The Nitty Gritty On Grits

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Q: What is the difference between grits, cornmeal and polenta? -- Bev

A: Ah, one of my favorite stories of a Yankee transplanted to the Deep South: Guy walks into a restaurant and orders breakfast. The waitress asks if he wants grits, and he says, "I'm not really that hungry. Just give me one grit."

Grits, for the uninitiated, are perhaps the ultimate blank slate for breakfast. They're made of coarsely ground grain, usually corn. Think of it as corn meal on steroids. Grits are, as the name would imply, gritty. Try and get me into an etymological chicken-and-egg thing there and I'll brain you with my cast-iron grits pot.

Cornmeal is corn ground finely, almost to a flour consistency. It's used most often to make cornbread, but perhaps my favorite use is to bread seafood for frying. I mix cornmeal and all-purpose flour 3 to 1 and dredge my catfish fillets in it. No need for egg wash! Oh, and don't forget to apply your choice of spices directly to the fish before breading.

Polenta is sometimes called Italian grits by people who don't mind having Italian cooks jab them with a variety of sharp instruments. It lives in the middle ground between grits and cornmeal and is often baked into cakes enriched with butter, cheese, eggs and other additions.

Like grits, the raw material and finished dish are both called by the same term when dealing with polenta.

Q: How long can you freeze ground beef in freezer bags? Jas P.

A: Freshly ground beef can be stored for up to four months in airtight bags in the freezer. Make sure the beef is fresh, though! I prefer to use my food processor to grind my own beef as needed; but if you like to buy in bulk just make sure what you're getting is fresh stuff. I know those five-pound chubs are appealingly priced, but I refuse to buy meat I can't lay eyes on.

Q: Can I freeze eggs? -- Seleste S.

A: Ah, I see we're heading back into the freezer this week.

Whole eggs can be frozen provided you beat them well, then store them in airtight containers, for up to 2 months. If you don't beat them well, the yolks will become very gelatinous and all but unusable.

Q: I use a lot of (sliced) Havarti for sandwiches. Can it be frozen? -- Kathleen F.

A: Havarti, like other semi-soft cheeses, has a tendency to become very crumbly when frozen. It wouldn't make good sandwich cheese post-freezing, but you could always use it on your salad or just mix it with a bit of stout mustard and make sandwich "spread."

Q: I do a lot of baking and vanilla extract is rather expensive, would you have a recipe for homemade vanilla extract? I did see one quite sometime ago but cannot remember where. -- Jeanne B.

While it may not be quite as potent as what you get in the store, you can make your own vanilla extract at home with just two ingredients: a 500 ml bottle of vodka and four vanilla beans. Remove a little of the vodka from the bottle to give you some "shaking room." (Oddly enough, removing the amount necessary to make two screwdrivers is perfect. Synergy!) Slit the beans lengthwise, then cut them into several small pieces. Add to the vodka. Store at room temperature, shaking thoroughly at least once a day.

After 30 days, strain the solution to remove all the bits of bean and you've got your extract!

Q: I have a recipe book at home and there are many recipes that call for "puff pie dough". It looks like something I can buy in a tube at the store. It looks layered, like crescent roll dough. How can I find this dough? What exactly am I looking at and can I make it at home?

A: I believe what you're looking for is puff pastry dough, and it's available in the frozen dessert section of most supermarkets.

You can make it at home if you're the sort of person who likes doing incredibly difficult things that will end up costing you far, far more in time than you'd spend on buying the finished product. I'd give you a recipe, but I hate contributing to such foolishness.

Q: I've heard several times that oils will go rancid if not refrigerated once they are opened. Any truth to that? And what about olive oil in particular? -- Patricia

A: Fragile nut oils, such as hazelnut, will go rancid fairly quickly at room temperature and should be stored in the refrigerator. Olive oil will keep just fine at room temperature for up to three months. It can be refrigerated with no ill effects other than turning cloudy.

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