I'm not from the south but I remember watching the clip from the movie My cousin Vinny where there is a statement in there that no self-respecting southerner will use 5 minute grits.
@@l.chrisjones7775 As one who's lived most of their life in Louisiana and Alabama, I have never not used instant grits 😂. And I mean, the REALLY instant, flavor packet kind that you just add water and microwave. But now I am curious to try this version.
There used to be a recipe on the box for cheesey garlic grits I made the same way. Poured them hot into a loaf pan, refrigerate over nite, slice, pan fry. 😃😋
Grits are made from hominy not cornmeal. They are more nutritious than just ground corn. Hominy has been nixtamalized like the corn that goes into corn tortillas. I was born in New Iberia, and I think instant grits are just fine.
Exactly right! Polenta is made from dent corn, which is yellow and nutritionally distinct from hominy corn. Nixtamalization (soaking in an alkaline solution) converts vitamin B3 precursors into bioavailable niacin, which prevents a skin disease called pellagra when eaten.
I was going to say something similar. Grits (and hominy) is much more nutritious than untreated corn. For those of you who haven't heard anything about nixtamalization before now, there's a Wikipedia entry that explains more, in case you're you're curious.
Oooooo, you have an exhaust fan on your kitchen wall. In 1994 my mom bought a 100-year old house that had one of those in her kitchen. You pull the chain, a flap opens to the outside and the fan turns on to draw the heat out. The house had no air conditioning, but that damn little exhaust fan really did the trick to cool down the kitchen!
I have a much newer kitchen with a giant hood and exhaust fan. I can't tell you how many times IPO have nearly knocked myself out by that skull crusher hood. IMO all giant exhaust fans and hoods need to come with a warning label.
Dried ground corn is NOT hominy. First you have to nixtamalize the corn to remove the pericarp (the native Americans did that with ashes, today we use lye) THEN you have hominy. THEN you dry the hominy and grind it to make grits.
And when corn is converted into hominy it allows the niacin in the corn to be absorbed by our digestive system. Europeans missed this step and that's why regions that started using ground cornmeal as their main food source (like polenta) developed pellagra which is caused by niacin deficiency. The same happened in the US in the early part of the 1900s when people started using dried corn instead of hominy for their grits
Well he didn't specifically say it was UNtreated dried ground corn. He just left that important part out. The settlers who- oh, I see Señorita Jimenez already mentioned that. Makes you wonder how the natives hit on that. Must have been REAL hungry that day to put ash in your corn and see how it turns out.
Grits are typically made by simmering with water, salt & pepper and adding butter. Using milk/cream/cheese is good, too. They're really versatile. Glad you enjoyed them!
I always hated grits...just like cream of wheat and oatmeal. However, a friend of mine forced me to try her grits cooked in chicken broth. I loved them. Now I have them often, but I do the popcorn grits that I buy at Dollywood. They are fantastic.
Your going to have a great time exploring all of the regional favorites. And no one ever said home cooking was a smooth process, just adds credibility to your presentation! Enjoy the travels, and the history of the U.S.
Should he make the famous or infamous American dishes? Famous: philly cheese steak, clam chowder, crab boil, bbq, mac n cheese. Infamous: funeral potatoes, frito pie, tuna casserole, ambroia salad.
Shrimp and grits can vary widely from place to place as far as quality goes. I have had shrimp and grits that were really delicious, and I’ve had shrimp and grits that were quite disappointing. And sometimes they look like completely different dishes from each other. But when they are good, they’re very good.
Brother man you are in Chicago. From what I can gather, your dear sweet wife has kinfolks in WV. If you continue on east to SC I feel fairly confident that you can get a proper rendering of shrimp and grits. Remember sir that it took a Scotsman to introduce you to chicken fried steak. As someone from Texas I have long awaited your discovery of the world outside of the Midwest. One day you'll discover brisket and I hope to see it.
If you've ever had the Italian dish called polenta, it's quite similar as it also adds cornmeal to a boiling liquid. The best shrimp in my opinion is where you add the shrimp to the dish last and cook it gently. But if this works, awesome.
I had the same thought. I was sad to see the shrimp go in so early. Shrimp cooks super fast and has a much better texture when not overcooked. The raw shrimp should have been added to the sauce on low heat just before the grits were done, start plating up the grits, and let the shrimp get color (only takes a minute or two at most). Then add the shrimp, veggies, and sauce on top of the grits. I know that I'm preaching to the choir, but I wanted to explain how to better handle the shrimp.
