Hominy and Crisco!

I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the
world) and am keeping the Crisco in mind for a different day. It cost 4
Euros for a tub. The tub felt hard - how hard is Crisco? I am asking
because I also saw solid deep frying fat in my regular supermarket. it
is at least 8 times cheaper, but so solid I wonder whether it could be
used at room temperature at all. The frying fat was made of palm oil, in
part. And iirc, soybean oil, some hydrogenation had been done it. IT
sounded marginally healthier than Crisco, but I am not sure.

Jake wrote:

> Hominy and Crisco!
>
> I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the
> world)

It's not easy to find in this part of Canada. I have to cross the border to
try to find it.

The first time I had grits was in a restaurant in Virginia. I asked was it
was and was told "Grits is grits"..... but what is it.... so she asked
another waitress who conformed that grits is grits. When questioned further
she said it was hominy. So what is hominy? Neither one new, but having
determined that I had never tried grits she gave me some. I liked it.


> and am keeping the Crisco in mind for a different day. It cost 4
> Euros for a tub. The tub felt hard - how hard is Crisco?

Crisco is usually kept at room temperature. I always get it in box because I
find it easier to cut off the amount I need than to measure it with a cup
and because it is usually cheaper to buy 3 pounds of it than a 3 pound pail.
A block of Crisco should be firm enough that you can pick it up and handle
it without denting it too badly, but you need a sharp knife to cut it
without squishing it.


> The frying fat was made of palm oil, in
> part. And iirc, soybean oil, some hydrogenation had been done it. IT
> sounded marginally healthier than Crisco, but I am not sure.

I deep fry with Crisco and make pies with it because I get good results. If
I was concerned about the health aspect of it I wouldn't be deep frying at
all :-)

"jake" > wrote in message
. nl...
> Hominy and Crisco!
>
> I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the world)
> and am keeping the Crisco in mind for a different day. It cost 4 Euros for
> a tub. The tub felt hard - how hard is Crisco? I am asking because I also
> saw solid deep frying fat in my regular supermarket. it is at least 8
> times cheaper, but so solid I wonder whether it could be used at room
> temperature at all. The frying fat was made of palm oil, in part. And
> iirc, soybean oil, some hydrogenation had been done it. IT sounded
> marginally healthier than Crisco, but I am not sure.

I prefer palm oil to Crisco; however I wouldn't use hydrogenated palm oil
or anything hydrogenated; but I've never seen hydrogenated palm oil Even
tho others may like soybean oil, it does seem that it is hydrogenated an
awfully lot, so I don't even use it UN-hydrogenated; soybean or safflower
oil or canola oil.
I've purchased Spectrum pure palm oil and it is VERY hard. Spectrum palm
oil seems to stay solid whether at room temperature or not. I use a lot of
Coconut oil, and it is solid also except it stops being solid at room
temperature.
(P.S. I use a combination of coconut oil and butter; sometimes just all
coconut oil, on popcorn. Organic popcorn, so anyone can see where me and my
advise/information is coming from, if anyone doesn't like my information.
Dee Dee

jake wrote:
>
> The frying fat was made of palm oil, in part. And iirc,
> soybean oil, some hydrogenation had been done it. IT
> sounded marginally healthier than Crisco, but I am not sure.

In the same sense that filtered cigarettes
are marginally healthier than unfiltered?

Mark Thorson wrote:
> jake wrote:
>
>>The frying fat was made of palm oil, in part. And iirc,
>>soybean oil, some hydrogenation had been done it. IT
>>sounded marginally healthier than Crisco, but I am not sure.
>
>
> In the same sense that filtered cigarettes
> are marginally healthier than unfiltered?


Kinda sorta. the frying fat has 1% trans fat, Crisco doesn't specify but
these are the ingredients:
Ingredients (from www.crisco.com)

PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED OILS, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES.

There must be trans fat in there, because they also sell a 0 g trans
fat variety.

In this light I'd use they frying fat rather than the Crisco. soy beans
are not so good for the environment. I am hoping that palm oil is better
for the environment. And I do think the frying fat is probably healthier.

But one way or another, It doesn't matter much in terms of health - I
only use products like these about once very two years.

Dave Smith wrote:

> Jake wrote:
>
>
>>Hominy and Crisco!
>>
>>I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the
>>world)
>
>
> It's not easy to find in this part of Canada. I have to cross the border to
> try to find it.
>
> The first time I had grits was in a restaurant in Virginia. I asked was it
> was and was told "Grits is grits"..... but what is it.... so she asked
> another waitress who conformed that grits is grits. When questioned further
> she said it was hominy. So what is hominy? Neither one new, but having
> determined that I had never tried grits she gave me some. I liked it.
>
>
>
>>and am keeping the Crisco in mind for a different day. It cost 4
>>Euros for a tub. The tub felt hard - how hard is Crisco?
>
>
> Crisco is usually kept at room temperature. I always get it in box because I
> find it easier to cut off the amount I need than to measure it with a cup
> and because it is usually cheaper to buy 3 pounds of it than a 3 pound pail.
> A block of Crisco should be firm enough that you can pick it up and handle
> it without denting it too badly, but you need a sharp knife to cut it
> without squishing it.
>
>
>
Thank you for that information. Crisco does sounds ofter than the frying
fat, but the difference might be small enough for them to be
interchangeable.

