On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1167

starchescanwithstandtheaciditiestypicalof
yogurtandmanyfruits(pH4).Gentleand
briefcookingwillminimizeacidbreakdown.
Proteins and Fats Two other materials are
commonly found in sauces and have some
influenceontheirtexture.Flourisabout10%
proteinbyweight,andmuchofthisfractionis
insoluble gluten. Gluten aggregations
probablygetcaughtinthestarchnetworkand
so slightly increase the viscosity of the
solution, though the pure starches are
generally more powerful thickeners overall.
Sauces based on concentrated meat stocks
alsocontainagooddealofgelatin,butgelatin
and starch seem not to affect each other’s
behavior.
Finally,fatsareusuallypresentintheform
ofbutter,oil,orthedrippingsfromaroast.
Theydonotmixwithwaterorwater-soluble
compounds,buttheydoslowthepenetration
ofwaterintostarchgranules.Fatdoes


contributethesensationsofsmoothnessand
moistnesstoasauce,andwhenusedto
precooktheflourinaroux,itcoatstheflour
particles,preventsthemfromclumping
togetherinthewater,andsosafeguards
againstlumps.
IncorporatingStarchinto
Sauces

Inordertothickenasaucewithstarch,the
cookmustgetthestarchintothesauce.Very
basic,butnotsosimple!Ifyouaddflouror
starchdirectlytoahotsauce,itlumpsupand
neverdispersesevenly:themomenttheyhit
thehotliquid,theclumpsofstarchgranules
developapartlygelated,stickysurfacethat
sealsthedrygranulesinsideandprevents
themfromdispersing.
Slurries, Beurre Manié, Floured Meat
Cooks use four methods for incorporating