Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits/Polenta, 24-Ounce (Pack of 4)

Apparently the other reviewer for this product has his underwear in a wad about the price I don't think the other reviewer even tasted this product! Yes, Bob's Red Mill products aren't cheap, but the company fills a very unique niche (Gluten-free products, unusual flours, etc.) and I'm willing to pay the price to keep the company from disappearing. Plus, every product from Bob's Red Mill that I've ever tried has been superior, including these grits!

Now about the grits as a native Southerner, I've eaten grits all my life but I'd never had a yellow, coarsely ground corn grit before I tried Bob's. From the moment my family tried these grits about two years ago, we've eaten no other grits. We cook these grits every weekend, usually Saturday and Sunday mornings. Oh, we've tried a few regional products (Lakeside yellow grits are good, too, and more finely ground), but just not as good as Bob's. I like the more coarse grind of this product, and the flavor is exceptional. The corn flavor comes through, but not in an overpowering way not to sound like a geek foodie, but Bob's yellow grits have a fantastic taste and mouthfeel. It's hard to explain, but I recommend you try them. If you're not sure you want to bite off a multi-box purchase via Amazon, then check your local grocery store (Publix in the Southeast carries Bob's) as do many organic/gourmet grocers.

Oh, and never follow the directions on a bag or box of grits that's the reason non-Southerners think grits are nasty, because they make them without the necessary amounts of butter, salt and milk or cream. Also, these are not quick cook grits, so it will take about 20 minutes from the time the water boils to achieve smooth, cooked grits. To feed four people (assuming you also have pancakes and a meat for breakfast), use three cups water brought to a boil, then gently shake about 2/3 cup of grits into the water. Once the water/grits combo comes to a boil, immediately lower the heat to simmer and stir frequently. [A note about lumps: if you don't stir often enough, you get lumps; if you dump the grits in, rather than shaking them in slowly, you get lumps.] Add about two or three tablespoons of butter, then an unholy amount of salt. I'm afraid to measure how much salt we actually use (we salt to taste as we cook), but I would guess we use two or more teaspoons of salt. To avoid oversalting, start with one teaspoon of salt, taste when you're almost almost done, then add salt to taste. Depending on how thick you like your grits, add additional water (we prefer to use 1% milk) to thin them out a bit. You can also add crispy bacon or country ham to your final product for flavor.

Any Southerner can tell you that grits left in a pot to cool become polenta... so go ahead, and impress your Yankee and West Coast friends by "grilling up" leftover slices of your breakfast for dinner. Remember, the Americas introduced corn to Europe (including Italy), so grits came first.

While cooking in an area where my usual brand was not available, I tried three different brands from the local grocery stores over the past two days, including this one. Already shopped at a local "italian" grocery, but they only had instant and tubes of already cooked polenta. Results so far: Bob's Red Mill was the worst. In fact, it made the worst polenta I've ever produced. This product is flavorless and cooks almost instantly. I prefer to take the time to make polenta right so the flavor develops. While it does not claim to be instant polenta or reconstituted cooked grains, something is clearly wrong. I threw the batch away and the entire bag. We cook polenta frequently in many ways--creamy under braises; stiffer and flavored with broth, herbs and cheese as a side dish; grilled; and sauteed. I like the equivalent of an authentic, excellent Italian or high-end restaurant version of polenta. Bland cornmeal mush is not the same thing, and that's what you will get with this product. Whatever the price, this was a waste of every dime I spent.

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