>> The frying fat was made of palm oil, in
>>part. And iirc, soybean oil, some hydrogenation had been done it. IT
>>sounded marginally healthier than Crisco, but I am not sure.
>
>
> I deep fry with Crisco and make pies with it because I get good results. If
> I was concerned about the health aspect of it I wouldn't be deep frying at
> all :-)
>
>
I don't deep fry I am saving those calories for other uses. But
occasional exceptions are made.

Dee Randall wrote:

> I prefer palm oil to Crisco; however I wouldn't use hydrogenated palm oil
> or anything hydrogenated; but I've never seen hydrogenated palm oil

I think they listed 3 ingredients, one of which was unspecified
hygrogenated vegetable oil - the others were palm oil and soybean oil.
It had 1% trans fat.

Even
> tho others may like soybean oil, it does seem that it is hydrogenated an
> awfully lot, so I don't even use it UN-hydrogenated; soybean or safflower
> oil or canola oil.
> I've purchased Spectrum pure palm oil and it is VERY hard. Spectrum palm
> oil seems to stay solid whether at room temperature or not. I use a lot of
> Coconut oil, and it is solid also except it stops being solid at room
> temperature.
> (P.S. I use a combination of coconut oil and butter; sometimes just all
> coconut oil, on popcorn. Organic popcorn, so anyone can see where me and my
> advise/information is coming from, if anyone doesn't like my information.
> Dee Dee
>

I am starting to ponder how coconut oil would work in baking. It's worth
a try, especially because it is much more easily available here.
I am all for organic, healthy and environmentally friendly cooking
(including avoiding unethical fish and poultry). I don't stick to those
rules 100%, though.

On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, jake wrote:

> Hominy and Crisco!
>
> I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the
> world) and am keeping the Crisco in mind for a different day. It cost 4
> Euros for a tub. The tub felt hard - how hard is Crisco? I am asking
> because I also saw solid deep frying fat in my regular supermarket. it
> is at least 8 times cheaper, but so solid I wonder whether it could be
> used at room temperature at all. The frying fat was made of palm oil, in
> part. And iirc, soybean oil, some hydrogenation had been done it. IT
> sounded marginally healthier than Crisco, but I am not sure.
>

Hominy? Wonderful stuff. It's a typically Southern US item and, roughly,
costs about 1.00 dollar US for 2 15 ounce cans (50 cents a can).
Sometimes, I can get it 3
cans for one dollar. That makes it a very economical item.


As for Crisco - I don't have anything that I would cease to make if I
couldn't get crisco. I buy it because it is about the same price as
anything else "shortening". As for frying, I use oil. I do use it some for
biscuits, pie crusts, etc, but butter works just as well, as does any
other brand shortening or lard.

I wouldn't pay 8 times as much for it over other things that I'm familiar
with.

Elaine, too

On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, Dave Smith wrote:

> Jake wrote:
>
> > Hominy and Crisco!
> >
> > I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the
> > world)
>
> It's not easy to find in this part of Canada. I have to cross the border to
> try to find it.
>
> The first time I had grits was in a restaurant in Virginia. I asked was it
> was and was told "Grits is grits"..... but what is it.... so she asked
> another waitress who conformed that grits is grits. When questioned further
> she said it was hominy. So what is hominy? Neither one new, but having
> determined that I had never tried grits she gave me some. I liked it.
>

Grits are made from dried hominy. Hominy is made from corn. Hominy and
grits are not the same consumer item. Un-dried hominy comes in a can.
Dried hominy is ground into grits, which reconstituted, makes a cereal
like cream of wheat.

Elaine, too

On Sat 28 Jan 2006 09:04:28p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Elaine
Parrish?

>
> On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, Dave Smith wrote:
>
>> Jake wrote:
>>
>> > Hominy and Crisco!
>> >
>> > I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the
>> > world)
>>
>> It's not easy to find in this part of Canada. I have to cross the
>> border to try to find it.
>>
>> The first time I had grits was in a restaurant in Virginia. I asked was
>> it was and was told "Grits is grits"..... but what is it.... so she
>> asked another waitress who conformed that grits is grits. When
>> questioned further she said it was hominy. So what is hominy? Neither
>> one new, but having determined that I had never tried grits she gave me
>> some. I liked it.
>>
>
> Grits are made from dried hominy. Hominy is made from corn. Hominy and
> grits are not the same consumer item. Un-dried hominy comes in a can.
> Dried hominy is ground into grits, which reconstituted, makes a cereal
> like cream of wheat.

We had a thread here a long time back on grits, many folks not realizing
that there are both *hominy grits* and plain *corn grits*. I like both but
prefer the former. Some folks thought they were one in the same, when
clearly they are not.

Corn Grits... When I bake skillet cornbread, I often add about 1/2-3/4
cup of cooked grits to the batter. Makes a nice texture and a more moist
bread.

