Adventures in Cooking :: Grits

Do you eat grits?  Do you know what grits are?  A couple of weeks ago when I posted Meal Plan Monday, I had reader Michelle left the following comment:

What are grits? Are they sweet or salty? Maybe I'll just have to come visit and you can make me some!

I don't know why that question still surprises me, but I always forget that there are areas of the country that have no idea about grits!  I first learned this when we lived in Idaho for 3 years.  My husband was in the Air Force and grits weren't sold in the commissary, so I'd get my Mama to mail them to me from time to time.  When I'd mention them or cook with them around non-southerners... I always had to explain.

So...when a reader asked the question, I made a note to one day write a post about grits - and here it is!!  Let's start with a definition from Wikipedia:

Grits is a food of Native American origin that is common in the Southern United States; it mainly consists of coarsely ground corn.

Keep reading at Wikipedia for an extensive explanation, history, etc.  But for now...it's ground corn.  Not as finely ground as corn meal, but ground up corn.  It's served hot with butter, salt & pepper...usually with eggs and bacon or sausage.  Grits are sold in varieties like oatmeal (except I hate oatmeal...so slimy and icky).  Or you can make Paula Deen's Baked Garlic Cheese Grits and serve with Boiled Shrimp...SO good!!  Shrimp and grits!

You can buy grits in a 5 lb. bag, a 1 lb. canister, or a box of 10 instant packages.  You can buy butter grits, cheese grits, or grits with bacon in them. In southern grocery stores, it's on the cereal aisle and there's a section dedicated to them (again, very much like oatmeal).    Grits come in several brands...Jim Dandy, Quaker Grits and generic brands are common!  You can even order grits as your side in restaurants like Waffle House.  Grits are not at all weird down here in the south, look...you can even buy them on Amazon where the brand is Quaker (again, like the oatmeal)... :

 

So...here's my quick tutorial on cooking grits. I keep my grits in a Tupperware container. 

First, boil water.  I don't always measure because I've been cooking grits my whole life, but you can check the package for measurements on water, grits, salt...

Next.  Add the grits to boiling water.

And boil for about 5 minutes (time of cooking depends on whether you're using instant grits, quick grits, etc.).

When they're almost done, I add butter.  Lots of butter!!!  Oh, and salt.  I usually use my salt shaker, but I couldn't find it this morning...so I'm carefully adding it here...

Continue cooking and whisking (to keep out the lumps) until the water is absorbed.  Then serve it up in a bowl with more butter and salt and pepper, or on a plate next to some eggs and bacon, or however else you can dream up!  Grits are salty and buttery and have a super yummy texture (unlike slimy oatmeal...I'm just sayin').

So, there you go!  If you can find them in your store (assuming you're not in the south), give them a try!  I think you'll be surprised!!

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