i will look for it, but corn starch is cheap and i am on what would be a fixed income if it were not so pitiful it barely qualifies as income. it goes out more than it comes in. anyway, i only use corn starch when i am lazy (and in place of baby powder when i use it for noncooking purposes; not sure if i could afford arrowroot for that! i'll add that i used so little corn starch for this, my container of corn starch that i use for cooking won't be empty for a year or two, and it's not that big!) when i am motivated i make a nice alfredo, involving no corn starch -- just flour or masa if i can get ahold of it, butter (well, fake butter, but the brand i use is really good), parmesan cheese, garlic, powdered milk because i get it for free and can't stand to drink it so i cook with it, water and the seasoned salt i make myself so it contains no msg, only kosher salt, powdered bay, garlic power and paprika, sometimes celery seed but i find it overpowering so sometimes not. the salt is about a third of the whole. or i make a roue, meaning without the parmesan and without fresh garlic, but still containing the garlic powder that's in my seasoned salt. it depends on the dish. for this one it would not have been the alfredo. not with the sesame and soy and all that.

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@genessa You cooking creativity is impressive. I recently stopped working and I am hoping that my love of cooking returns because while working full time, my 'cooking' consisted or a small amount of protein accompanied with a side or two of greens, salad or vegetable medley. Anything beyond that took up too much of my time...time that wasn't available because of my work commitment.

@patchoullijulie time can be a problem and i understand that. being disabled and unable to work, i have time. since it hurts to stand, though, i am a FAST cook, even if what i make isn't fast food!

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@genessa Yep that's what I like, a quick, easy meal that covers all the nutritional targets.

@patchoullijulie use that microwave! it isn't heresy (so to speak!) get a plastic bowl. spray oil on it and salt the bowl slightly. crack an egg on that. sprinkle with parmesan. nuke 60 seconds. look what happens! it's great! and FAST!

i always had trouble making bacon come out right. i use turkey bacon. it can be great or ehhhh. this works: on a tough plastic plate, arrange the bacon around the edge. this works best if you cut each strip into thirds. nuke for three minutes. crisp bacon! amazing, huh?

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@patchoullijulie here's another one: get a bunch of brussels sprouts. rinse them and cut the butts off (or leave them if they're not too dirty). slice them. put them in a bowl. spray with oil (i use butter flavor) and season to taste. nuke for four or five minutes, only three if a small amount sliced very thinly. that's it! that's all you need!

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@genessa I don't own a microwave. I hate them. I think I am only one of a handful of people that doesn't use them.

@patchoullijulie i am alive because of services i receive as a disabled person. one of them is mom's meals. (i may be changing that vendor soon, though, as they seem to be replacing fruit with jello and potatoes with rice; i am diabetic and this is not good newsfor me.) i need a microwave to heat them up; they arrive precooked, looking like tv dinners (they're better than that). a properly used microwave is just another cooking tool; i know people abuse them. i don't. i even use them to make pasta! heat a bowl of salted water for two minutes. add pasta. nuke for six minutes, longer if necessary, shorter if very delicate like alphabet noodles. i get to stand up for less time and not have a huge backache. what do you hate about them?

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@genessa For me it is about how it affects the texture and to be pretty honest, I am not all that convinced that they are as safe as they have been made out to be....but that is just me.

@patchoullijulie fair enough. for me, in some cases it's the ONLY way to get the right texture (see bacon example). i cannot speak for or against its safety. i am not worried, but if you are, then you must do what you feel is best.

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