Hominy... A friend of mine used to make what might seem like a strange
or unlikely casserole that was very tasty. Fried hominy combined with
sliced okra and stewed tomatoes, topped with cheddar cheese and baked 'til
bubbly.

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

Elaine Parrish wrote:


> As for Crisco - I don't have anything that I would cease to make if I
> couldn't get crisco.


I haven't bought solid shortening in about 15 years. For pie crusts I
use butter, for almost all other applications cooking oil.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 08:59:04 +0100, Victor Sack wrote:

> jake > wrote:
>
>> Hominy
>
> Clearly unsuitable for human consumption, just like every other corn
> product except oil. Even the wonderful, spicy menudo is rendered nearly
> inedible by the addition of the excrescence. Ugh. Remember: Homo
> hominy lupus est.

dried.. ?? Pasole..outstanding..Yanks will find out about this hopefully
this century..

>> and Crisco!
>
> Totally unnecessary for anything at all, not even for kinky sex.
>
You know you don't have sex (ever..anymore?)..but it can be handy for
baking..

Elaine Parrish wrote:


>
> Hominy? Wonderful stuff. It's a typically Southern US item and, roughly,
> costs about 1.00 dollar US for 2 15 ounce cans (50 cents a can).
> Sometimes, I can get it 3
> cans for one dollar. That makes it a very economical item.
>

This isn't in a can, they had 500 grams of "dry"kernels, labeled hominy.
I googled for recipes. The ones I have read so far all assume you have
canned hominy and were casseroles, usually. I'll cook part of the 500 g
long ahead of time (since I don't know how long it will take) and then
try one of those casseroles.
>
> As for Crisco - I don't have anything that I would cease to make if I
> couldn't get crisco. I buy it because it is about the same price as
> anything else "shortening". As for frying, I use oil. I do use it some for
> biscuits, pie crusts, etc, but butter works just as well, as does any
> other brand shortening or lard.
>
Shortening is non-existent her in The Netherlands. People use either
margarine, oil, or butter.

> I wouldn't pay 8 times as much for it over other things that I'm familiar
> with.
>
I am not sure what to use as an alternative, because there doesn't seem
to be a 1:1 substitute in the stores. But based on what people in this
ng are saying, I might just use butter, oil or margarine. Or ask a
butcher whether I can order lard (I've never seen it anywhere).

> Elaine, too
>

Victor Sack wrote:

> jake > wrote:
>
>
>>Hominy
>
>
> Clearly unsuitable for human consumption, just like every other corn
> product except oil. Even the wonderful, spicy menudo is rendered nearly
> inedible by the addition of the excrescence. Ugh. Remember: Homo
> hominy lupus est.
You mean you don't like hominy ?
>
>
>>and Crisco!
>
>
> Totally unnecessary for anything at all, not even for kinky sex.
>
Are you basing this on experience? I know some people who would beg to
differ, I'll spare you the details

> Victor

Elaine Parrish wrote:

> On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, Dave Smith wrote:
>
>
>>Jake wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Hominy and Crisco!
>>>
>>>I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the
>>>world)
>>
>>It's not easy to find in this part of Canada. I have to cross the border to
>>try to find it.
>>
>>The first time I had grits was in a restaurant in Virginia. I asked was it
>>was and was told "Grits is grits"..... but what is it.... so she asked
>>another waitress who conformed that grits is grits. When questioned further
>>she said it was hominy. So what is hominy? Neither one new, but having
>>determined that I had never tried grits she gave me some. I liked it.
>>
>
>
> Grits are made from dried hominy. Hominy is made from corn. Hominy and
> grits are not the same consumer item. Un-dried hominy comes in a can.
> Dried hominy is ground into grits, which reconstituted, makes a cereal
> like cream of wheat.
>
> Elaine, too
>
Then I have dried hominy which I could grind into grits. So I have 2 in
1. Kewl. Plus, now I have an extra excuse for buying a food processor
(which I haven't bought so far because I wasn't convinced I'd actually
use it).

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Sat 28 Jan 2006 09:04:28p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Elaine
> Parrish?
>
>
>>On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, Dave Smith wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Jake wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hominy and Crisco!
>>>>
>>>>I bought the hominy (which I had never seen before anywhere in the
>>>>world)
>>>
>>>It's not easy to find in this part of Canada. I have to cross the
>>>border to try to find it.
>>>
>>>The first time I had grits was in a restaurant in Virginia. I asked was
>>>it was and was told "Grits is grits"..... but what is it.... so she
>>>asked another waitress who conformed that grits is grits. When
>>>questioned further she said it was hominy. So what is hominy? Neither
>>>one new, but having determined that I had never tried grits she gave me
>>>some. I liked it.
>>>
>>
>>Grits are made from dried hominy. Hominy is made from corn. Hominy and
>>grits are not the same consumer item. Un-dried hominy comes in a can.
>>Dried hominy is ground into grits, which reconstituted, makes a cereal
>>like cream of wheat.
>
>
> We had a thread here a long time back on grits, many folks not realizing
> that there are both *hominy grits* and plain *corn grits*. I like both but
> prefer the former. Some folks thought they were one in the same, when
> clearly they are not.
>
> Corn Grits... When I bake skillet cornbread, I often add about 1/2-3/4
> cup of cooked grits to the batter. Makes a nice texture and a more moist
> bread.
>
> Hominy... A friend of mine used to make what might seem like a strange
> or unlikely casserole that was very tasty. Fried hominy combined with
> sliced okra and stewed tomatoes, topped with cheddar cheese and baked 'til
> bubbly.
>
That sounds very tasty, although I have yet to find out what hominy
tastes like.

