Give Me Your Perspectives On Grits

[Chaos Descending]

So, for us foreign devils, grits are dried corn kernels? And once cooked (by boiling in water, I'm assuming) what do you do then?

Well, they are not whole corn kernels either. They are chopped up dried white hominy corn, dried, and boiled in water. They resemble Cream of Wheat or Malt-O-Meal in consistency.

What do then is eat them. Some people put butter and salt and pepper on them, or sugar and butter, or various other ways to dress them up.

Almost no one just eats them plain.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ I just put salt on mine. I buy them off the shelf, which is surely even less authentic than Denny's.

 

[scotpens]

I like them with a little cheese, some bacon and a fried egg on top.

Do they go well with Spam?

 

[Captain Ice]

And I'm shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, that no one has done the "Kiss my grits!" joke yet.

None of us wants to be called Flo.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Flo was HOT, I'll have you know.

 

[STR]

I'm a fan of sweet grits for breakfast. Sugar, cinnamon, etc. If it's a side or entrée later in the day, savory all the way. No cheese though. I hate cheese when it's mixed into stuff.

Almost no one just eats them plain.

I do.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I like them with a little cheese, some bacon and a fried egg on top.

Do they go well with Spam?

I haven't tried them that way, but if you like Spam, then probably. Once in a while I'll put in some diced ham.

 

[M'Sharak]

^ Spam, eggs and grits? Sure, that would work.

Through unimportant means I have come into possession of a 5 pound bag of corn grits. I have never eaten grits before. I am not even really sure what they are other than something Southern people eat. Wikipedia tells me they are a kind of porridge. I am down with that because I really like Cream of Wheat. But I am not a big corn eater. How do grits compare? Are they any good? Is there a special way to cook them?

If you like Cream of Wheat, you'll probably like grits. Given a choice between the two, I'd go for grits, even if allergies didn't force me to cut most wheat out of my diet. Cook them the way you would any hot cereal, with water and a dash of salt. All of the serving suggestions given in this thread so far sound good, and a few of them very good.

 

[Maestro]

Grits are a delicious addition to any breakfast, especially if they've been warming just long enough to develop a "skin" on top. Nummy with butter and salt.

 

[Australis]

Aaaand just for edification, I have NO idea what this 'cream o' wheat' is either.

Down Under we have corn kernels, tinned, frozen or dried. The frozen ones are usually mixed with peas and served as a side dish. Polenta we have, but I found it terribly ordinary. A quick look on Wikipedia implies they're the same thing, prepared slightly differently. Does that mean I could prepare polenta sin some of the ways described here, which sound tasty?

 

[Chaos Descending]

I'm a fan of sweet grits for breakfast. Sugar, cinnamon, etc. If it's a side or entrée later in the day, savory all the way. No cheese though. I hate cheese when it's mixed into stuff.

Almost no one just eats them plain.

I do.

Well since you're "almost no one", I was right!

 

[Davros]

Grits are great.

 

[Lookingglassman]

I like them with a little butter and pepper.

 

[M'Sharak]

Aaaand just for edification, I have NO idea what this 'cream o' wheat' is either.

It's a brand, actually, but basically it's just another hot cereal, similar to grits, only made with wheat meal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_of_wheat

Down Under we have corn kernels, tinned, frozen or dried. The frozen ones are usually mixed with peas and served as a side dish. Polenta we have, but I found it terribly ordinary. A quick look on Wikipedia implies they're the same thing, prepared slightly differently. Does that mean I could prepare polenta sin some of the ways described here, which sound tasty?

Sure. It's very adaptable and can be prepared/served in combination with all sorts of things, from simple to elaborate.