Grits vs. Yellow Cornmeal
Hi,
I want to make Mark Bittman's Arepas (NYT last week), which call for yellow cornmeal. I would also like to use up the Arrowhead Grits that I have in my cupboard. Would it be ok to substitute? They look the same to me.
Thanks in advance!
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7 Comments:
Grits are coarsely ground cornmeal. The issue I might have is the texture given the cornmeal I keep is substantially finer grind. I think you could get away running it through a food processor or coffee grinder if you want something a bit finer.
And I suspect, like most recipes, Bitman did his by volume and not by weight. So you might want to weigh the two products and compare them. The coarse product might be less weight per volume.
But if they look identical, all I just wrote is for the birds and I think you should go for it.
Husband at 4:48PM on 09/09/09
No, they are a different grind. Cornmeal is ground much finer than grits. When you cook cornmeal like grits you get cornmeal mush which is very tasty and the texture is close to cream of rice. My great granny lost her teeth and my mother always claimed she lived on cornmeal mush the last few years of her life. My great grandpa ran a grist mill and the grind stones in the mill determine the grind of the corn.
You might try grinding your grits in a food processor to get a finer texture closer to cornmeal but I've never tried it.
Poultrygeist at 5:08PM on 09/09/09
Are the arrowhead grits yellow? if they are white, they may be from hominy (slaked lime corn) which has a different taste than corn meal.
As for texture, they may not hydrate enough, and come out unpleasantly gritty. I would pre-soak them in whatever liquid is in the recipe.
I find a lot of cornmeal baked recipes gritty since they never fully hydrate the corn.
peekpoke at 7:59PM on 09/09/09
I used boxed grits,(white) in place of polenta. It was fabulouse tasting and we all liked it as well as using something labeled polenta. try it see if you like it. I was told most corn meals are interchangeable.
foodie09 at 9:28PM on 09/09/09
polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta polenta
akapluto at 9:31PM on 09/09/09
I made that arepas recipe using regular grind cornmeal and it didn't work. The meal was too coarse. I agree that polenta is the way to go. I know that there is a special grind of cornmeal made just for arepas, but that might be hard to find. Good luck! Mine were tasty little pancakes rather than tasty little muffins.
Knitter at 8:33AM on 09/10/09
Save the hominy and make yourself a big ol' pot of menudo.
Mmmmmmm, tripe.
oh_no_eric at 2:36AM on 09/11/09