On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, jake wrote:

>

>soy beans are not so good for the environment.


Why?

Elaine, too

On Sun 29 Jan 2006 03:31:40p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?

> That sounds very tasty, although I have yet to find out what hominy
> tastes like.
>

You'll have to buy a can and taste it, other wise you will never really know.
There is absolutely nothing else I know of that taste like hominy. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

On Sun, 29 Jan 2006, jake wrote:

> Elaine Parrish wrote:
>> >
> > Hominy? Wonderful stuff. It's a typically Southern US item and, roughly,
> > costs about 1.00 dollar US for 2 15 ounce cans (50 cents a can).
> > Sometimes, I can get it 3
> > cans for one dollar. That makes it a very economical item.
> >
>
> This isn't in a can, they had 500 grams of "dry"kernels, labeled hominy.
> I googled for recipes. The ones I have read so far all assume you have
> canned hominy and were casseroles, usually. I'll cook part of the 500 g
> long ahead of time (since I don't know how long it will take) and then
> try one of those casseroles.
>

I never saw hominy dried and reconstituted without it being ground up
first.

My grandmother made hominy. She canned it. What she dried, they had ground
up. Gram always said that whole kernel wouldn't reconstitute well. But
that might just have been Grams' opinion.

I've never seen dried whole kernel in the markets here.

Please let me know how it comes out. I'm really interested.

>

> Shortening is non-existent her in The Netherlands. People use either
> margarine, oil, or butter.
>

Shortening was created as a substitute for lard. It's just oil infused
with hydrogen to make it solid. Oleo (aka, margarine) was a substitute for
butter and it is just oil infused with hydrogen in order to make it solid.

"Crisco" is the big name because the company spent mega-millions of
dollars in order to tell the public that it was the best.

If you have butter or margarine or oil, you don't need crisco - especially
at those prices.


> > I wouldn't pay 8 times as much for it over other things that I'm familiar
> > with.
> >
> I am not sure what to use as an alternative, because there doesn't seem
> to be a 1:1 substitute in the stores. But based on what people in this
> ng are saying, I might just use butter, oil or margarine. Or ask a
> butcher whether I can order lard (I've never seen it anywhere).


I use butter or margarine when I need solid fat such as for biscuits or
pie crusts.

I use oil for frying. Crisco is just oil that is solid at room
temperature.

If you have a recipe that calls for crisco in something where the crisco
is solid, just use an equal part of butter or margarine.

For frying, you have to melt the crisco down anyway.

Crisco is a product of advertising, not of necessity.

Elaine, too

On Sun, 29 Jan 2006, jake wrote:

> Elaine Parrish wrote:
>> >
> > Grits are made from dried hominy. Hominy is made from corn. Hominy and
> > grits are not the same consumer item. Un-dried hominy comes in a can.
> > Dried hominy is ground into grits, which reconstituted, makes a cereal
> > like cream of wheat.
> >
> > Elaine, too
>

>
> Then I have dried hominy which I could grind into grits. So I have 2 in
> 1. Kewl. Plus, now I have an extra excuse for buying a food processor
> (which I haven't bought so far because I wasn't convinced I'd actually
> use it).
>


Any excuse to buy a new foodie play toy! haha

Yes, you can grind up the dried ones. They should be like sand or salt.

1 cup water
3 tablespoons of grits
1 tablespoon butter.
Salt and pepper to taste

bring water to boil in a pot bigger than 1 cup.

add butter and salt, pepper and grits.

stir well to incorporate

Turn heat to medium or a little less. Gently boil for 20 minutes, stirring
frequently.

They are done when they aren't gritty like sand anymore.

They are creamy, not soupy.

You can add more butter or cheese to the finished product.

There are numerous casseroles out there, too.

Elaine, too

On 30 Jan 2006, it was written:

> On Sun 29 Jan 2006 03:31:40p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?
>
> > That sounds very tasty, although I have yet to find out what hominy
> > tastes like.
> >
>
> You'll have to buy a can and taste it, other wise you will never really know.
> There is absolutely nothing else I know of that taste like hominy. :-)
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright o¿o
> ____________________
>
> BIOYA
>

It tastes just like chicken! (just teasing)

I love it, but I can't describe it.

Elaine, too

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Sun 29 Jan 2006 03:31:40p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it jake?
>
>
>>That sounds very tasty, although I have yet to find out what hominy
>>tastes like.
>>
>
>
> You'll have to buy a can and taste it, other wise you will never really know.
> There is absolutely nothing else I know of that taste like hominy. :-)
>
I did buy hominy! Just not the canned type - all they had was dry
kernels. But I'll cook them as soon as I can (which means after my
skiing weekend next weekend).

