On Wed 14 Jan 2009 07:20:48a, George Shirley told us...

> The Cook wrote:
>> On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:35:33 -0600, 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.
>>
>> Sounds like what I do, except I use bacon grease. I put the pan with
>> the grease into the preheating oven. When the grease starts to smoke
>> I take the pan out and add the batter. I find that it is done if it
>> falls out of the pan. Somewhere along the line I realized when it did
>> not come out of the pan well, it was not quite done. It was usually
>> sticking in the middle. Another minute or two in the oven and it
>> would fall right out. I haven't done corn sticks in ages. I think
>> the trick would be to make sure that every nook and cranny was well
>> greased and the pan hot.
> I try to avoid animal fats due to already high blood fats but I don't
> see why it wouldn't work. My folks always used bacon grease or lard to
> oil up the pan.
>
> One of my favorite meals is still cornbread and milk, particularly on a
> cold day. Crumble up the fresh cornbread, pour cold milk over it, add
> some diced onion and freshly ground black pepper, then eat it. Repeat as
> needed.
>
> During some of our hard times in the early days of our marriage we all
> ate either cornbread and milk or cornbread and beans. Nothing like giant
> limas cooked slowly until done with onions, garlic, diced sweet chiles,
> and either a ham hock or some sliced up smoked sausage. Add a little hot
> sauce at the table and dig in. Don't forget the Beano though. <VBG>

For me it's gotta be buttermilk with that cornbread. <g> One of my
favorite treats, especially if there's any left over.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)
************************************************** **********************
Date: Wednesday, 01(I)/14(XIV)/09(MMIX)
************************************************** **********************
Countdown till Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
4dys 5hrs 25mins
************************************************** **********************
Sum id quod sum et id totum est quod sum.
************************************************** **********************