Loss and grain: Swetha Sivakumar on how starches embrace and resist change

Starch is like a regular guy with a routine job; not easily swayed. Add heat and liquid, though, and you have the equivalent of a weekend out on the town.

Forget the stiff upper lip. Getting to know starches can dramatically reduce stress in the kitchen. There are two things that transform these molecules with dramatic effect: water, and heat. Starches go through different stages when heated variably, and this, unknown to us, gives much of our cooked food its texture.

How does it all work? It helps to think of starch as a regular guy with a routine job, particular about his appearance, not easily swayed by circumstance. That’s