Elaine Parrish wrote:

>
>
> On Sun, 29 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>
>
>>Elaine Parrish wrote:
>>
>>>Grits are made from dried hominy. Hominy is made from corn. Hominy and
>>>grits are not the same consumer item. Un-dried hominy comes in a can.
>>>Dried hominy is ground into grits, which reconstituted, makes a cereal
>>>like cream of wheat.
>>>
>>>Elaine, too
>>
>
> >
>
>>Then I have dried hominy which I could grind into grits. So I have 2 in
>>1. Kewl. Plus, now I have an extra excuse for buying a food processor
>>(which I haven't bought so far because I wasn't convinced I'd actually
>>use it).
>>
>
>
>
> Any excuse to buy a new foodie play toy! haha
>
> Yes, you can grind up the dried ones. They should be like sand or salt.
>
> 1 cup water
> 3 tablespoons of grits
> 1 tablespoon butter.
> Salt and pepper to taste
>
> bring water to boil in a pot bigger than 1 cup.
>
> add butter and salt, pepper and grits.
>
> stir well to incorporate
>
> Turn heat to medium or a little less. Gently boil for 20 minutes, stirring
> frequently.
>
> They are done when they aren't gritty like sand anymore.
>
> They are creamy, not soupy.
>
> You can add more butter or cheese to the finished product.
>
> There are numerous casseroles out there, too.
>
> Elaine, too
>

Thank you so much for the explanation. It sounds like the 500 grams will
lead to a huge amount of cooked hominy, so there are plenty of batches
ion that bag.

I'll be phoning one or two stores to see whether they stock the
particular FOP I want. I am looking forward to it.

Elaine Parrish wrote:

>
>
> On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>
>
>
>>soy beans are not so good for the environment.
>
>
>
> Why?
>
> Elaine, too
>
Rainforest is burned down to grow it (in South America, if my memory
serves me right), and I am not for genetically manipulated soy. Most soy
is non-organic and there fore likely to GM. I am no expert on the
subject, though. Os if anyone here knows more, don't take my word for it.

Elaine Parrish wrote:

> On Sun, 29 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>
>
>>Elaine Parrish wrote:
>>
>>>Hominy? Wonderful stuff. It's a typically Southern US item and, roughly,
>>>costs about 1.00 dollar US for 2 15 ounce cans (50 cents a can).
>>>Sometimes, I can get it 3
>>>cans for one dollar. That makes it a very economical item.
>>>
>>
>>This isn't in a can, they had 500 grams of "dry"kernels, labeled hominy.
>>I googled for recipes. The ones I have read so far all assume you have
>>canned hominy and were casseroles, usually. I'll cook part of the 500 g
>>long ahead of time (since I don't know how long it will take) and then
>>try one of those casseroles.
>>
>
>
> I never saw hominy dried and reconstituted without it being ground up
> first.
>
> My grandmother made hominy. She canned it. What she dried, they had ground
> up. Gram always said that whole kernel wouldn't reconstitute well. But
> that might just have been Grams' opinion.
>
> I've never seen dried whole kernel in the markets here.
>
> Please let me know how it comes out. I'm really interested.
>
> >
>
>>Shortening is non-existent her in The Netherlands. People use either
>>margarine, oil, or butter.
>>
>
>
> Shortening was created as a substitute for lard. It's just oil infused
> with hydrogen to make it solid. Oleo (aka, margarine) was a substitute for
> butter and it is just oil infused with hydrogen in order to make it solid.
>
> "Crisco" is the big name because the company spent mega-millions of
> dollars in order to tell the public that it was the best.
>
> If you have butter or margarine or oil, you don't need crisco - especially
> at those prices.
>
>
>
>>>I wouldn't pay 8 times as much for it over other things that I'm familiar
>>>with.
>>>
>>
>>I am not sure what to use as an alternative, because there doesn't seem
>>to be a 1:1 substitute in the stores. But based on what people in this
>>ng are saying, I might just use butter, oil or margarine. Or ask a
>>butcher whether I can order lard (I've never seen it anywhere).
>
>
>
> I use butter or margarine when I need solid fat such as for biscuits or
> pie crusts.
>
> I use oil for frying. Crisco is just oil that is solid at room
> temperature.
>
> If you have a recipe that calls for crisco in something where the crisco
> is solid, just use an equal part of butter or margarine.
>
> For frying, you have to melt the crisco down anyway.
>
> Crisco is a product of advertising, not of necessity.
>
> Elaine, too
>
>
>
>
My Crisco search ends here! I'll use marg;/butter instead. For frying, I
can just use oil.

I will let you know how the hominy turns out. I got it from an "ethnic"
store that sells Surinamese/Hindustani brands. I suspect it is highly
specific for that culture, I've never seen in any other shop before.
Suriname has jungles, maybe that means they packaged it in such a way
that it was light to transport there. Cans would be much heavier. I'm
just guessing, though.

The brand is called AJS and the writing on the package is in Spanish
and in English. Plus Dutch. I couldn't find any info on it through
Google. This isn't unusual for Surinamese products - it's a poor country
with a population of 350,000.

