3 replies to this topic

[azza]

Hello,

Is there any difference between corn flour and corn starch??

[kejohe]

No - corn flour is the European and Asian term, but they are the same thing. Cornmeal is different, but I have never seen it used in any situation even remotely related to one that would use corn flour/starch.

[gf4life]

Kathleen, are you sure they are the same? I get corn flour, which is finely ground corn meal. It is what is used to make tortillas and tamales, when you want a finer texture than regular corn meal can provide. It is certainly not the same as corn starch. You can buy it in the regular grocery store, but it is usually called masa flour.

Mariann

[kejohe]

I see where you are coming from.... Masa isn't the same thing, your right, and I guess I have heard it called corn flour once before. But all my cookbooks, including my culinary school manuals say that corn starch and corn flour are the same, but that Masa is Masa or can be called, fine ground corn meal.

But they still wouldn't be used in the same type of recipes, so it should be pretty easy to figure out what the recipe is actually calling for depending on what results you want. For instance, cornstarch is used a lot for making crepes and some other baked goods, or as a thickener. Masa, as you mentioned would be used for things like tamales and tortillas.