Potato Starch Vs. Potato Flour

[RobinHood70]

I have two different brands of what's supposed to be Potato Flour: Bob's Red Mill and Club House.

The Club House is white, clumpy, and very fine...I suspect it's actually Potato Starch (aka Potato Starch Flour).

The Bob's Red Mill is coarser, slightly yellowish, and flows smoothly...I suspect it truly is Potato Flour.

What confuses me is that in a thread from this board from a couple of years ago that showed up when I googled the issue, another Canadian person is talking about both products as being true Potato Flour.

Help?

I've also asked Club House to confirm, so we'll see what they say (and I'll post back here when they do). Another possibility is that someone just plain goofed and what I got was Potato Starch in a box labelled Potato Flour.

Oh and in baking with both (I didn't have enough of the Club House, which I usually use and is what the recipe calls for, so I used some of the Bob's Red Mill), the dough for this loaf of bread came out MUCH denser and held its shape, whereas the normal variety is sort of goopy and pourable. This seems to be contrary to what I've read about Potato Starch vs. Potato Flour. It sounded like if I was using entirely Potato Starch, I'd get something very solid, but Potato Flour should be goopy...but this seems to be the other way around. So confused!

[Lisa16]

It is my understanding that they are actually different products made from different parts of the potato. The starch (bland-- no potato flavor) is made from a slurry usings the skins and the potato flour (which tastes like potatos) is made using the potato itself. It is heavier.

Only use the potato flour when you don't mind having the potato taste in the product. I wouldn't use it for an angel food cake, for example.

I hope this helps.

[julirama723]

I made the mistake of buying potato flour thinking it was the same thing as potato starch. (I thought, "If tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same, it must hold true for potato, right?")

It sounds like the Club House is starch, Bob's is flour.

That being said, what the heck do I do with potato flour? I tried to use it in cookies, and they were very, well...potato-y.

[sbj]

I made the mistake of buying potato flour thinking it was the same thing as potato starch. (I thought, "If tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same, it must hold true for potato, right?") It sounds like the Club House is starch, Bob's is flour. That being said, what the heck do I do with potato flour? I tried to use it in cookies, and they were very, well...potato-y.

Here's a fairly good link that some other forum member posted some time back. It's a list of gluten-free flours and starches and their uses:

Open Original Shared Link

"Potato flour, not to be confused with potato starch is ground from whole potatoes. It is cream-colored flour with a potato flavor. It is a moist, heavy flour- use it in small quantities in flour mixes and recipes for gluten free breads."

[RobinHood70]

Yeah, my understanding of the two products agrees with what all of you guys have said. I'm just confused by the fact that others have identified both Club House and Bob's Red Mill potato flour as both being potato flour.

Since the recipe was actually from Club House's website, it was a moot point up until today when I used the Bob's Red Mill. On the other hand, if Club House's really IS potato starch, that'll be convenient, cuz potato starch is hard to find at most grocery stores.

If anybody's curious, here's the recipe I was using...maybe that itself will make it obvious whether I should be using potato starch or potato flour for those of you who are better versed in gluten-free baking than I am (at this point, anyway). Open Original Shared Link

[TrillumHunter]

You can make potato soup out of potato flour but not out of potato starch. The recipe is on the back of BRM potato flour. A couple of manufactures have started calling starch flour. GRRR. I had the disagreement with my local store about them being the same thing.

[RobinHood70]

You can make potato soup out of potato flour but not out of potato starch. The recipe is on the back of BRM potato flour. A couple of manufactures have started calling starch flour. GRRR. I had the disagreement with my local store about them being the same thing.

Mmmm...great idea, TrillumHunter. It's been a while since I've had potato soup, and while it's not my favourite, I enjoy it. I'll have to see if my bag has the same recipe.

[Lisa16]

Oh, you can use the potato flour in gluten-free bread (it is called potato bread and it is delicious) and rolls.

