Anyone into grits?
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We really like grits. As a matter of fact, we had them/it for breakfast yesterday morning. We eat grits like hot cereal with milk and sugar. Sometimes I may add a pat of butter.
Grits can also be a great side dish. One of our favorites is Gouda Grits from an issue of 2015 of Southern Living magazine. Fantastic!
thymeless
Sous Chef
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Only with cheese.
I know I've been told but for the life of me I can never remember. Is Grits the same as Cream of Wheat? I like Cream of Wheat. But don't often cook it. Usually eat it like I do oatmeal, just butter and brown sugar (or with molasses)
No, grits is/are not like cream of wheat. Cream of wheat is made from wheat, while grits is a corn-based product and is much coarser than cream of wheat, but can be cooked and eaten like cream of wheat but it takes a bit longer to reach the final product.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
Not better really, just different. While you can have grits for breakfast, I think of it more as the starchy side at supper. Like steel cut oats, the longer you cook grits the smoother the texture becomes. I like laying down a bed of grits when I make Italian sausage with peppers and onions, or when I make some version of "shrimp and grits". If the grits are plain (that is, no cheese and cooked with just water and milk), I will pour the leftovers into a mini bread pan, chill, and use that for fried cornmeal with maple syrup for breakfast the next day.
I have always wondered what proper "Shrimp and Grits" would be like, but it sounds like "grits" are pretty stodgy! I can see that they form part of a carbohydrate (filler) part of a meal. From the descriptions here and online, I am not sold on them. (Even if they were available!)
grits are a regular companion here, especially with salmon.
grits are like liver.
the discussion usually goes like:
"I hate liver."
"Oh, how was it done?"
"I've never eaten it."
there's a "thing" to grits, collard greens, turnips, , , and others.
people form opinions based on things they've heard . . . .
grits are like liver.
the discussion usually goes like:
"I hate liver."
"Oh, how was it done?"
"I've never eaten it."
there's a "thing" to grits, collard greens, turnips, , , and others.
people form opinions based on things they've heard . . . .
Oh, don't get me wrong, I would absolutely try grits! (I eat chicken liver, and other liver as long as it isn't cooked to leather consistency too.) Think we just agreed actually!
So, how are grits "well cooked"? I mean as an accompaniment to a meat or fish dish?
So, how are grits "well cooked"? I mean as an accompaniment to a meat or fish dish?
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I love grits as a butter delivery system to accompany eggs, toast and grilled tomatoes. This is my favorite comfort food meal.
But there are rules....
But there are rules....
- No instant grits. They are inferior, over-processed and the flavor is
off, disappointing- bad. - No reheated grits. They turn into a glooey mess.
- No grits from packets. These fail on count 1 PLUS they are salty.
- The pot they were cooked in must be scraped clean and put on to soak immediately upon emptying to prevent permanent grits-based spackle on the side of the pan..
Now we're talking! Janet H, how do you cook your grits to go with your eggs and grilled tomatoes?
pepperhead212
Master Chef
I like grits, but something I do, to add some nutrients to them (most grains are better for us than grits), is add some steel cut oats to them. The texture is about the same, and the flavor of the grits still comes through - I don't really notice the flavor of the oats, even using 50/50, though I use maybe 1/2 c grits to 1/3 c oats.
Something I often do is make a chipotle mix as the water for it - I put a cup of water in the Vitamix, with a couple moritas or chipotles in it, and blend it smooth. I pour that one cup in the grits mix, then rinse the VM and lid out, using that water to add to the grits, add a little salt (cheese will add more salt, later), and cook 3 minutes under pressure, in the Instant Pot, and let the pressure release for about 15 min. I add cheese to the pot, and this makes a delicious snack, or side dish.
Something I often do is make a chipotle mix as the water for it - I put a cup of water in the Vitamix, with a couple moritas or chipotles in it, and blend it smooth. I pour that one cup in the grits mix, then rinse the VM and lid out, using that water to add to the grits, add a little salt (cheese will add more salt, later), and cook 3 minutes under pressure, in the Instant Pot, and let the pressure release for about 15 min. I add cheese to the pot, and this makes a delicious snack, or side dish.
Lightly salted water at a rolling boil and then add grits. Read the recipe on the box or bag for exact measurements. I never measure, however and just eyeball this now.
Stir for a minute to assure there are no lumps and then turn down and cover the pot. They need to cook for about 15 minutes and then are best allowed to rest for a few more minutes.
The finished consistency should be thick-ish - like runny mashed potatoes. Serve with butter.
I also like cheese in grits. Tip: add cheese after grits have finished cooking and cooled for a few minutes. If you add cheese to boiling grits, the cheese will split and make the grits runny. They will never thicken.
The best grits imo are stone ground. Not too processed and not too finely ground. Despite what I've read online, Polenta and Grits are NOT the same. Polenta is finer and the variety of corn used differs.
Grits and corn meal are also not the the same product.
Meal:
Grits with butter
Eggs (any way you like them)
Fried, grilled or broiled tomatoes
Toast - preferably rye.
Stir for a minute to assure there are no lumps and then turn down and cover the pot. They need to cook for about 15 minutes and then are best allowed to rest for a few more minutes.
