Potatismjöl
Potatismjöl is potato starch, the Swedish thickener for berry soups, sauces and light cakes. How to use it and what to use instead outside Sweden.
Also called Potatismjol, Potato starch, Potato starch flour.
Potatismjöl is potato starch, a fine, pure white powder made from potatoes. It looks like cornstarch and squeaks a little when you rub it between your fingers. It has no taste. Swedes use it as their everyday thickener and also in baking. Despite the name, which means "potato flour", it is pure starch and not the same as the potato flour sold in the US, which is whole dried potato.
How to do it
To thicken a liquid:
- Stir the starch into a little cold water to make a slurry. Use about 1 tablespoon of potatismjöl and 2 tablespoons of water for 500 ml (2 cups) of liquid for a light sauce, or 2 tablespoons for a thicker kräm.
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the slurry.
- Put the pot back on the heat and bring it just to a boil, stirring, then take it off right away.
Why it works
Starch grains swell and thicken as they heat, a process called gelatinization. Potato starch does this at a lower temperature than cornstarch and gives a clear, glossy result. But if it boils for long or is stirred hard after it thickens, it breaks down and thins again, or turns stringy.
How to use it
- Kräm and fruit soups. Rhubarb, berry or blueberry kräm and blåbärssoppa are thickened with it.
- Sauces and gravies. Thicken cream sauces at the end of cooking.
- Baking. Replace part of the flour in sponge cakes for a lighter crumb. It is common in gluten-free baking.
Substitutes
Outside Sweden, look for "potato starch" in Asian, kosher or gluten-free sections. Otherwise:
- Cornstarch (cornflour in the UK) works one for one. It needs a full boil for a minute to thicken properly, and the result is a little cloudier.
- Arrowroot behaves almost the same as potato starch.
Common mistakes
- Adding the powder straight to hot liquid. It forms lumps.
- Boiling it for minutes after it thickens. The sauce goes thin.
- Using US potato flour. It tastes of potato and makes things gluey.
Recipes that use it
13 recipes from the sites we collect.
Related terms
- SlurryA slurry is starch, such as cornstarch, mixed with cold water and stirred into a hot liquid to thicken it fast. It gives a glossy sauce in about a minute.
- CornstarchCornstarch is the pure starch of corn, a fine white powder for thickening sauces and crisping coatings. In the UK, Ireland and Australia it is cornflour.
- GelatinizationGelatinization is when starch grains soak up water and swell in heat, thickening sauces, setting puddings and softening rice and pasta. Here is why.
- Gluten-freeGluten-free on a label means under 20 parts per million of gluten in the EU, UK and US. Here is what that covers and how to cook gluten-free at home.
- CompoteCompote is fruit cooked gently in sugar syrup until soft but still in pieces. See how it differs from jam and how long it keeps in the fridge.