I would also consider using it with leeks to make a kind of leek soup I like-- treat it like dehydrated potatoes. You could also use it to make fried fritters with green onion, indian-style samosas, batter for onion rings and even pancakes (potato pancakes-- add some hashbrowns into the batter-- eat with applesauce-- yum!)

I bet you could use it for gluten-free lefsa (a swedish bread) too-- we eat in here in MN around the holidays.

I think that there are two things going on-- your manufacturer is confounding two different products and people on the forum themselves have been confused about the difference.

Have fun with your flour!

[lcbannon]

A little potato flour can go a long way. I use it in my basic flour mix but to save money I take Instant potato flakes and give them a quick whiz and voila- Instant potato flour.

[RobinHood70]

Having grown up with a Jewish step-father, I'm QUITE familiar with potato pancakes (aka "latkes"). If anybody has any good recipes that use potato flour, or that use grated potatoes and knows that potato flour will work just as well, I'd be very appreciative if you could share.

Also, I checked the reverse of my BRM bag, and being from Canada, was not surprised to find the French label instead of a recipe.

In any event, I'll Google all these recipes and more and see what I come up with. Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone (and keep 'em coming)!

[Lisa16]

Maybe this would work:

3 big potatoes, peeled

1/2 onion

1/2 to 2/3 cup potato flour

2 to 3 eggs

Salt and pepper.

Grate the potatoes and mix it all up. I would fry the potatoes a bit (drain and cool) before adding to the batter to make sure they are done all the way (I don't like it when the potato doesn't cook.)

Good luck!

[RobinHood70]

Maybe this would work

Thanks, Lisa!

[TrillumHunter]

Here's the recipe from the bag. Pretty basic, huh? This could really be a base for some good stuff. I bet it could even stand in for cream of "blank" soup.

Basic Potato Soup

This quick and easy soup comes from our Potato Flour label.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp Butter or Margarine

1 cup Milk

1 to 2 Tbsp Chopped Onion

1 to 2 Tbsp Potato Flour

Salt & Pepper to taste

Melt margarine and saute chopped onions until tender. Continue cooking, add milk and stir in Potato Flour to desired thickness. Add your favorite seasonings.

This can also be used as a cream base for vegetable soup or in casseroles.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information:

Each Serving Contains: 140 Calories, 60 Calories from Fat, 7g Total Fat, 4.5g Saturated Fat, 20mg Cholesterol, 220mg Sodium, 16g Total Carbohydrates, >1g Dietary Fiber, 7g Sugar, 5g Protein.

[Lisa16]

I made them last night just to see and they were delicious. I used green onions instead of the regular kind. My boyfriend, who is from Sri Lanka, called them pokara and ate four. It is interesting how vastly different cultures can have such similiar dishes!

Happy experimenting!

(oh yes-- I didn't precook the potato because I used a fine grater-- they cooked all the way through without buring the batter part.)

[sbj]

FYI: The Manischewitz Potato Pancake mix is gluten-free and delicious, especially with a bit of applesauce.

[RobinHood70]

Here's the recipe from the bag. Pretty basic, huh? This could really be a base for some good stuff. I bet it could even stand in for cream of "blank" soup.

Basic Potato Soup

This quick and easy soup comes from our Potato Flour label.

Thanks, TrillumHunter. That may just be dinner tonight. (Might've been lunch today if I hadn't logged on so late.)

[RobinHood70]

Just to confirm it for everybody, not that there was much doubt, Club House got back to me today to confirm that their "Potato Flour" is in fact "Potato Starch Flour" (aka Potato Starch). According to them, that's in compliance with Canadian food labelling guidelines, but she forwarded my suggestion about changing the name to the appropriate people.

While it's annoying that it's...uh...legitimately mislabelled? (for want of a better term)...it's actually kind of handy, because it means that finding potato starch just got a lot easier!

[RobinHood70]

Just FYI, I tried the soup tonight, and it was delicious! The potato flour clumped rather badly, though, so either add it very gradually, or once you know the right amount of potato flour you like, make a thin paste out of it with some of the milk first, then blend more milk in slowly till it's the right consistency.