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Our local stores do not sell cornflour so I need a substitute.
Online I'm finding people saying use normal flour, or you can use arrowroot or you can use cornstarch at half the quantity. But these substitutions are given for purposes like thickening agents.
Really I don't know if something like 'flour' would be a good substitute in a Pavlova. What is the right substitute for the purpose of a Pavlova?
Cornflour in that sense being just starch, you should be able to use many starches with decent results. So corn starch, wheat starch, potato starch, rice starch, etc. will work, no matter what name they are sold under (e.g. you are more likely to find "rice flour" than "rice starch"). Try to avoid starches that are high in amylopectin ("waxy" starches), for the pavlova you want fluffiness in the starch.
If you are willing to experiment and end up with results that are farther away from the original, consider trying random flours from gluten free plants. I don't mean the "gluten-free flour mixes" in the supermarket which are enriched with gums, I mean things like oat flour, chestnut flour, etc.
Apologies for the short answer, but yes, you can use cornstarch.
Cornstarch is interchangeable (as shown in this recipe here)
There is a Fielders "Wheaten Cornflour" that is made from wheat. I am allergic to cornstarch and use Wheaten Cornflour. My mum was a champion prize winning cook. Her secret ingredient is this product for Pavs, cakes, sponges, and for a beautiful textured gravy. I give my friends Wheaten Cornflour so that when they are cooking and intend to give me something, like melting moments, anything with icing, they use it. There are recipes for sponges and other baked goods on the Fielders box.