One of my favorites...When I was stationed at RAF Mildenhall, I was going through the breakfast line. The server was a British local. I told him, eggs, bacon, toast, grits..then he said, "You have me at grits." I pointed to them...he told me it was his first day on the job.
My favorite, easy breakfast is grits and eggs. Make the grits following the directions on the package, add a little salt and pepper, top it with a fried egg. Delicious!
I’ve had grits before and hated them. My son-in-law made me shrimp and grits about 5 years ago. OMG!! I couldn’t believe how good it was! I now ask for it every time I visit them. Seriously people. If you hate grits, try this anyway. You won’t be sorry!
Cheese grits is also very good, a staple at a lot of fish frys. I've had some made with Gouda cheese that was outstanding. That was at a restaurant in Seaside Florida.
This was me with mushrooms. My whole life it was gross raw ones in salads or mostly-raw ones on pizza, or the rubbery canned ones Turns out if you buy fresh shrooms and cook them in basically ANY fat and put salt on it, they become the tastiest thing ever made. To the point that people used to make 'ketchup' (that is, fermented fish sauce, not pickled tomato) out of them.
In the south, we have Publix supermarkets, where they sell a lot of those veggies already diced up! When adding that flour, try dissolving it a bit into some warm water first; that will make it lump up less. And shrimp only need to cook for about a minute; as soon as they turn pink, they're done. Any longer, and they turn rubbery. Shrimp & grits is one of my favorite dishes, but I rarely make it at home.
Bob's Red Mill Stone ground yellow corn grits - best grits. 4 cups water, bring to a boil. Whisk in 1 cup grits. Add a teaspoon each of salt and msg. And one stick of butter. Simmer for five minutes. Best grits you've ever had.
For the “grits,” I actually recommend a product called “samp.” These are much bigger kernel pieces, with a softer, less “gritty” texture,” and they’re quite popular for use in restaurants’ “shrimp and grits.” Highly recommend visiting Charleston, SC, for both the history and the food. Despite having initiated rebellion against the British, it retains a lot of British influence, as well as colonial French. And you may find yourself ordering shrimp and grits at every restaurant (though, if it is soft shell crab season, I recommend that instead, as most places do excellent specials).
That…smh…was absolutely priceless 😂 this Southern girl is so proud of you!!! I just hope you added some serious salt, pepper and lots of butter to those Grits. You think they’re good now…oh boy, you haven’t tasted anything yet!!!! But good job on your first go around especially with the shrimp, that is a feat 😂😊 ❤❤❤
You have my admiration for filming yourself cooking. It’s a lot like me cooking, and I wouldn’t want anyone seeing that. I laughed out loud at the near boil-over of the grits. Been there, done that.
Those shrimp do not look de-veined and like Ben's Grandma says, butter, salt, and pepper is how we had them when I was a kid in Arkansas. The shrimp-n-grits I've had doesn't usually have cheese in but some of them have a wonderfully south-of-the-border flavors here in Arizona - thank you, Lawrence, for putting yourself and your home in mortal peril (for instance, by only turning down the heat on the milk that was boiling over rather than simply moving it off of the hob), I look forward to the next thrilling - terrifying? - episode of "An 'L' in the Kitchen!" (That one's yours for free)
Gotta do fried cabbage and onions next. It's incredible. You basically just take a shitton of cabbage, chop it into strips, pile it into a huge pot with onions and some seasoned slightly briney water in it and keep reducing it and adding more cabbage and onions until its all a brown sludgy consistency. Thats it, its done. You can mix it with stuff after that if you want to, but you don't have to. Its delicious by itself.
Grits are a base. Like rice, noodles, potatoes and so on. Just grts by themselves is Heaven. The heart of Dixie cuisine: Grits and pork fat! I was a firehouse cook and haz mat guru! I knew all about poisons and toxins. Not just a combat firefighter, I was an advanced level paramedic and SWAT medic. I could make any death look accidental. I may have gurilla warfare and counter terrorism in my pre-fire department career: I'm not confirming or denying it. Of the firefighters I worked with, none ever died under my command. By the way. 😅😅😅. No self-respecting Southerner would use instant grits. You are in Chicago, thankfully. Good show. My daughter heard your voice and had to invade my privacy to watch your show. You have far more fans than you realize. Bravo!
Lol, my father was a fireman but obviously never had to be the cook, because when he got sick, I remember him asking me to make him some eggs for dinner one night. My mom was out to bingo for a break from caring for him. I couldn't find the oil, so I made them with a bottle of this clear stuff that she had. In the cupboard. He told me he couldn't eat the eggs because they were sweet and asked me what I had used, I took it to him. I had used corn syrup!😅 That's what you get for having a 10-year-old make your eggs😅
@@DavidBenner-cy4zl LOL. South Mississippi here. Born and raised for 19, years. Then enlisted and spent a total of about 10 years in either Nevada or overseas but another 39 years in either Texas or Florida. Both 5 minute and regular or fine. Instant not so much.
