In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> > On Tue 13 Jan 2009 10:16:20p, MaryL told us...
> >
> >> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >>> "Chemiker" > wrote in message
> >>> ...
> >>>> Well, back to the drawing board. Found 2 cast iron
> >>>> corn bread stick molds in the garage, refugees
> >>>> from my wife's Daddy's storage shed when he
> >>>> died some years ago.
> >>>>
> >>>> Cleaned them up, and reseasoned. They looked
> >>>> pretty good, but the proof was in the making of
> >>>> cornbread.
> >>>>
> >>>> Went to local market and bought a couple of packets
> >>>> of yellow CB mix, and made one with whole milk.
> >>>>
> >>> Your problem was buying cornbread "mix".
> >>>
> >>> Use butter to grease the molds and then make cornbread from scratch,
> >>> not a boxed mix.
> >>>
> >>> Jill
> >>>
> >>>
> >> Yes, what Jill said. My grandmother used the type of molds you
> >> describe, and she used lots of butter on the pans--and she was baking in
> >> days before mixes were available, which was probably "a good thing" in
> >> that case. Hers came out perfectly every time.
> >>
> >> MaryL
> >>
> >>
> >
> > It's also very important to preheat the mold to sizzling hot before pouring
> > in the batter. Actually, Crisco or bacon fat works better without burning.
> >
> > The temperature should be quite high.
> >
> What Wayne said. I always preheat my cast iron in the oven at the
> temperature the cornbread is going to be cooked at. I put a little
> canola oil in the bottom of the pan, swirl it around, and then start
> heating from cold.
>
> In the meantime I am mixing my cornbread up and getting it ready. Once
> the oven dings that is ready I pull the pan out, pour in the cornbread
> mixture, stick it back in the oven for the time period necessary to cook
> through, as proven by a toothpick stuck into the highest point on the
> cornbread. If the toothpick comes out clean you're ready to eat.
>
> Learned that from my Mom, who learned to cook in on a wood and/or coal
> stove and she learned it from her Mom who learned to cook in a fireplace
> in the backwoods of nineteenth century Arkansas.
>
> Using this method has always turned out perfect cornbread for me, moist,
> done through and through, and with that fine crust on the bottom.

The pre-heating the oil sounds like it'd get a better bottom crust.
I'll have to keep that in mind next time I make it.
--
Peace! Om

"Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once." -- Anonymous