The finished consistency should be thick-ish - like runny mashed potatoes. Serve with butter.
I also like cheese in grits. Tip: add cheese after grits have finished cooking and cooled for a few minutes. If you add cheese to boiling grits, the cheese will split and make the grits runny. They will never thicken.
The best grits imo are stone ground. Not too processed and not too finely ground. Despite what I've read online, Polenta and Grits are NOT the same. Polenta is finer and the variety of corn used differs.
Grits and corn meal are also not the the same product.
Meal:
Grits with butter
Eggs (any way you like them)
Fried, grilled or broiled tomatoes
Toast - preferably rye.
Goodness, this should be renamed Grits 101!
Thanks all for the input. Now I remember! My sister (OK/FL) loves them and keeps telling me to try them but then says - well be sure you don't buy just cornmeal, it's not the same. duh... well, we don't have anything labeled 'grits' on the shelves here, LOL.
And now I've remembered, think it was the Chief? a big discussion on the differences of maize, grits, cornmeal, fine, coarse, etc.
Thanks all for the input. Now I remember! My sister (OK/FL) loves them and keeps telling me to try them but then says - well be sure you don't buy just cornmeal, it's not the same. duh... well, we don't have anything labeled 'grits' on the shelves here, LOL.
And now I've remembered, think it was the Chief? a big discussion on the differences of maize, grits, cornmeal, fine, coarse, etc.
Kathleen
Cupcake
I love grits. Others in this house are not a fan. I like them in many way but, as others have pointed out, old-fashioned, stone-ground are the best. Personally, I like them in place of other starches in meals, am not as big of a fan with cheese in them, but will eat them in a bowl with milk (or cream), butter, and sugar or another kind of sweetner....like brown sugar or something of the sort. Most people who tell me they hate grits are not from "back home." So when I say, "That because you are not a Girl Raised In The South - yanno....GRITS?" It will cause controversey...like someone who isn't in our group shouting in the diner, "I was born in BackCreek, Georgia and I hate grits." To this, there is only one reply: "Oh....you never had mine." 
If they continue, then go with the second reply, "Unless y'all have seven generations buried in your hometown cemetary, you cannot consider yourself a grit. Heck, just cause a cat has kittens in the oven doesn't make em biscuits." It is sad how well I can troll at times. Blame it on the sweet tea, cornbread and sunshine."
If they continue, then go with the second reply, "Unless y'all have seven generations buried in your hometown cemetary, you cannot consider yourself a grit. Heck, just cause a cat has kittens in the oven doesn't make em biscuits." It is sad how well I can troll at times. Blame it on the sweet tea, cornbread and sunshine."
pepperhead212
Master Chef
Polenta is definitely different from grits, but it's not all finely ground - there's a lot of coarsely ground out there, usually the preferred type, though it takes a long time to cook, much like old fashioned grits, compared to quick cook. While the treatment is different from the nixtamal of Mexico, it does give it a good flavor - the reason for the term "Hominy Grits" I used to see on most grits (is it still used in some places?). In one place nearby, a number of years ago (Bottom Dollar - Bought out around here), the yellow grits had none of the flavor, while the white did, but both called grits. The white grits had something on the bags about how the corn was treated, but nothing on the yellow - like it was polenta.
I don't know if they did this for this reason, or if it was just something lucky - the treatment of corn by alkali (lye, in the case of hominy, for grits) releases much of the niacin in corn, that is locked in something like polenta. Back when corn first made it to the new world, in many areas, where some of the people, since it was so cheap, it became their #1 grain, but many came down with pellagra, which they eventually realized was the niacin deficiency, caused by the excess use of corn. Not sure when the new world came up with the nixtamalization, that helps the flavor, as well as the nutrients!
I don't know if they did this for this reason, or if it was just something lucky - the treatment of corn by alkali (lye, in the case of hominy, for grits) releases much of the niacin in corn, that is locked in something like polenta. Back when corn first made it to the new world, in many areas, where some of the people, since it was so cheap, it became their #1 grain, but many came down with pellagra, which they eventually realized was the niacin deficiency, caused by the excess use of corn. Not sure when the new world came up with the nixtamalization, that helps the flavor, as well as the nutrients!
Roll_Bones
Master Chef
I grew up in the south. Grits are a staple. We only buy stone ground yellow grits. They are coarse ground. We never cook them in milk, we never put sugar or anything like it on them. Its sacrilegious.
Stone ground yellow grits cooked in water following the package instructions.
Then its butter and salt and pepper.
My wife is from SC and its hard to believe she puts sugar on them!? But she has always went against the grain.
Stone ground yellow grits cooked in water following the package instructions.
Then its butter and salt and pepper.
My wife is from SC and its hard to believe she puts sugar on them!? But she has always went against the grain.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
You mean the old world, ie, Europe. This happened in northern Italy.
Grits and polenta are similar enough to me that they can be used interchangeably, so if you like polenta, chances are you will like grits. Imo, they're best served with a tasty gravy or sauce, or cheesed up or with a lot of seasoning.
pepperhead212
Master Chef
Yes - my mistake. I noticed that too late to correct!
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