On Mon, 30 Jan 2006, jake wrote:

> Elaine Parrish wrote:
> > On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>
> >>soy beans are not so good for the environment.
> >
> > Why?
> >
> > Elaine, too
> >
> Rainforest is burned down to grow it (in South America, if my memory
> serves me right), and I am not for genetically manipulated soy. Most soy
> is non-organic and there fore likely to GM. I am no expert on the
> subject, though. Os if anyone here knows more, don't take my word for it.
>

Oh, ok. I see what you are saying. The destruction of the rainforest for
any reason is a terrible thing.

They are GM so many things today that it is hard to keep track. I don't
know what all they are doing to soy beans.

I don't know if much of anything being grown on a commercial scale is
organic, because of the extensive use of pesticides. After WW2 my
grandfather switched from growing cotton to growing soybeans. He used
chemical pesticides way back then.

I have my concerns about "organic", too. Before WW2, the pesticide of
choice was arsenic. egads! Nature can kill you! haha.

Elaine, too

On Mon, 30 Jan 2006, jake wrote:

> Elaine Parrish wrote:
>
> > On Sun, 29 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
> > If you have butter or margarine or oil, you don't need crisco - especially
> > at those prices.
> >
> > Crisco is a product of advertising, not of necessity.
> >
> > Elaine, too
> >
> My Crisco search ends here! I'll use marg;/butter instead. For frying, I
> can just use oil.
>
> I will let you know how the hominy turns out. I got it from an "ethnic"
> store that sells Surinamese/Hindustani brands. I suspect it is highly
> specific for that culture, I've never seen in any other shop before.
> Suriname has jungles, maybe that means they packaged it in such a way
> that it was light to transport there. Cans would be much heavier. I'm
> just guessing, though.
>
> The brand is called AJS and the writing on the package is in Spanish
> and in English. Plus Dutch. I couldn't find any info on it through
> Google. This isn't unusual for Surinamese products - it's a poor country
> with a population of 350,000.
>

Hominy is virtually unknown in the US outside of the Southern US. I don't
think we know about it because of a big influx of people that are
Surinamese/ Hindustani. <g> I figured someone else in the world had to
make it, but this is the first I've heard of it. Get some recipes from
them, too, because we buy it canned and use it as a side dish just warmed
with butter or bacon fat for flavoring. I don't know that I have ever
heard of a hominy casserole of any kind (We do have grits casseroles, but
not whole kernel hominy casseroles).

I'll be anixous to hear how your experimenting goes. Keep me posted.

Elaine, too

Elaine Parrish wrote:
I don't know that I have ever
> heard of a hominy casserole of any kind (We do have grits casseroles, but
> not whole kernel hominy casseroles).

Actually, I made a hominy casserole last week. It's got hominy, canned
green chiles, onion, jack cheese, and sour cream. Real rich. Goes well
with a pot of beans and a big salad. I can post the recipe if anyone's
interested. (I used 2 cans of hominy and 1 can of corn. Next time I
think I'll cut the richness by adding diced red & green peppers to it
as well.)

Hominy is also used in the Mexican (or at least mexican-style, i THINK
its authentic but want to cover myself against flames here) dish
Posole. That's a stew of hominy, chile peppers, onions, spices,and
usually pork or beef. I was quite interested when I discovered that
posole used the exact same hominy Grandma used to serve as a starch on
the side with butter. It's like tofu - it absorbs the flavors of the
stew really well. It might be an interesting ingredient in a
tomato-based soup, like a minestrone style soup.

I have cooked it once from dry. It took some presoaking and a LOT of
cooking. Think beans - a good overnight soak and 2 to 3 hours simmering
to soften. The kernels will "pop", so they're puffier than a corn
kernel but not as fluffy as popcorn.

If you're looking for tips on cooking it, try googling "cooking dried
posole". It got me a ton of links.

On 30 Jan 2006, Jude wrote:

> Elaine Parrish wrote:
> I don't know that I have ever
> > heard of a hominy casserole of any kind (We do have grits casseroles, but
> > not whole kernel hominy casseroles).
>
> Actually, I made a hominy casserole last week. It's got hominy, canned
> green chiles, onion, jack cheese, and sour cream. Real rich. Goes well
> with a pot of beans and a big salad. I can post the recipe if anyone's
> interested. (I used 2 cans of hominy and 1 can of corn. Next time I
> think I'll cut the richness by adding diced red & green peppers to it
> as well.)
>


I love to have the recipe. Thanks!



> Hominy is also used in the Mexican (or at least mexican-style, i THINK
> its authentic but want to cover myself against flames here) dish
> Posole. That's a stew of hominy, chile peppers, onions, spices,and
> usually pork or beef. I was quite interested when I discovered that
> posole used the exact same hominy Grandma used to serve as a starch on
> the side with butter. It's like tofu - it absorbs the flavors of the
> stew really well. It might be an interesting ingredient in a
> tomato-based soup, like a minestrone style soup.
>


hehe. I've made a stew kind of like that. I just didn't know it had a
name. A stewed okra and tomatoes dish is very common here. From that,
there are a lot of variations - including adding onions, peppers, and
hominy.


