The most common forms of starch used in cooking are cornstarch (cornflour), rice starch, and potato starch. These differ minimally from one country to another, and serve as a constant in baking. Starch is used to bind ingredients and to lighten cakes, to give cookies their crispness, and to thicken sauces and creams. It is very important to carefully measure the starch used in each recipe, as the wrong proportion can make a preparation very heavy. Note that creams which are made with starch instead of flour require a shorter cooking time; a few seconds is usually sufficient.
