There are several options but one golden rule: add lots of butter
I’ve tried cooking polenta the traditional way, but always end up with a burned hand from the hot lava glooping away in the pan. Now I whisk the cornmeal into the desired amount of cold water, then cook it on a moderate heat until it thickens to a nice, smooth finish, and the result is pretty much the same. Which method do you think is the best?
Martin, Alberta, Canada
If the method you’re using works for you, both for taste and texture, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Sometimes – actually, all the time – what counts as “right” in the kitchen depends mostly on the person cooking and eating it.
The theory behind the traditional method is that cooking cornmeal (which is what polenta is before it’s turned into polenta) is similar to cooking arborio rice for a risotto. As with risotto, the texture of polenta is the result of all those starch molecules coming together once each individual grain has loosened and swollen – a process of thickening, or starch gelatinisation, that requires the combination of liquid, heat and motion (ie, stirring) to come about.
Continue reading… There are several options but one golden rule: add lots of butterI’ve tried cooking polenta the traditional way, but always end up with a burned hand from the hot lava glooping away in the pan. Now I whisk the cornmeal into the desired amount of cold water, then cook it on a moderate heat until it thickens to a nice, smooth finish, and the result is pretty much the same. Which method do you think is the best?Martin, Alberta, CanadaIf the method you’re using works for you, both for taste and texture, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Sometimes – actually, all the time – what counts as “right” in the kitchen depends mostly on the person cooking and eating it.The theory behind the traditional method is that cooking cornmeal (which is what polenta is before it’s turned into polenta) is similar to cooking arborio rice for a risotto. As with risotto, the texture of polenta is the result of all those starch molecules coming together once each individual grain has loosened and swollen – a process of thickening, or starch gelatinisation, that requires the combination of liquid, heat and motion (ie, stirring) to come about. Continue reading… Cereals and grains, Food, Chefs, Side dishes