> I have cooked it once from dry. It took some presoaking and a LOT of
> cooking. Think beans - a good overnight soak and 2 to 3 hours simmering
> to soften. The kernels will "pop", so they're puffier than a corn
> kernel but not as fluffy as popcorn.
>
> If you're looking for tips on cooking it, try googling "cooking dried
> posole". It got me a ton of links.
>
>


Thanks. I'll check it out now that I know it has a name.

Elaine, too

Elaine Parrish wrote:
>
> I love to have the recipe. Thanks!

Hominy Monterey (from Sunset Magazine) *ed notes are mine.

2 cans golden hominy
1 can white hominy (*you can use all the same kind of hominy. I
sometimes use 2 cans of hominy and 1 can of corn.)
4 oz diced green chiles, from a small can
2 T finely minced onion (*I used more)
(*I would like to try adding 1/2 minced red pepper along with the onion
to jazz this up)
1 c half and half (I use fat-free)
1 1/2 c shredded jack cheese
1/2 c sour cream (*I've tried lowfat, but it gets watery when it
bakes.)

Drain hominy and/or corn well.

Stir onions (and peppers if you try this) into half and half.

Lay half of hominy in greased 2 quart casserole dish. Salt and pepper
to taste. (*I sprinkled a tiny bit of cumin on here, as well. You could
use chile powder or ground red chili, paprika, cayenne to spice it up.)

Spread half the chiles over the hominy. (I just mixed my chiles into
the hominy before spreading it in the casserole dish.)

Pour half the cream with onions ove rthe hominy and jiggle so ti runs
all the way through the dish.

Spread on half the cheese.

Make another layer of hominy, then chiles, and pour on the rest of the
cream.

Spread with the sour cream (*I used more than called for becasue I like
to thick layer of gooey baked sour cream on top) and cover with the
rest of the cheese.

Bkae at 350 for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.



Makes a good but rich side dish, or we eat it alongside a pot of beans
and some fresh fruit for a nice supper.

Jude,

Thank you so much. It sounds divine!

Elaine, too




On 31 Jan 2006, Jude wrote:

> Elaine Parrish wrote:
> >
> > I love to have the recipe. Thanks!
>
> Hominy Monterey (from Sunset Magazine) *ed notes are mine.
>
> 2 cans golden hominy
> 1 can white hominy (*you can use all the same kind of hominy. I
> sometimes use 2 cans of hominy and 1 can of corn.)
> 4 oz diced green chiles, from a small can
> 2 T finely minced onion (*I used more)
> (*I would like to try adding 1/2 minced red pepper along with the onion
> to jazz this up)
> 1 c half and half (I use fat-free)
> 1 1/2 c shredded jack cheese
> 1/2 c sour cream (*I've tried lowfat, but it gets watery when it
> bakes.)
>
> Drain hominy and/or corn well.
>
> Stir onions (and peppers if you try this) into half and half.
>
> Lay half of hominy in greased 2 quart casserole dish. Salt and pepper
> to taste. (*I sprinkled a tiny bit of cumin on here, as well. You could
> use chile powder or ground red chili, paprika, cayenne to spice it up.)
>
> Spread half the chiles over the hominy. (I just mixed my chiles into
> the hominy before spreading it in the casserole dish.)
>
> Pour half the cream with onions ove rthe hominy and jiggle so ti runs
> all the way through the dish.
>
> Spread on half the cheese.
>
> Make another layer of hominy, then chiles, and pour on the rest of the
> cream.
>
> Spread with the sour cream (*I used more than called for becasue I like
> to thick layer of gooey baked sour cream on top) and cover with the
> rest of the cheese.
>
> Bkae at 350 for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.
>
>
>
> Makes a good but rich side dish, or we eat it alongside a pot of beans
> and some fresh fruit for a nice supper.
>
>

Elaine Parrish wrote:
> On Mon, 30 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>
>
>>Elaine Parrish wrote:
>>
>>>On Sat, 28 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>>
>>>>soy beans are not so good for the environment.
>>>
>>>Why?
>>>
>>>Elaine, too
>>>
>>
>>Rainforest is burned down to grow it (in South America, if my memory
>>serves me right), and I am not for genetically manipulated soy. Most soy
>>is non-organic and there fore likely to GM. I am no expert on the
>>subject, though. Os if anyone here knows more, don't take my word for it.
>>
>
>
> Oh, ok. I see what you are saying. The destruction of the rainforest for
> any reason is a terrible thing.
>
> They are GM so many things today that it is hard to keep track. I don't
> know what all they are doing to soy beans.

