Grits from the crock...

Grits is or grits are, which is it?

Grits is one of those most simple and basic foods that can prove to be elusive in the perfection of simple preparation. There is a reason that cooks want to learn to boil water and grits maybe one of the biggest.

Since my dad was in the Air Force when I was a young child, we moved very frequently. For example, I attended four different first grades in one calendar year. We spent a year in Mobile, Alabama. When my mother fixed grits before Mobile, we always had them with syrup. When we moved to Mobile, Alabama I learned to eat grits with butter and salt and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Grits and oatmeal are both wonderful foods when done correctly but can be turned to uck by many restaurants. Restaurants seem to have a really bad effect on oatmeal. The best oatmeal I’ve ever had was at the El Tovar in the El Tovar Hotel in the Grand Canyon.

More places get grits right than oatmeal. Now, my grits are good, especially when I really go wild like when I posted these.

When they get them right, restaurant grits come to you as fluffy whiteness. They are perfection just plain. Those are the kind of grits I’ve never been able to produce. Until I had to cook in my dirt floor kitchen. It doesn’t seem to be a good idea to replace the stove top until the other repairs are done in my lovely dirt floor kitchen. The new ceiling went in last week, the painter comes today. Maybe next week we’ll see a new wood floor even if the finish has to wait a few weeks.

In the mean time, grits to perfection! As my mother always said: Necessity is the mother of invention. I’ve always done grits on the stove top.

Water, salt, grits, bring to a boil, simmer till done, about 5 minutes. OK but not fluffy and light.

I’ve had a small crock pot for a really long time. Used to keep dips hot from time to time. When the ceiling was going in last week, I brought said crock pot upstairs to our bathroom. Now isn’t this a really elegant eating plan. Grits in the bathroom. Anyway, water, salt, grits in crock pot and go for a walk. Low and behold, an hour and a half later, I have perfect grits! Even when my kitchen has a floor and ceiling and stove top, I’ll be doing my grits in the crock pot forever after.

Light and fluffy grits forever after to all of ya’ll!!