Re: Alternatives to starch

Jodie Allen (74160.3410@CompuServe.COM)
31 Jul 96 23:23:55 EDT

>On the other hand, you say "normal homemade starch" would be
>translucent, and presumably less visible...... But what is
>"normal homemade starch"? I don't think we make starch at home.
>We buy cornstarch in the supermarket, and wheat paste at the
>DIY store .....

I'm kind of late with this reply since my mailer has been acting strange lately.

I made starch powder in grade school, by soaking raw, grated potatoes in water,
squeezing them out through a straining cloth, and evaporating the water. The
residue is potato starch. I would imagine you could do the same thing with
grain or most any other starchy material.

I'm a bit surprised that adding starch would increase the tooth of the gelatin
layer since dextrin (a form of sugar) and starch (polymerized sugar) are usually
somewhat water soluble. The silica powder mentioned would definitely work
though. This would be sort of like adding sand to the mix.

- Wayde Allen
(74160.3410@compuserve.com)