It shines! It stabilizes! It crisps! Once you start using cornstarch in all of its useful ways, you and your jazz hands will never look back. But there will be times — sad, dramatic times ...

Still, there’s no need to panic. Cornstarch substitutes abound, and there’s a good chance one or more of them are already in your pantry. But first, a brief lesson on what cornstarch is and ...