I don't know what it is they do exactly, either. Soy and corn seem to be
the top GM foods. Other than that, I know nothing. But there is
something to be said for more natural ways.
>
> I don't know if much of anything being grown on a commercial scale is
> organic, because of the extensive use of pesticides. After WW2 my
> grandfather switched from growing cotton to growing soybeans. He used
> chemical pesticides way back then.
>
> I have my concerns about "organic", too. Before WW2, the pesticide of
> choice was arsenic. egads! Nature can kill you! haha.
>
Water can kill if you drink too much of it

Elaine Parrish wrote:

> On Mon, 30 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>
>
>>Elaine Parrish wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On Sun, 29 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>>>If you have butter or margarine or oil, you don't need crisco - especially
>>>at those prices.
>>>
>>>Crisco is a product of advertising, not of necessity.
>>>
>>>Elaine, too
>>>
>>
>>My Crisco search ends here! I'll use marg;/butter instead. For frying, I
>>can just use oil.
>>
>>I will let you know how the hominy turns out. I got it from an "ethnic"
>>store that sells Surinamese/Hindustani brands. I suspect it is highly
>>specific for that culture, I've never seen in any other shop before.
>>Suriname has jungles, maybe that means they packaged it in such a way
>>that it was light to transport there. Cans would be much heavier. I'm
>>just guessing, though.
>>
>> The brand is called AJS and the writing on the package is in Spanish
>>and in English. Plus Dutch. I couldn't find any info on it through
>>Google. This isn't unusual for Surinamese products - it's a poor country
>>with a population of 350,000.
>>
>
>
> Hominy is virtually unknown in the US outside of the Southern US. I don't
> think we know about it because of a big influx of people that are
> Surinamese/ Hindustani. <g> I figured someone else in the world had to
> make it, but this is the first I've heard of it. Get some recipes from
> them, too, because we buy it canned and use it as a side dish just warmed
> with butter or bacon fat for flavoring. I don't know that I have ever
> heard of a hominy casserole of any kind (We do have grits casseroles, but
> not whole kernel hominy casseroles).
>
> I'll be anixous to hear how your experimenting goes. Keep me posted.
>
> Elaine, too
>

I am getting more and more curious about this stuff. I am pondering
soaking vs non soaking, grinding vs non-grinding, savory, creamy,
casserole,breakfast dishes, all kinds of stuff.

But I'll buy a food processor first.

I'll post the results as soon as I can.

On Tue, 31 Jan 2006, jake wrote:

> >
>
> I am getting more and more curious about this stuff. I am pondering
> soaking vs non soaking, grinding vs non-grinding, savory, creamy,
> casserole,breakfast dishes, all kinds of stuff.
>
> But I'll buy a food processor first.
>
> I'll post the results as soon as I can.
>

You've got enough to do it all! <g>


Do you ever cook dried beans or use dried fruit? The dried hominy is the
same principle. So, you will need to soak it before you cook it (the whole
kernel, I mean). I don't know if it would ever get done if you didn't. The
ground up stuff takes 20 to 30 minutes to cook (you don't have to soak it
first) and it is the size of grains of sand.

The "old-timey" method for soaking dried beans is to soak overnight. The
"new-timey" <g> way is to put the beans in the cook pot, use enough water
to cover the beans twice, bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes, take off
heat, cover pot with tight-fitting lid, and let set at least 1 hour before
starting to cook. Either of these should work for dried hominy.

Elaine, too

Elaine Parrish wrote:
>
>
> On Tue, 31 Jan 2006, jake wrote:
>
>
>>I am getting more and more curious about this stuff. I am pondering
>>soaking vs non soaking, grinding vs non-grinding, savory, creamy,
>>casserole,breakfast dishes, all kinds of stuff.
>>
>>But I'll buy a food processor first.
>>
>>I'll post the results as soon as I can.
>>
>
>
> You've got enough to do it all! <g>
>
>
> Do you ever cook dried beans or use dried fruit? The dried hominy is the
> same principle. So, you will need to soak it before you cook it (the whole
> kernel, I mean). I don't know if it would ever get done if you didn't. The
> ground up stuff takes 20 to 30 minutes to cook (you don't have to soak it
> first) and it is the size of grains of sand.
>
> The "old-timey" method for soaking dried beans is to soak overnight. The
> "new-timey" <g> way is to put the beans in the cook pot, use enough water
> to cover the beans twice, bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes, take off
> heat, cover pot with tight-fitting lid, and let set at least 1 hour before
> starting to cook. Either of these should work for dried hominy.
>
> Elaine, too
>
>
>
Elaine, I didn't discover this post until just now. Sorry for not
replying before. I'll try soaking etc , too

And I am not sure whether I said anything re hominy and Surinamese
origins: I do no t in any way mean to imply that it originally from,
there. I don't know where hominy ha originated. Surinam, has a very
multicultural history, so they could have "copied" it from a number of
places. And it seems to be an unusual food there, this was the first
time I ever saw it in a Surinamese store. Their stock of it was small.

: Elaine Parrish wrote:

: > Grits are made from dried hominy. Hominy is made from corn. Hominy and
: > grits are not the same consumer item. Un-dried hominy comes in a can.
: > Dried hominy is ground into grits, which reconstituted, makes a cereal
: > like cream of wheat.
: >
: > Elaine, too
: >
: Then I have dried hominy which I could grind into grits. So I have 2 in
: 1. Kewl. Plus, now I have an extra excuse for buying a food processor
: (which I haven't bought so far because I wasn't convinced I'd actually
: use it).


Putting dried hominy in a food processor is likely to ruin the blade. You
need a grain mill to properly grind it into grits.