Properties: Tiny and hard when uncooked and large, sticky and chewy when cooked. Flavor: They are flavorless but tend to take on any other flavors you are cooking with. Uses: Desserts like pudding, ...

Summertime is pie time. Starting with June strawberries, steady streams of fruit, just begging to become pies, crowd around lucky northern Michiganders. My thickener of choice for fruit pies is ...