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Potato starch can be substituted with several options. pomme de terre image by Pascal Martin from Fotolia.com Potato starch and other starch thickeners add body and texture to desserts, sauces, soups, stews and gravies. While endless starch thickeners exist, they all produce slightly different qualities in the end product of the dish being made. Certain thickeners will suit certain dishes better. Luckily, none of them make much of a difference in taste.
Cornstarch
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Cornstarch is a commonly used thickener that comes from corn. Cornstarch can be trusted to remain clear in sauces and puddings while thickening the texture. Cornstarch can be used for baking; however, when baking with cornstarch, it is best to use it in conjunction with other flours. The Food Subs Cook's Thesaurus notes that cornstarch is the best choice for thickening sauces that are dairy-based, but produces mediocre results in acidic food.
Arrowroot
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Arrowroot starch has an undetectable flavor, even more so than cornstarch. This makes arrowroot suitable for delicately spiced or flavored dishes. While some starches cause a dish to lose texture, stability or flavor if frozen and unfrozen, arrowroot starch can be frozen and unfrozen in dishes numerous times with no negative effects. Arrowroot is best in dessert sauces, because it can add a shimmer to the dish that makes gravies look fake or processed.
Tapioca
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Tapioca starch comes in granules rather than a fine powder. These granules will not disappear completely into the dish, making tapioca starch best for puddings and fillings. When used in stews, gravies, soups or other dishes, the granules will be visible, but there will be no noticeable taste. You may also grind tapioca granules in a coffee grinder to make them more powdery.
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