What's Wrong With My Southern Cornbread? How to Make Great Cornbread

Southern cornbread is a great favorite in the South of the United States. It is also popular around the world. I have had request for my recipe from Germany, India and the Philippine Islands. I suspect that many of these request are from Americans living in these countries. But probably, not all.

You can go on the Internet and find dozens of recipes for Southern Cornbread. Unfortunately, most are not authentic Southern recipes. It saddens me that many people use these recipes thinking they are cooking the real deal when, in fact, they are not. So, let us first determine what is real Southern Cornbread.

The real deal:
1. DOES NOT CONTAIN SUGAR. It is not sweet, it is bread...not cake.
2. Is crunchy and crumbly. It does not have a cake texture.
3. Is white not yellow. (Uses white corn meal)

So, what's wrong with your Southern Cornbread? You are probably making one or more of these mistakes. Here are some tips for making this old, classic favorite.

Sweet Cornbread

Many people prefer sweet cornbread. That's fine, put sugar in it if you like it that way. Just don't call it Southern.

White vs. Yellow

Most recipes you find on the Web call for yellow corn meal. I don't know why. Every good Southern cook I know uses white corn meal. And I really don't know the difference in the corn meals other than one is made from yellow corn and the other from white I suppose. But, the white corn meal seems to give the bread a better texture. And, yellow looks yukky to me. It looks too much like cake instead of bread.

Milk

Always use buttermilk in your cornbread. It gives the bread a better, distinctive flavor. If you do not keep buttermilk on hand (I don't), you can make a reasonable substitute by mixing 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup of regular milk. Allow to sit one minute before use and stir well just prior to use.

Baking Technique

Always pre-heat your oven. Never put your cornbread in a cold oven. (flat, heavy bread). Pre-heat your oven to 400-425 degrees well before you start baking. When the top of the bread is golden brown, remove and flip the bread over to the other side and continue to cook another 10 minutes.

Skillet

Always use a cast iron skillet for Southern cornbread. It gives the best results and...it's the traditional way. Prior to pouring the batter in the skillet, put cooking oil (bacon grease is best) in the skillet and heat on top of the stove until the oil and skillet are very hot. Pour all but a couple of spoons of the oil in your batter, then sprinkle the skillet with dry cornmeal. This will keep the bread from sticking to the skillet.

There are more tips and techniques, but if you use these to start, you will be pleased with your real, authentic, Southern Cornbread.

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Vintage-Black Iron Cookware

Here is a display of some vintage BLACK IRON COOKWARE. This upload is to just run you through some turn of the century and into the early to mid 1900's items. Enjoy!



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Naruto Shippuden [AMV-HD] -Itachi vs Sasuke-Skillet Whisper in the Dark

Shippuden amv Itachi vs sasuke naruto skillet whisper in the dark amv itachi vs sasuke itachi vs sasuke the last battle fight naruto amv NOTE: THIS VIDEO IS PURELY FAN-MADE AND IS IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE MUSICAL ARTIST OR ANIME COMPANY IN ANY WAY. " This video is for entertainment...



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All About Eggs - Fried, Scrambled, Boiled?

We use eggs all the time but have you ever wondered how long you can safely store them? How can you tell if they are fresh? What do the different sizes mean in relation to your recipe? Well, you came to the right place...

Did you know that the bigger and older the chicken the bigger the egg? Eggs come in six sizes but only the largest four are sold in grocery stores: jumbo, extra-large, large, medium. Most recipes call for large eggs but what if you typically buy one of the other sizes-how does that effect your recipe? When your recipe calls for large quantities of eggs you can substitute a different size by taking into account the weight:

Egg Size / Weight: Medium / 1.75 ounces; Large / 2.00 ounces; Extra-Large / 2.25 ounces; Jumbo / 2.50 ounces.

So what does this mean? Well, 4 jumbo eggs (2.5 oz each) is equivalent to 5 large eggs (2 oz each).

Storage:

Eggs degrade faster from improper storage than from age. Don't use the egg tray on the inside of the refrigerator door. The temperature does not keep a constant 40°F as recommended by the American Egg Board. Instead keep them in the carton on the top shelf inside the 'fridge. They will stay the proper temperature and are less likely to absorb flavors from other foods. The egg shells are coated with a thin waxy substance. This is done to prevent moisture from getting out and other flavors from getting in. Never wash eggs before storing as this will remove the protective layer causing your eggs to lose freshness sooner.

Freshness:

What does the sell-by date mean? Legally it is the last date a carton of eggs may be sold and is no more than 30 days past the carton's pack date which, in turn, is within one week of being laid by the chicken. However, eggs are still considered fit for consumption for 3-5 weeks after the sell-by date. Another way to tell is by observation. In older eggs, the white and yolk become looser or runnier. You may have noticed that the whites are divided into thick & thin layers. The bigger the thick layer, which is right next to the yolk, the fresher the egg. A slight cloudiness in the white indicates that it is a very fresh egg.

Fool-proof Hard Cooked Eggs: Place 4 large eggs in a medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water & bring to a boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice water. Transfer the eggs to the ice water with a slotted spoon, let stand 5 minutes.

Peeling Hard Cooked Eggs: Before boiling the eggs prick a tiny air hole in the large end of the egg with a pin. Boil & chill as instructed above. Once they have chilled thoroughly the shells should peel off clean as a whistle!

Try this for Perfectly Fried Eggs: Heat a 10 inch heavy bottomed nonstick skillet over lowest heat for 5 minutes. Crack 4 large eggs into 2 small bowls (2 per bowl). Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet; when foaming subsides, swirl to coat pan (if butter browns in 1 minute, the pan is too hot). Simultaneously, pour 2 eggs on one side of pan and remaining eggs on other side. Season eggs with salt and pepper; cover and cook about 2-1/2 minutes for runny yolks, 3 minutes for soft but set yolks, and 3-1/2 minutes for firmly set yolks.

Scrambling Eggs: Using a wooden spoon or spatula, push the eggs from one side of the pan to the other. As they form curds, lift and fold the eggs until they are clumped in a single mound. Tender scrambled eggs demand high heat and a "folding" action rather than stirring.

Reference: Cook's Illustrated, March & April 2003

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Betty's Oven Baked Round Steak and Rich Gravy Recipe

In this video, Betty demonstrates how to make her traditional and popular Oven Baked Round Steak and Rich gravy recipe. I think you'll find it to be home style cooking at its best! Ingredients: 2 pounds round steak (I used eye of round steak in 6 equally-sized steaks.) meat tenderizer to taste 1 1/4 cups flour (in a zip lock bag) ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 cup peanut oil For gravy: pan drippings from baked round steak 1/2 cup flour 3 1/2 cups water (more or less as needed for proper consistency) salt, to taste Sprinkle meat tenderizer on top and bottom of each of the eye of round steaks. Place them two at a time in the 1 1/4 cups flour, which is in a zip lock bag. Shake the bag to coat the steaks. Heat 1/4 cup peanut oil in an iron (or other oven-proof) skillet on a cooktop. Do not let it smoke. When the oil is properly heated, place the flour-coated steaks one by one in the hot peanut oil. When the steaks brown on one side, turn them over, and keep shifting the 6 steaks in the skillet until all sides have been exposed to the hot oil. Now, remove the skillet from the cooktop, and place it toward the center of an oven that has been preheated to 400 degrees. Cook the steaks for 30 to 35 minutes, checking occasionally, and turning if they look brown on the bottom. When they look browned and done, remove the skillet from the oven and place it back on the cooktop. Remove all of the steaks to a platter that is covered with paper toweling to drain any excess grease. Then ...



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