@LindaC616 -- You just reminded me of one of my favorite breakfasts: grits with a runny fried egg mixed in. Add salt, omit butter. Pepper ain't allowed. Yum!
Born in Tampa Florida, having family in Georgia (USA), and mostly raised in Texas, I grew up on grits. We always ate them soaked in melted butter with plenty of salt and black pepper. I still think it's one of the most divine flavors on earth. The shrimp & grits phenomenon seems to be a recent invention. Lawrence, I'm gritified that you liked the grats.
You lost me at "Irish bacon" because I still have quite clear memories of reading Irish novels and having one heck of a time trying to figure out what RASHERS are. (And bedsitters!)
Grits: you need stone-ground grits. Use 5-6 parts of water (or a mix of water and milk) to one part of grits. Simmer with salt and butter, stirring/whisking occasionally, covered, for at least one hour. Stir in your cheese of choice, white pepper and correct the salt to taste.
My great grandfather (b. 1900 in Oklahoma to Irish immigrant parents) tried grits for the first time in the 1960s when he first visited Atlanta and they changed his life. Since they didn't sell grits in Oklahoma in the 60s (surprising, considering how much corn they grow in the midwest), my grandmother would have to pack up grits in dry oce and ship them to him.
My preference is to microwave quick grits for 4 minutes, stirring at halfway, using water as the liquid. I add finely chopped crystallized ginger, dried cranberries, various warm spices and mixed nuts.
I'm a Savannian(Savannah, GA) and we ate shrimp and grits for supper very often. We didn't sautee shrimp though. They were fresh caught and fried. Boiled shrimp were regular, too. Worcestershire didn't factor. We also didn't do quick grits. Generally, the grits cooked for hours, which takes a lot of stirring to keep them from sticking and burning. Our other main carb was rice. Almost every meal had rice. Rice and greens, rice and beans, rice and gravy. Rice and peas, rice and tomatoes, red rice. All the rice.
Since you seem to love shrimp n grits you need to make grits for breakfast in the morning. It might sound boring, but you can mix your grits with various toppings, such as brown sugar, maple syrup, various chopped nuts, a poached egg, or even some cheese and whatever else your taste buds fancy. I think you will discover why millions of Americans have been eating hominy grits for centuries, even back to when King George III still owned the colonies. Now that you have tried shrimp and grits I suggest you try that other southern taste sensation - chicken and waffles.
I, too, am a proponent of instant grits. I was screaming at the screen, for you to move the pot off the burner - to avoid the boil over, but you survived. Well done!.👏👏👏
Sugar? That'd get you called a "yankee" where I live, and that's still a mild insult, depending on the tone. 😂 But you do you. I've tried sweet grits before, and it just wasn't my cup of tea (cuppa).
I can't tell you. i remember my grandma making grits and didn't like them. I was a kid, so not saying my gma didn't know how to cook them. Everything else she cooked i loved and is a big part of why I know how to cook. My parents both worked so I was in charge of dinner. Cream of wheat.. yum. also apple butter she always had in her fridge. yum
I've probably recommended/mentioned this dish on this channel dozens of times. Glad to see you made it, and liked it! I love grits with cheese and hot sauce. Shrimp and grits are probably THE dish of my corner of the world, Charleston, South Carolina
Do you need recipes? For a nice side dish..chop onions and yellow squash and zucchini squash and steam! Yum. Also please make fried green tomatoes. You will be happy with yourself if you do!!
Ohhh yes, fried green tomatoes! He'd have to grow the tomatoes for the best ones though! Mmmm, nom makes me just FEEL spring coming in and early summer foods!
Nothing more hilarious than British dry humor (our). This Texan approves, and yeah - the hair was a little jacked up at the end. Keep it up and be well, mate. Cheers
Can't wait to see your verdict. I just cooked shrimp on cheesy grits for dinner and it was delicious. My recipe uses just chicken stick with butter, salt, and pepper boiled. Then grits are added and cooked down for about 5 minutes before stirring in cheese. About six strips of bacon are cooked in a large frying pan and are then chopped up. The shrimp are peeled and deveined, coated with baking soda and stored in the fridge for 1/2+ hour. The shrimp are then rinsed and cooked in the oil left from the bacon. Add green onions, the chopped bacon, a tsp of minced garlic, and juice from a lemon. Spoon out the grits and put the shrimp mixture on top. Simple, easy, and delicious. In the future, I'll have to try making it with peppers, celery, Worcestershire, and heavy cream.
