Cookbook:Cornmeal

| Basic foodstuffs | Cereal | Corn

Cornmeal is coarsely ground dried corn. It is not to be confused with cornstarch or corn flour.

Characteristics
All cornmeal is made from corn—usually dent corn, and sometimes flint corn or other varieties. Compared to corn flour, which is powdery, cornmeal is gritty or grainy, though it does range in grind size from fine to coarse. In addition to grind size, cornmeal can be either whole-grain (made from the entire kernel) or degerminated, where the germ and bran are removed. The most common colors are white and yellow, but specialty cornmeal can be made from colorful corn varieties as well, including purple and red.

Grits and polenta
Both grits and polenta are dishes of cooked cornmeal, and the terms are then sometimes back-applied to refer to the cornmeal used to make the dishes. Usually, they indicate a coarse grind, with polenta usually yellow and grits either white or yellow. Grits can also be made from hominy, in which case they are appropriately referred to as hominy grits. Polenta is sometimes made from flint corn, which gives it a more toothsome texture.

Selection and storage
Cornmeal is quite shelf-stable at room temperature, especially if it has been degerminated to reduce the fat content and is stored in an airtight container. However, if you want to prolong the shelf life to years, it's best to store it in the freezer.

Use
Cornmeal has a variety of applications, ranging from flavor to structure and texture. It is commonly used to keep baked goods—usually pizza or bread—from sticking to the baking surface. Cornmeal can be applied to wet items, drying them off so that batter will stick. This is commonly done for deep-fat frying. When a recipe uses cornmeal in this way, you can often substitute flour or cornstarch. Cornmeal is also an essential ingredient for corn bread and corn muffins, and it makes up staple porridges across cultures.

Substitution
Different varieties of cornmeal can sometimes be substituted for each other, though you should be mindful of the slight changes that will occur to the final dish. If you substitute coarsely ground cornmeal for a fine grind, note that the texture will be grittier and more toothsome. On the other hand, using a fine grind gives a more homogeneous texture that can verge on pasty if incorrectly implemented.