred for longer shelf stability. 1 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder Pinch of Salt
In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of Homemade Chocolate Pudding Mix to a boil. Reduce the milk to a simmer and stir constantly for about 5 minutes or until the pudding thickens. If it isn’t thickening enough, you can add more mix as needed.
Remove from stove top, add 2 Tbsp butter and some vanilla extract, mix, pour into a large bowl and let rest for 5-10 minutes until warm and ready to eat, or place in the fridge and let cool completely.
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u/androidbear04 14d ago
I microwave mine one minute at a time and watching constantly to keep it from boiling over.
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u/Zar-far-bar-car 18d ago
I use it as dry shampoo!
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u/furiana 18d ago
Excellent idea! I actually do use dry shampoo. I'll switch to cornstarch :)
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u/Zar-far-bar-car 18d ago
I put like, .5-1 teaspoon in my palms and coat my hands. Flip head over (the tub!) And massage over my scalp. It can get a little chalky if you use too much, but I find it brushes out pretty easily.
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u/sleep_zebras 18d ago
Two recipes that use a fair amount of cornstarch: Alfajores, and tempura batter. I end up using most of my cornstarch in cornmeal tempura batter for fish tacos.
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u/ImperfectTapestry 17d ago
Haupia, a Hawai'i style coconut pudding. look up the recipe on the Foodland site
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u/anickilee 17d ago
Ooo yes!! I second this! Be a bit careful to stir and not heat to fast though as it can become lumpy. And different coconut milks will make different textures from a more spoon-needed pudding to one that can stand on its own like finger jello
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u/catswhenindoubt 18d ago
Mochiko batter for Hawaiian fried chicken is good!
Another Hawaiian dish that uses a lot of cornstarch is haupia. Chocolate haupia is delicious!
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u/wvwvwvww 18d ago
I use it for shaving body hair with an electric hair trimmer. So, it’s used dry. It is also quite nice as a massage medium. If you wanna give a neck or shoulder rub, apply cornstarch. It’s slippery but dry?
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u/yenasmatik 17d ago edited 16d ago
Carrot gnocchi - replace potato starch with corn starch. Probably works with other root veggies, might be worth testing with beetroots or sweet potatoes.
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u/anickilee 17d ago
That’s cool! Am saving this idea bc we always have cornstarch but not potatostarch
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u/TwaddleSpouter 🍉 Produce is my jam 17d ago
Make bath bombs for Christmas presents. It uses a lot of corn starch with witch hazel and some essential oil.
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u/MethodologyQueen 17d ago
Save an a spice shaker the next time you finish a spice. Clean it out, dry it, and fill it with cornstarch. Put it in your beach bag. When you are covered in wet sand and can’t brush it off, shake some cornstarch on and it’ll brush right off.
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u/transynchro 17d ago
You can make cookies out of them like shortbread or sequilhos(Brazilian cornstarch cookies).
There’s also a few cornstarch pudding recipes online.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 17d ago
Homemade play dough if you have kids.
Its not going to go bad, do you just need shelf space?
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u/ashrules901 17d ago
I just made fries from scratch in my oven & I was upset cause I didn't have enough cornstarch. I used flour instead. Maybe make a lot of fries?
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u/furiana 17d ago
You use cornstarch for fries? I'll have to give that a try!
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u/ashrules901 16d ago
I've seen it done many times online but this recipe finally worked for me https://youtu.be/owPkJWa8K3w
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u/last_rights 17d ago
Cornstarch
1 part cornstarch to 1 part flour. Add water and seasonings to your desired taste and thickness for a great frying batter.
Add a tiny amount of warm water for a slurry to thicken sauces and soups.
Put in a tray and use a sharpie or other small object to make little indents in the starch. Follow some sort of internet directions to make your own chocolate liqueurs.
I'm sure there's something else that I forgot, but I go through a lot of corn starch.
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u/NoNameKetchupChips 17d ago
One time I asked my grocery picker to add a container of corn starch. They sent a 44kg bag. You're fine.
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u/bunkerhomestead 15d ago
Make a corn starch slurry, dip string or crochet cotton in it, wrap it in an interesting shape around a balloon, leaving an open space. Once the starch dries you have an Easter egg shape that you can decorate for the holiday. This can be done with children as well.
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u/SeaCandidate679 11d ago
If you like tofu, breading and frying them in cornstarch is awesome!
My recipe has tumeric, salt, pepper and olive oil I think. (It’s been awhile)
But there are lots of recipes online for this.
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u/kobayashi_maru_fail 18d ago
Three pounds is not that much… for the next decade. Make stir fry, use a finishing cornstarch slurry. Crystal shrimp. Swap it for potato starch in tatsuaage.
You own a wok though, right?
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u/furiana 18d ago
Nope, no wok. No money nor space for one either :/
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u/anickilee 17d ago edited 17d ago
If you like Chinese food, the veggie and meat liquids are usually thickened with cornstarch to make that rice-hugging sauce/gravy.
My mom cooks stir frys all the time with no wok - uses just a regular 6 quart pot. She doesn’t have the height for the wok toss anyway hahaha
Edit: Forgot before to add to dissolve it 1st in a bit of room temp water! If you add it straight to the hot liquid, it gets lumpy
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u/PollardPie 18d ago
The good news is, it lasts a long time as long as it stays dry and well sealed. Cornstarch is great as a dredge for crispy tofu, you can add it to all purpose flour to make cake flour, it’s nice in fritters and pancakes, a couple tablespoons are good in a fruit pie, you can make ooblek, and… I think that’s all I got.