Hello, this is the wife of pictured. I am from NC. Just wanted to say, while I no doubt grew up eating grits, I still haven't tried shrimp with grits. You beat me to it. I'll have to try that now that you have been my guinea pig... lol Love your channel. And whatever you decide to do, don't change the way you go about it! Truly, Susan
TOP SECRET: Use chicken broth instead of water. Plain grits with butter and salt, ham and grits, bacon and grits, scrambled eggs in grits, grits and pork chops or country fried steak...man, the grit is king!
I don't remember that commercial, and I'm old enough to. I grew up in Michigan, and it wasn't a thing there. We only had fluff in the house because my mother would use it to make Rice Krispie treats or some atrocious salad that she remembered from the 50s and 60s. However, someone the other day mentioned that when she was pregnant, she used to like fluff sandwiches with nutella. And I think if I got a lower sugar version of Nutella, I would probably enjoy that
Lawrence, I like to eat grits for breakfast, with poached eggs. When the grits are almost done, I crack a couple of eggs in the hot grits, cover the pot again, and let the eggs poach in the grits. Then I add butter and salt and pepper to the grits and eggs, and eat them out of the pot. I would love to make this dish, but about 30 years ago my body developed an intolerence to any kind of shellfish - so even though your dish looks delicious, I can't eat it. Cheers! Tip - grits cooked in milk are a little bit fancy. You can cook them in plain water, or you can add powdered milk to the water and grits if you have some dry milk hanging around that you have no particular use for. Keep doing a great job!
Love shimp and grits. I live in the deep south and it is on most menus at better restaurants. I would encourage you to try it at a restaurant sometime. Thanks for the video.
Cheese grits and fried panfish. I caught some crappie the other morning through a foot of ice, cheese grits and a nice garden salad YUM!!!! My wife had that Churchill quote on the refrigerator 👍
I've never had grits, but I tell you what, I've had instant oatmeal (inferior to whole-oat boiled-for-a-long-time oatmeal, but still good), I've had instant rice (garbage, but got me through college), and instant mashed potatoes (possibly good if you dolled them up enough, but basically garbage.) So I believe every good ol southern boy when he says don't eat instant grits. there are some things that are okay partially precooked. Cornstarch for example. Works a lot better if you buy it cooked (or 'modified' as it says on the package) and clumps less and still doesn't taste like anything. Buut... You know, I've also bought partially-baked bread and taken it home and toasted it the rest of the way to done, THAT works. But instant cereals just seem to not work. I guess cream of wheat is okay.
The important thing about grits, and what separates them from polenta, is that the corn is nixtamalized to remove the pericarp and make the nutrients accessible to our digestive systems. That's what makes it hominy rather than corn, and it's also the kind of masa used to make tortillas.
My one and only experience with grits happened on my first day of Basic Training in South Carolina. Shoved a spoonful in my mouth and gagged. Ignored them ever since. That was in 1987
My grandmother from Mississippi showed me how to cook lots of stuff when I was a kid. Two main points, if something does not taste right you either cooked it too long or there was not a enough fat (could be butter, but likely bacon fat). If all is lost, make it spicey and no one will notice.
Lawrence, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience with you! And I’m gonna be honest I kind of thought I wouldn’t. But this was so much fun! I’m from Texas and I’ve never appreciated grits. My husband tried shrimp and grits in North Carolina and adored it!
Indigenous people here were making grits long before other people showed up. I don't like instant grits because I don't feel like they have time to get really creamy. I often have them for breakfast with salt, pepper, butter, and an over easy egg on top If I have enough leftover grits I put them in the fridge then pan fry them later. I made beef cheeks in a spicy tomato sauce poured over fried grits just last week. So yummy!
I know grits basically as a breakfast food. I first had them in basic training. We weren't allowed any type of refined sugars, so the southern kids there told me to get grits and put maple syrup and butter on them. I was HOOKED. I just had some the other day (roughly 30 years after first trying them) and I dressed them up with brown sugar, pecans, butter, and raisins. I was feelin' ✨fancy✨ 😂
I knew the military was debasing and abusive to the trainees, but.... you were only allowed to eat unrefined sugar? what the hell is the molasses going to do to make you a better soldier.
So glad you liked the grits. There's nothing better on a cold morning to warm you and fill you. Being a southerner, I don't remember the first time I had them, I just know they mean love and home, especially back long ago when my Mama had to stir them on the stove for awhile. And like some other commentors have told you -- the 5 minute grits and even the instant packets work just great, especially if you use milk to make them creamier.
