The Ingredient Swap For Water That Will Give Your Grits More Flavor

What southern menu is complete without a dish featuring grits? The cornmeal-based, polenta-like porridge is an absolute staple in breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes across the U.S. and is versatile as both a side or as an element of a main course. Despite their apparent simplicity — Native Americans first started eating a form of grits in the 16th century– there are actually many different variations of them based on the type of corn used and the way it is prepared. Some of the most common types of grits are quick grits, which have more of the hull of the corn removed to make them finer and quicker to cook, and stone-ground grits, which are often whole grain, making them more flavorful but more time-consuming to cook.

While stone-ground grits are often thought of as the best option, if you have the time to properly prepare them, you can make your grits dish even more flavorful by swapping out some of the cooking water for chicken stock to infuse them with an extra savory taste. If you find your grits to be bland or too mild-tasting on their own, this is the perfect add-in for a more exciting mouth experience.

Whatever type of grits you choose to use, they can be made more flavorful and extra creamy by substituting about half of the water called for by the recipe for chicken stock and proceeding to cook them for the same amount of time. This same trick also works with vegetable broth if you are adhering to a plant-based diet. No matter which option you use to boost the flavor of the grits, it may require another adjustment to your recipe, which is tweaking the amount of salt used. Chicken and vegetable stock are both high in sodium, so in order to avoid overly salty grits, you will want to use low-sodium broth or compensate and avoid salting the water when you start cooking with regular broth. Once you get the liquid mix boiling, cook the grits low and slow for the best taste and an ideal texture.

Other liquids can also be substituted to enhance the creaminess of grits, including milk or actual cream which will make the finished product taste sweeter, while chicken or vegetable broth will make the dish more savory. The chicken broth trick works best for meals like shrimp and grits or other dishes that pair the corn porridge with roasted meats.