Cooking Lesson #254: Homemade Cornstarch Kiddie Finger Paint

… from the Arts & Crafts Side of the California Kitchen

Photo: Senjuti Kundu on Unsplash

How you doin’? My first memorable encounter with “art” was in Mrs. Wilson’s kindergarten class. Yes, I can really remember that far back…can you? Mrs. Wilson sent home a recipe to all the mothers of the class on how to make colorful finger paints out of cornstarch. That was at a time when mothers were required to take part in their children’s educations. A little sarcasm here.
 
I remember, with pride, the excitement I felt when I arrived at school with my three jars of pastel-ish finger paints. Mrs. Wilson provided the unfinished porous finger paint paper. She also provided a large roll out of paper so that we could all contribute to making a shared diorama-style painting. And then, of course, each and every one of us kids were our own semi-washable canvases! As I recall, it was more fun that a barrel of monkeys. Those were wonderful carefree days.
 
If you are still confined to your own home school rooms and are looking for a little diversion, whip up some finger paints and create a cleanable area to allow your kid to let out their inner artist.

I provide this recipe so that my nieces and nephews in London can share in a little washable fun. And to their mums and dads, these are great picture moments—get the iPhone ready. So, go at it, Mabel Rita, George, Monty and Teddy. To their parents… just a little light soap takes it off the walls and out of the clothes.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Clean-up time:  Anyone’s guess
Yield:  36-ounces
 
Ingredients
4 cups water
1 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt

3 packages icing color gels
3 paint stackable containers (found in discount dollar or craft stores—a 3 jars for $2)
1 package finger paint paper
 
Directions

1. In a medium-sized saucepan add the water, cornstarch, sugar and salt, and whisk until combined.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until your mixture thickens.
3. Turn off your stove and remove from the heat.
4. Separate the mixture into your containers, one container for each color you would like to make.
5. Using a toothpick add a small measure of the icing color gel. Use a spoon to stir until the color is fully mixed in. Start slow… you can always more color.
6. Let stand until cool before using or closing lid to store.

ChefSecret:  The finger paints are great for an Easter crafts session. Don’t worry… these finger paints are completely digestible, so if you see a little “blue poo” in a couple of days it’s nothing to get excited about.
 
Kid’s COVID-19 Quip of the Day:  “A little girls asks her mother what she’s doing. Her mother says, I’m making a sign for the front door. The little asks, What does the sign say. Mom replies, Welcome! The little girl replies, “No, no mommy, it should say, Stay Away—We shoot Porch Pirates!”
 
                                       The Many Uses of Use Cornstarch
 
Cornstarch is a great ingredient that everyone should have in the house. I use it most often for thickening the sauce of an Asian stir-fry. I also use it to thicken other sauces, soups, stews, custards and more. There are 1001 uses for this pantry staple in the kitchen and beyond.
 
A lot of people don’t really know what cornstarch is. Not to be confused with corn flour (which is made from whole kernels), cornstarch is made from the endosperm found at the center of the corn kernel. The starches inside the endosperm are removed, rinsed, dried, and milled into a fine powder. This leaves us with cornstarch—a white, chalky powder. It's made up of a long chain of starch molecules that will unravel and swell when heated in the presence of moisture. This swelling, or gelatinization, is what causes thickening.
 
If you run out of cornstarch, what else can you use and still thicken your sauce and such?
 
You can substitute cornstarch with:

• All-Purpose Flour… it works, but only has about half the thickening power of cornstarch, so for every tablespoon of cornstarch required, you'll need to use two tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Note: this can sometimes produce a grainy texture if you don’t cook the flour long enough.
• Rice Flour… it has the same thickening power of all-purpose flour and half the thickening power of cornstarch, so you're going to want to measure accordingly.
• Arrowroot Powder… has the same thickening power as cornstarch. But one caveat about arrowroot—it is more expensive and doesn't hold up well to a reheat.
• Potato Starch… has strong short term thickening power, but it doesn't last long after cooking.
• Tapioca Starch… it’s extracted from cassava, a root vegetable found throughout South America. It doesn't have quite the thickening power of cornstarch. For every tablespoon of cornstarch required, you'll need to use about two tablespoons tapioca starch.

I hate to have an ingredient on hand that I can only use in one or two recipes. What else can I do with cornstarch, you ask?
 
Cornstarch goes well beyond the kitchen and dining room table: 

• Okay, this one goes without saying. To thicken sauces and other liquids, mix a bit of cornstarch with cold broth or water in a small bowl to create what's called a "slurry." Then whisk the slurry into the liquid you want to thicken as it simmers.
• Cornstarch is key in vegan baking, or anytime you don't have an egg on hand. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of warm water and you’ll have a great egg substitute in cookies, cakes or breads.
• Cornstarch makes fluffier omelets. Just add a pinch of cornstarch to an egg, beat and cook the omelet in the normal fashion.
• Cornstarch Makes crispier waffles, too. Just add a teaspoon to a boxed waffle mix or to your scratch recipe to get crispy waffle crusts.
• If right in the middle of baking that special birthday cake you run out of cake flour, do not fear—cornstarch is here! Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with each cup of all-purpose flour. Add 1/4-teaspoon baking powder to create this cake flour substitute when you're in a bind.
• Cornstarch is the best ingredient to gel a pie filling. As the fruit cooks in the pie crust, it releases juices. Without a little cornstarch, pies turn into a soupy mess. To avoid clumps, mix cornstarch with sugar before adding it to the filling.
• Use cornstarch as a dredge instead of flour or breadcrumbs to create crustiness. This gives you a nice gluten-free crispy coating on your meats and veggies just like that of your favorite Asian take-out.
• For making a perfect fondant decoration for that very important cake, simply lightly dust the counter and the rolling pin with a little cornstarch. Cornstarch is flavorless and colorless and won't alter your fondant.
• If you are home schooling and your blackboard is a mess, spread a scoop of corn starch on the slate background to clean it up a bit.
• Do you have a stubborn shoelace that’s knotted? Cornstarch to the rescue! It will reduce friction between the fibers on a knotted rope or shoelace, allowing you to untie even the tightest knot. Simply sprinkle a bit on the knot and rub it in.
• Cornstarch is also a miracle cleaner and can remove grease splatters and spots from walls. It happens from time to time, so now it’s easy to remove pesky grease splatters from the walls or kitchen backsplash by sprinkling a bit of cornstarch on a soft cloth and rubbing away the yellowy grease spot.
• Are the napkin rings tarnishing leaving that unsightly yellow pale? Bring back both the sparkle and shine to your rings (and silverware) without buying polish. Make a paste of cornstarch and water and use a damp cloth to apply it to the silver. Once the paste dries, rub it with a soft cloth. Buff away the cornstarch and the dullness will be gone without the use pesky chemicals.
• Like cornstarch for finger paints, a measure of cornstarch, water, food coloring and glitter makes kiddie Nickelodeon-style "slime" that be stored in a plastic bag or an airtight container for later use. Now you can keep the little ones entertained using a few pantry staples.

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