No it's not. Read about how pellagra appeared in poor populations of Europe that relied on cornmeal when they skipped the necessary step to nixtamalize their dried corn (creating hominy) before grinding it. Polenta/cornmeal is not hominy grits
Ooo...Laurence, You're a natural in the kitchen! I love your wry sense of humor and funny comments about the tasks you're doing. The shrimp and grits looked very yummy! More chef episodes, please!
"Lost in the Kitchen" has a nice ring to it.
Yes it does 😃
It actually does...and by the looks of the video, it's quite accurate as well.
@@2Quietus Excellent!
"Lost in the Pantry" would mean he could keep LITP. lol
i'd totally want that!!!
“I did a thing!” 😂 Me also after I cook something even halfway edible! More cooking shows please! Hysterical!
I'm not from the south but I remember watching the clip from the movie My cousin Vinny where there is a statement in there that no self-respecting southerner will use 5 minute grits.
@@l.chrisjones7775 As one who's lived most of their life in Louisiana and Alabama, I have never not used instant grits 😂. And I mean, the REALLY instant, flavor packet kind that you just add water and microwave. But now I am curious to try this version.
My mom always took refrigerated leftover grits, sliced them into rectangles, and grilled them with bacon grease in an iron skillet. Simply divine.
Ooh that sounds yummy!
This is an excellent base for saucy dishes of all kinds. Shrimp, especially.
There used to be a recipe on the box for cheesey garlic grits I made the same way. Poured them hot into a loaf pan, refrigerate over nite, slice, pan fry. 😃😋
You can do the same thing with polenta. Which is literally the same thing except a different kind of corn is used.
You're taking me back. My grandmother used to do that.
"Lost in the Pantry" as a new segment? I think we've got a winner here.
Grits are made from hominy not cornmeal. They are more nutritious than just ground corn. Hominy has been nixtamalized like the corn that goes into corn tortillas. I was born in New Iberia, and I think instant grits are just fine.
Exactly right! Polenta is made from dent corn, which is yellow and nutritionally distinct from hominy corn. Nixtamalization (soaking in an alkaline solution) converts vitamin B3 precursors into bioavailable niacin, which prevents a skin disease called pellagra when eaten.
Yes, grits are a lot healthier...until we add all the butter and cheese 😉
Nixtamalized?
Nixtamalized... Isn't that what Jabba did to Han Solo? I agree. No problem using the magic grits.
I was going to say something similar. Grits (and hominy) is much more nutritious than untreated corn. For those of you who haven't heard anything about nixtamalization before now, there's a Wikipedia entry that explains more, in case you're you're curious.
Oooooo, you have an exhaust fan on your kitchen wall. In 1994 my mom bought a 100-year old house that had one of those in her kitchen. You pull the chain, a flap opens to the outside and the fan turns on to draw the heat out. The house had no air conditioning, but that damn little exhaust fan really did the trick to cool down the kitchen!
My grandparent's house was built in the '50s and had one of those.
My mom grew up with the exhaust fan in the wall and added it to her custom built new home just four years ago. She loves not having a huge hood
@@Poppykat9866didn't know you could do that! I bought a house 3 years ago, and the vent on the stove does not work. I'll keep that in mind
I have a much newer kitchen with a giant hood and exhaust fan. I can't tell you how many times IPO have nearly knocked myself out by that skull crusher hood. IMO all giant exhaust fans and hoods need to come with a warning label.
I grew up in a house with that type of fan!
Born and raised a southerner. 5 minute grits are just fine.
What!? That wasn't a thing with "My Cousin Vinny" (1992)!;)
Do you use magic grits?
5 minute grits are fine...for some quick grits. If you're going to the trouble of making shrimp and grits, you need to use good grits.
@@Kelnx Cut the guy some slack. Did you see him open the package of grits? 😂
@@Kelnx It's the same stuff, just parboiled. It's fine, bro.
Dried ground corn is NOT hominy. First you have to nixtamalize the corn to remove the pericarp (the native Americans did that with ashes, today we use lye) THEN you have hominy. THEN you dry the hominy and grind it to make grits.
Yes! Thank you. (And ignore any North Carolinians with their "yellow grits," which in fact is just coarsely ground corn meal.)
And when corn is converted into hominy it allows the niacin in the corn to be absorbed by our digestive system. Europeans missed this step and that's why regions that started using ground cornmeal as their main food source (like polenta) developed pellagra which is caused by niacin deficiency. The same happened in the US in the early part of the 1900s when people started using dried corn instead of hominy for their grits
Well he didn't specifically say it was UNtreated dried ground corn. He just left that important part out.
