On Food and Cooking

store their supply of sugar. Starch is simply a
chain of glucose sugars. Plants produce starch
in two different configurations: a completely
linear chain called amylose, and a highly
branched form called amylopectin, each of
which may contain thousands of glucose units.
Starch molecules are deposited together in a
series of concentric layers to form solid
microscopic granules. When starchy plant
tissue is cooked in water, the granules absorb
water, swell, and release starch molecules;
when cooled again, the starch molecules
rebond to each other and can form a moist but
solid gel. Various aspects of starch — the way
it determines the texture of cooked rice, its
formation into pure starch noodles, its role in
breads, pastries, and sauces — are described
in detail in chapters 9–11.
Glycogen Glycogen, or “animal starch,” is
an animal carbohydrate similar to
amylopectin, though more highly branched.
It’s a fairly minor component of animal tissue