Why is my first polenta not easy to cut?

Question

I've cooked my first polenta.

it was too dampish, without shape, but also not easily sectile: it couldnt be easily cut.

What should I do better next time?

Answer

As your question stands, the possible answers are essentially:

• You used too much liquid or too little cornmeal.
• You didn't cook it long enough.
• You didn't cool it enough for it to firm up.

Polenta is the sort of food that you should make by trusting your senses over a recipe. You should be able to tell, with a little bit of experience, whether it's too thin and wet after cooking for it to set once it cools. If it is, you can cook it a bit longer on low heat to get more water out of it, and the next time you can compensate with more cornmeal or less liquid.

Also, since I don't know what recipe you used, do note that there are also recipes out there for soft polenta (usually described as such), which is intended to be served soft, not cut.

Check more discussion of this question.

What is the ratio for soft polenta?

Question

I want to cook a soft polenta. I would like the consistency to be like pudding - just firm enough to hold a shape (it doesn't flow out of the spoon if you take a heaped spoonful), but not firm enough to be cut into pieces. My ingredients will be cornmeal (not cornflour; it seems to be ~600 µm grain size), milk and olive oil. I am looking for the correct ratio by weight to achieve this consistency.

If you don't have a ratio for this case, but know a ratio for a similar polenta (e.g. cornmeal + stock) which gives this consistency, I'd be glad to know this one too, I think I can get the tweaking right by myself.

Answer

Yes, it depends on brand, humidity, etc. My local variety is 1:4 to 1:4.5 (polenta:water) to get to that softness level

Add nothing else until you have the polenta at the desired consistency and softness

Check more discussion of this question.

What is the difference between grits and polenta?

Question

I've eaten both and except for the fact that sometimes polenta is a little bit more firm, they taste the same...Any southerners out there that can help?

Answer

Some people say it's just preparation and the base is the same ground corn / corn meal, some people say for grits you need (more coarsely) ground hominy (which is corn that has been soaked in lye or lime).

Polenta can be found loose and really solid: grits are generally loose.

Corn type may also differ, as may the dish's 'typical cultural trappings' (fat cheddar and bacon vs. leaner stuff)

Check more discussion of this question.