The settlers who- oh, I see Señorita Jimenez already mentioned that.
Makes you wonder how the natives hit on that. Must have been REAL hungry that day to put ash in your corn and see how it turns out.
Exactly
Hominy is so disgusting
Just think of it as "Dixie Polenta"! Grits are very versatile, and since they're pretty plain, they can take a lot of spice.
7:10 "No self-respecting Southerner would be caught using instant grits." - Highly accurate quote from the movie "My Cousin Vinny" (1992)
"What is a grit anyways?"~Vinnie Gambini
The time it takes to make grits is actually a case for the defense.
The less self-respecting ones just make sure they *don't* get caught using them. 😂
@toodlescae I see (strokes the imaginary goatee on his chin) 🧐
You’re goddamn right. I about had a conniption when he brought that mess into the recipe, bless his heart
Grits are typically made by simmering with water, salt & pepper and adding butter. Using milk/cream/cheese is good, too. They're really versatile. Glad you enjoyed them!
Mine are make with half whole milk and half water.
Sounds yummy! I’ll have to try that!
Never too much butter. And it must be peppery!
I've always had them with cheddar cheese & garlic (plus the bitter & salt) ❤
I always hated grits...just like cream of wheat and oatmeal. However, a friend of mine forced me to try her grits cooked in chicken broth. I loved them. Now I have them often, but I do the popcorn grits that I buy at Dollywood. They are fantastic.
Oooo, Laurence! That was fun. I hope you do that more often. Cheers from Tennessee
Also from Texas.
i love a British accent, and i love a person who is working to unite people through abject silliness. cheers, mate
I like my grits with butter, salt, and pepper.
No cheese? 🧀
Same, unless it's dinner grits when you add cheese.
Kiss my goddamn grits!
@bearpawz_ I've never had them with cheese, and I love cheese. I must correct this oversight!
@@Angie_King_Bens_Grandma It's a very different flavor. Very good, but I too prefer just prefer some butter, salt, and pepper most of the time.
Your going to have a great time exploring all of the regional favorites. And no one ever said home cooking was a smooth process, just adds credibility to your presentation! Enjoy the travels, and the history of the U.S.
Should he make the famous or infamous American dishes? Famous: philly cheese steak, clam chowder, crab boil, bbq, mac n cheese. Infamous: funeral potatoes, frito pie, tuna casserole, ambroia salad.
@@andybearchan Ambrosia salad - ick! I hate that stuff!
Shrimp and grits can vary widely from place to place as far as quality goes. I have had shrimp and grits that were really delicious, and I’ve had shrimp and grits that were quite disappointing. And sometimes they look like completely different dishes from each other. But when they are good, they’re very good.
Lost in the Kitchen. More please. 🤣
Ditto
😅😅😅
Brother man you are in Chicago.
From what I can gather, your dear sweet wife has kinfolks in WV. If you continue on east to SC I feel fairly confident that you can get a proper rendering of shrimp and grits.
Remember sir that it took a Scotsman to introduce you to chicken fried steak.
As someone from Texas I have long awaited your discovery of the world outside of the Midwest.
One day you'll discover brisket and I hope to see it.
Oh, to watch Lawrence try to smoke a brisket! That would be money right there lol.
it's not necessarily the cooking, but rather the sense of humor that keeps us hooked! Though I must say the cooking actually looked pretty good.
I loved this “cooking” video. Your Shrimp & Grits looked great and was more colorful that what I see in out local restaurants. Good job!
If you've ever had the Italian dish called polenta, it's quite similar as it also adds cornmeal to a boiling liquid.
The best shrimp in my opinion is where you add the shrimp to the dish last and cook it gently. But if this works, awesome.
I had the same thought. I was sad to see the shrimp go in so early. Shrimp cooks super fast and has a much better texture when not overcooked.
The raw shrimp should have been added to the sauce on low heat just before the grits were done, start plating up the grits, and let the shrimp get color (only takes a minute or two at most). Then add the shrimp, veggies, and sauce on top of the grits.
I know that I'm preaching to the choir, but I wanted to explain how to better handle the shrimp.
One of my favorites...When I was stationed at RAF Mildenhall, I was going through the breakfast line. The server was a British local. I told him, eggs, bacon, toast, grits..then he said, "You have me at grits." I pointed to them...he told me it was his first day on the job.
Grits and sausage gravy😋
The gravy seperate on a biscuit, or "crumpet" i think they call the in GB scones, but american biscuits are better than scones.
