Corn Flour vs Cornmeal vs Cornstarch

The short answer: this is a translation problem wearing a baking problem’s clothes. In the UK, “cornflour” means the pure white starch Americans call cornstarch. In the US, “corn flour” means finely milled whole corn — an actual flour. Cornmeal is the coarser grind of the same corn. Three products, two naming systems, and a recipe from the wrong side of the Atlantic will happily ruin your gravy or your cornbread if you don’t check which one it means.

The three-way table

Decode your recipe first

• British or Irish recipe says “cornflour” → it wants cornstarch. One word, no space, pure starch.
• American recipe says “corn flour” → it wants the fine whole-corn flour. Two words, real flour.
• Any recipe says “polenta” or “grits” → cornmeal territory; grind size is the flavour.
• Mexican recipes saying “masa harina” → none of the above: masa is nixtamalized (lime-treated) corn and behaves differently — that’s what our corn tortillas are built on. Don’t substitute plain corn flour and expect tortillas.

Which should I use?

• Thickening gravy, fruit fillings, stir-fries → cornstarch (UK: cornflour), mixed cold, added late.
• Cornbread → cornmeal for bite, or half meal + half fine corn flour for tenderness.
• Crisp pan-fried coatings → cornstarch alone, or cut with rice flour — the base of our crispy cornstarch tofu bites.
• Fried polenta, Neapolitan style → cornmeal, set and sliced: scagliozzi.