Buy the Cook n Stir Paste Maker

This video shows how to use the KitchenStir™ to effortlessly make starch paste used for book conservation.

It uses the following recipe:

Ingredients:
--2 ¼ cups filtered, spring, or distilled cold water 6 level Tablespoons of wheat starch paste (the video shows Zen Shofu wheat starch paste). (Water-to-starch proportion may vary if different starches are used or if other viscosities are desired)

Materials:
--KitchenStir Stir-Cook unit
--Measuring cups
--Clean bowls
--Clean brushes (use brushes with plastic, wood or string ferrules, no metal)
--Plastic or horsehair strainer
--Spatula
--Small whisk

Plastic wrap Instructions:
--Pour ¼ cup cold water into a container.
--Add wheat starch and mix thoroughly. Let this slurry sit for at least 20 minutes.
--Pour 2 cups water into the Kitchen Stir and heat it up. Do not boil. Set the temperature somewhere between warm and 150 F. If it starts boiling, it's too hot.
--Add the paste slurry. As an alternative, you could mix all of the water and starch together, let it sit for 20 minutes and cook it without heating the water separately.
--Cook the paste for 20-30 minutes or until it is the desired viscosity and tackiness (feel it). The paste will become translucent and thicken as it is cooking.
--Let the paste thoroughly cool before using it.
--Strain paste before use. Use a brush or rubber spatula to push it through a plastic or horse hair strainer (no metal). If necessary, thin the paste with cold (not hot!) water and strain 2-3 times until smooth.

Tips:
--Different tasks require different types of paste (tackiness and viscosity).
--Never use more paste than is necessary for the task at hand.
--It the paste is getting too thick, you can always add cold water into the KitchenStir while it is cooking. Alternatively, you can add water after the paste is cooked and strain several times.
--If the paste is too thin, make a thicker batch and combine, or evaporate some of the water out while cooking.
--If the paste is bubbling, turn down the temperature.
--Leaving the lid on will reduce evaporation and keep the paste an even consistency
--After the paste is made, covering it in a dish with plastic film will keep a skin from forming.
--Always strain the paste before using it, even if you have strained it before.
--Paste does better out of the refrigerator, but it does not last long. Make only as much as you need to use in a short time.
--There are many sources of starch paste from online conservation vendors.