Oh, YES!!!
My favorite, easy breakfast is grits and eggs. Make the grits following the directions on the package, add a little salt and pepper, top it with a fried egg. Delicious!
I’ve had grits before and hated them. My son-in-law made me shrimp and grits about 5 years ago. OMG!! I couldn’t believe how good it was! I now ask for it every time I visit them. Seriously people. If you hate grits, try this anyway. You won’t be sorry!
Cheese grits is also very good, a staple at a lot of fish frys. I've had some made with Gouda cheese that was outstanding. That was at a restaurant in Seaside Florida.
This was me with mushrooms. My whole life it was gross raw ones in salads or mostly-raw ones on pizza, or the rubbery canned ones
Turns out if you buy fresh shrooms and cook them in basically ANY fat and put salt on it, they become the tastiest thing ever made. To the point that people used to make 'ketchup' (that is, fermented fish sauce, not pickled tomato) out of them.
"This had to happen due to time constraints and appalling reading skills"
How dare you define my entire life so succinctly without prior permission
I love that all of a sudden you became a cooking show! You should occasionally do American and British dishes. Or comparisons between similar dishes.
Needs to compare and contrast biscuits (US) and scones (UK).
In the south, we have Publix supermarkets, where they sell a lot of those veggies already diced up! When adding that flour, try dissolving it a bit into some warm water first; that will make it lump up less. And shrimp only need to cook for about a minute; as soon as they turn pink, they're done. Any longer, and they turn rubbery. Shrimp & grits is one of my favorite dishes, but I rarely make it at home.
I confess, I use those same grits.
Bob's Red Mill Stone ground yellow corn grits - best grits.
4 cups water, bring to a boil. Whisk in 1 cup grits. Add a teaspoon each of salt and msg. And one stick of butter. Simmer for five minutes. Best grits you've ever had.
For the “grits,” I actually recommend a product called “samp.” These are much bigger kernel pieces, with a softer, less “gritty” texture,” and they’re quite popular for use in restaurants’ “shrimp and grits.”
Highly recommend visiting Charleston, SC, for both the history and the food. Despite having initiated rebellion against the British, it retains a lot of British influence, as well as colonial French. And you may find yourself ordering shrimp and grits at every restaurant (though, if it is soft shell crab season, I recommend that instead, as most places do excellent specials).
The best shrimp and grits I ever had was in Charleston. Actually ALL the food I had there was fantastic. I need to get back there.
That…smh…was absolutely priceless 😂 this Southern girl is so proud of you!!! I just hope you added some serious salt, pepper and lots of butter to those Grits. You think they’re good now…oh boy, you haven’t tasted anything yet!!!! But good job on your first go around especially with the shrimp, that is a feat 😂😊
❤❤❤
Shrimp and grits with tomato gravy is a staple at a local restaurant. One of my favorite dishes. 🦐
You have my admiration for filming yourself cooking. It’s a lot like me cooking, and I wouldn’t want anyone seeing that. I laughed out loud at the near boil-over of the grits. Been there, done that.
Those shrimp do not look de-veined and like Ben's Grandma says, butter, salt, and pepper is how we had them when I was a kid in Arkansas. The shrimp-n-grits I've had doesn't usually have cheese in but some of them have a wonderfully south-of-the-border flavors here in Arizona - thank you, Lawrence, for putting yourself and your home in mortal peril (for instance, by only turning down the heat on the milk that was boiling over rather than simply moving it off of the hob), I look forward to the next thrilling - terrifying? - episode of "An 'L' in the Kitchen!"
(That one's yours for free)
Yeah they weren’t deveined OR cooked. lol. I always buy the cooked ones. One less step. :)
I’ve never had shrimp ‘n grits without cheese. Every cook and every region is different.
Gotta do fried cabbage and onions next. It's incredible. You basically just take a shitton of cabbage, chop it into strips, pile it into a huge pot with onions and some seasoned slightly briney water in it and keep reducing it and adding more cabbage and onions until its all a brown sludgy consistency. Thats it, its done. You can mix it with stuff after that if you want to, but you don't have to. Its delicious by itself.
Grits are a great blank canvas.
I'm an American who's never had shrimp and grits, yours looks so good! I need to try this dish some time
That is the most delicious food of my people in the Low Country. There's nothing else like it, or better in the world.
For sure!
"Do that now!" makes me laugh every time.
