Kudzu / Kuzu Starch (as premium thickener)

What it is

Cross-reference: the Japanese root starch profiled in full under Root & Tuber Starches, highlighted here for its standing as the superior thickener in the gelling/thickening toolkit.

Why it sits among the specialty thickeners — Where cornstarch sets opaque and arrowroot can turn slimy, kuzu sets glass-clear, glossy, and silky-smooth with a refined, slightly elastic body, hot or cold. It is the connoisseur's choice for delicate clear sauces (ankake), translucent sweets, and set "tofus" (goma-dofu), and is valued in macrobiotic cooking as gentle and digestive. Its drawbacks are cost and the prevalence of potato-starch-adulterated product.

Reference notes

See full entry: Kudzu Starch (Kuzu) under Root & Tuber Starches. Tags: `starch`, `gluten-free`, `premium-thickener`, `clear-set`, `japanese`. Suggested links: → Kudzu Starch (Kuzu), → Arrowroot, → Cornstarch.