Ditch Your Stovetop To Make Grits With Minimal Effort

Grits seem deceptively simple when you first consider it. Ground corn, water, butter, cheese, salt, and a little garlic and heat — how hard can it be to cook up a pot? And yet, it can be quite an uphill battle. Anyone who's made grits knows how finicky it can be. Too much heat and the cornmeal will scorch; too little, and you're eating raw paste. One wrong move is all it takes to end up with a sandy, lumpy mess. The key is to keep the process low and slow, which is much more achievable if you're using a slow cooker instead of doing things the usual stovetop way. This one-step swap is the shortcut to making grits much easier than you ever thought possible.

With the slow cooker, the grits are given enough time to soak up the liquid without the need for non-stop stirring. The consistent, even heating also ensures you won't have to scrape burnt grits off the bottom of the pot due to a moment away from the pot. Just dump everything in, stir every once in a while, and leave the rest to the utensil. Not only that, the flavors and textures also have the opportunity to flourish when melded together in the slow cooker. The cheese melts into every morsel, enriching the creamy corn grits, with the garlic aroma more prominent than ever.

Making grits with the slow cooker is just a few adjustments from the classic creamy grits recipe. However, it starts the same with choosing the right ingredients. Stone-ground grits are the top (and only) choice for this method. It takes longer to cook than other varieties, which also means it holds up better over a long period and doesn't get clumpy. For about 1 cup of grits in a 4-quart cooker, you'd need 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of butter.

The first step is to prepare the grits, which includes soaking the grits in water for a minute or so and then draining them. Afterward, pour it into the slow cooker along with everything else and stir around for a bit. Cooked on high, it should take around three hours for the grits to become tender and creamy while on low, it should take up to eight hours.

Although water is the easiest option, you can also opt for milk or chicken broth. Other additions are also welcomed, whether that's something as classic as cheese, savory rich like bacon, or any other ingredients for elevated grits you can think of. Better yet, get creative with a theme inspired by various cuisines. Give the dish a twist while honoring its roots with a Southern catfish nuggets and grits dish. Use ingredients from a Mexican staple dish like jalapeños peppers and smoked paprika to kick up the heat. There's no need to limit the fun just because you've switched up the cooking method.