Making tasty custard used to be a time-honored culinary skill. However, it does require some expertise and even a little luck. Custard powder has taken at least some of the guesswork out of making a good custard sauce.

Custard powder looks a lot like cornstarch or cornflour, and in fact, is made from cornflour. It also has annatto coloring (from the achiote tree), salt and other flavorings. The cook combines several tablespoons of the custard powder with sugar and enough milk to form a paste. The paste is then slowly added to hot milk and stirred until completely dissolved. The result is a thick custard sauce, not identical to traditional egg custard, but still good over cake, pudding or other desserts.

An Englishman named Alfred Bird came up with custard powder in 1837 because his wife was allergic to eggs. His custard powder caught on and by 1844, his company was producing custard powder for the whole of England. “Bird’s Custard Powder” is an English tradition, in fact, and is used all over the country.

Custard powder is sometimes used for cookies, and one recipe online uses it for the cookies themselves and for the filling inside! Some cooks also add fruit to the custard mixture, for a fruit custard, and it can also be used in recipes calling for a cream filling. The key to making a thinner or thicker custard is the proportion of custard powder to milk. More custard powder will thicken the mixture, while more milk will thin it. It all depends on the recipe and the desired results. Some recipes call for a custard that will come set in a tart shell, which would necessitate a thicker custard, for example.

Custard powder is a good alternative to minimize the amount of cholesterol in a custard, and to ensure everyone at the table can eat it, even if someone is allergic to eggs. A 10.5-ounce (300 grams) can of custard powder will make about eight pints (3.8 liters) of custard.