Arrowroot

What is that?  Oh my goodness, it is amazing, and a great blessing to those allergic to corn. Why? Well, it just is. It has healing properties too, but I don't use it for that. I use it in place of cornstarch in recipes. Peaches is allergic to corn, not just allergic, she has anaphylactic reaction to corn and corn bi products (CORN: flour, meal, syrup, HFCS, dextrose, modified food starch, starch, maltodextrin, sorbitol, splenda, etc)!  In fact when she was having her appendix out, we couldn't figure out why her hands were peeling huge sheets of skin off, and cracking and stuff. I just happened  to look at the ingredients in the handwashing soap in the bathroom, second ingredient was sorbitol!!  Glad we caught that, and during her surgery they gave her IV benedryl, so her reaction stopped.  whew!

OK, so arrowroot was found by the Arawak Indians in South America, they figured out how to extract it, not an easy process. So now we have this wonderful powder available to us in stores. Now think about this, do you honestly think I buy a tiny bottle of the stuff at a grocery store??? NO, I buy it in bulk at Champion Grocer or PCC.. But PCC has gotten too full of itself lately so I mostly get it at Champion. (I love Champion Grocer.)

Here is a link to a great site that tells you about arrowroot  check it out. I love this stuff!

A Few Ideas to Get You Started
Arrowroot mixtures thicken at a lower temperature than mixtures made with flour or cornstarch. Mix Arrowroot with cool liquids before adding hot liquids, then cook until mixture thickens. Remove immediately to prevent mixture from thinning. Two teaspoons of Arrowroot can be substituted for 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. One teaspoon of Arrowroot can be substituted for 1 tablespoon of flour. Arrowroot makes clear, shimmering fruit gels and prevents ice crystals from forming in homemade ice cream.