Cooking grits

keepitlow

14 years ago

Don't know if this is off topic. But corn grits are a storage food from the harvest, so hope it goes here.

How do you cook grits without making a mess? Mine overcook and they come out chewy and hard in the center.

Also, how do you serve them? Just with sugar? I guess one could put on butter too, but I have to watch the fats.

Thanks

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Comments (6)

ronnywil
14 years ago
Grits are ground hominy corn. They should be the consistency of coarse corn meal. You cook them about 20 to 30 minutes on medium heat until tender. If you like them savory style just add butter maybe salt and pepper. If you like them sweet add butter and sugar.
readinglady
14 years ago
If they're chewy and hard in the center, my guess would be insufficient liquid.

The more usual Southern style is with salt, pepper and butter, but if you check online, there are numerous recipes. For example as a base or side for many seafood or meat dishes.

Also check polenta recipes. Many can be used with grits with equal success. (Cheese is a good addition.)

Carol
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There are plenty of things to add to grits to make them tasty, just like there are many different ways to use a tortilla. Tip on cooking grits: DO NOT FOLLOW PACKAGE INSTRUCTIONS!!! Instead, combine the quick grits with cold water and stir to combine. You can add butter, celery (this adds crunch and helps the texture), chopped bell pepper, chilies, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and your favorite salt and stir altogether before heating. Or you can just make them plain, but do NOT boil the water first! If you put the grits into cold water, you will not have any lumps, but if you add grits to boiling water, you have to whisk vigorously to prevent lumps, and this is completely unnecessary. I do not understand why anyone boils the water first, except that that is what the package instructions tell them to do. Those instructions are wrong! If you are cooking stone ground grits, you will need to soak them first in plain water - do not add salt or other ingredients until the grits have absorbed all the water. I start with two cups of water and 7/8 cup of stone ground grits. For a quick soak, bring the grits and water to a boil, constantly stirring, simmer for one minute, and then remove from heat and cover. They should absorb all of this water in one to two hours. Add additional water for cooking, if necessary. I generally use less water than package instructions because I add vegetables that have a lot of water in them, like celery and red bell pepper. I also bake the cooked grits with sausage, cheese, and egg, which I add after the grits have simmered, covered, for five minutes. I mix water with the eggs (because I held back on water in the first cooking) and add them after I add the cold sausage and cheese - therefore I do not need to temper the eggs. I made grits for breakfast this morning, and I did not have bell pepper or dried bell pepper, and so I used some dried chilies (from India) that I had not used before, for heat instead of my chili sauce. I also used some Ancho chili paste instead of salt, for a more intense chili flavor, but generally I had some Knorr chicken bouillon in place of salt. I've decided that I like this dried bouillon, despite what others may think. It's also very convenient to store. If I add dried vegetables to the grits, I also add a bit more water. The dried vegetables are very handy to have, but frozen vegetables are good too. Normally, I add frozen corn before I add the egg mixture, and this also cools down the grits.
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The first settlers in the US were offered "rockahominie" by the friendly Indians, and this mixture of dried corn probably kept many of the settlers alive during those cold winters. Hominy grits are made from corn that has been soaked in weak lye water to make the kernels swell. The kernels are then dried and ground. Grits were also a vital part of the Southern diet during the Great Depression since they are inexpensive and require only water and perhaps some oil or butter to make. Although some people desecrate grits by putting sugar and butter over them, as with oatmeal, a proper bowl of grits has butter, salt and black pepper for seasoning. They are more savory than sweet. People have their individual tastes in grits, some preferring a thinner consistency, some liking a consistency almost like polenta Â good for slicing, in other words. One use for leftover grits, in fact, is slicing cold grits like bread and frying the slices. This author prefers a medium consistency, edible with a spoon, but not thin. Grits are also popular away from the breakfast table in the South, and cheese grits might appear on a supper table with pork chops or ham. In the Carolinas, grits with shrimp and cheese are popular for eating any time of day, but especially for breakfast. Casseroles featuring grits are also widely favored in the Southeast. Depending on the variety, grits take about 15-20 minutes to cook. They usually come prepackaged and all the cook really has to do is follow directions. Grits are also available at some working grist mills. When the grits are cooked, seasoning is the most important step. Take it from this author: nothing, absolutely nothing is worse than bland grits. They need quite a bit of salt to be really good. Pepper may also be added, or diners can add it when served. When cooked, the grits are ladled into bowls and finished with a nice pat of butter on top. The butter melts in the hot grits, creating a truly delicious dish.
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Here's Paula Deen's. Baked cheese grits 6 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 2 cups regular grits 16 ounces Cheddar, cubed 1/2 cup milk 4 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 8 ounces grated sharp white Cheddar Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 4-quart casserole dish. Bring the broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cubed Cheddar and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white Cheddar and bake for 35 to 40
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bamagrit
14 years ago
Get the water to a rollin' boil, add the dry grits and stir'em in,(if you add grits after this they will most likely form lumps) turn the heat down to low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stir in water if they get too thick. Eat'em with butter, salt and pepper, red eye gravy, cheese....or whatever you want to add to'em.
digdirt2
14 years ago
Get the water to a rollin' boil, add the dry grits and stir'em in,(if you add grits after this they will most likely form lumps) turn the heat down to low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stir in water if they get too thick.

Exactly! :) Grits are a staple in our meals down here and in addition to all of the flavor additives above, they are great as a breakfast cereal with syrup or honey added or with brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon stirred in. Cheese grits as a side dish with supper meat is hard to beat.

Dave
junelynn
14 years ago
I went into a department at work that was having a buffet style breakfast. I asked the manager how she keeped her grits from getting all hard and stiff, as they were still in a bowl, and they weren't all clumped and dry. She mixed 1/2 water 1/2 milk and cooked them.
I like them with butter, salt and pepper, but I had a co-worker who was from the deep south and had them with sugar!
I also like to mix them with bits of bacon if I'm eating breakfast.
Adding cheese is an option as well.
I wonder if you couldn't add some kind of buttery type seasoning or just use a seasoning that you like. They take on the flavor you add to them. Garlic, oregano, curry...whatever!

June Lynn
ruthieg__tx
14 years ago
People here in the south add just about anything they want into grits. I have seen many people put their girts into a bowl and put their eggs on top of the grits....and I've seen them crumble bacon or sausage on top of that....so grits is usually served plain and every family or even person in the family eats them as they see fit.

I suggest you use more liquid and cook them longer...

Cooking grits

Comments (6)

ronnywil

readinglady

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bamagrit

digdirt2

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