Grits are a base. Like rice, noodles, potatoes and so on. Just grts by themselves is Heaven. The heart of Dixie cuisine: Grits and pork fat! I was a firehouse cook and haz mat guru! I knew all about poisons and toxins. Not just a combat firefighter, I was an advanced level paramedic and SWAT medic. I could make any death look accidental. I may have gurilla warfare and counter terrorism in my pre-fire department career: I'm not confirming or denying it. Of the firefighters I worked with, none ever died under my command. By the way. 😅😅😅. No self-respecting Southerner would use instant grits. You are in Chicago, thankfully. Good show. My daughter heard your voice and had to invade my privacy to watch your show. You have far more fans than you realize. Bravo!
Lol, my father was a fireman but obviously never had to be the cook, because when he got sick, I remember him asking me to make him some eggs for dinner one night. My mom was out to bingo for a break from caring for him. I couldn't find the oil, so I made them with a bottle of this clear stuff that she had. In the cupboard. He told me he couldn't eat the eggs because they were sweet and asked me what I had used, I took it to him. I had used corn syrup!😅 That's what you get for having a 10-year-old make your eggs😅
That’s all true except 5 minute grits are not the same as “instant grits.”
@santamanone is just less instant. I stand corrected if I'm wrong. I was born in the South. Southern Japan.
@@DavidBenner-cy4zl LOL. South Mississippi here. Born and raised for 19, years. Then enlisted and spent a total of about 10 years in either Nevada or overseas but another 39 years in either Texas or Florida. Both 5 minute and regular or fine. Instant not so much.
@LindaC616 -- You just reminded me of one of my favorite breakfasts: grits with a runny fried egg mixed in. Add salt, omit butter. Pepper ain't allowed. Yum!
Born in Tampa Florida, having family in Georgia (USA), and mostly raised in Texas, I grew up on grits. We always ate them soaked in melted butter with plenty of salt and black pepper. I still think it's one of the most divine flavors on earth. The shrimp & grits phenomenon seems to be a recent invention. Lawrence, I'm gritified that you liked the grats.
You lost me at "Irish bacon" because I still have quite clear memories of reading Irish novels and having one heck of a time trying to figure out what RASHERS are. (And bedsitters!)
Lawrence, I LOVED this cooking show!!! GREAT!!! You are hilarious!!! ❤😂❤😂❤😂
Grits: you need stone-ground grits. Use 5-6 parts of water (or a mix of water and milk) to one part of grits. Simmer with salt and butter, stirring/whisking occasionally, covered, for at least one hour. Stir in your cheese of choice, white pepper and correct the salt to taste.
make sure you harvest the corn yourself, and use only rain water and wood ash sourced lye /s
I want to see you cooking more!
I love watching cooking videos. And cooking videos by people who don’t know what they are doing are even more popular!
Bacon is universal! 😊
With the right type of bacon.
Everything is better with bacon!!!
Enjoyed the cooking class. Thanks for sharing.
My great grandfather (b. 1900 in Oklahoma to Irish immigrant parents) tried grits for the first time in the 1960s when he first visited Atlanta and they changed his life. Since they didn't sell grits in Oklahoma in the 60s (surprising, considering how much corn they grow in the midwest), my grandmother would have to pack up grits in dry oce and ship them to him.
Iowa. Never see grits. In Indiana where I grew up. Grits only at Cracker Barrel.
Dry ice? What, did they cook them before shipping? Grits are a shelf-stable Dry product like oats or flour.
Brilliant recipe, I love it for dinner, have made it myself.❤❤❤❤❤
My preference is to microwave quick grits for 4 minutes, stirring at halfway, using water as the liquid. I add finely chopped crystallized ginger, dried cranberries, various warm spices and mixed nuts.
I'm a Savannian(Savannah, GA) and we ate shrimp and grits for supper very often. We didn't sautee shrimp though. They were fresh caught and fried. Boiled shrimp were regular, too. Worcestershire didn't factor. We also didn't do quick grits. Generally, the grits cooked for hours, which takes a lot of stirring to keep them from sticking and burning. Our other main carb was rice. Almost every meal had rice. Rice and greens, rice and beans, rice and gravy. Rice and peas, rice and tomatoes, red rice. All the rice.
Since you seem to love shrimp n grits you need to make grits for breakfast in the morning. It might sound boring, but you can mix your grits with various toppings, such as brown sugar, maple syrup, various chopped nuts, a poached egg, or even some cheese and whatever else your taste buds fancy. I think you will discover why millions of Americans have been eating hominy grits for centuries, even back to when King George III still owned the colonies. Now that you have tried shrimp and grits I suggest you try that other southern taste sensation - chicken and waffles.
I, too, am a proponent of instant grits. I was screaming at the screen, for you to move the pot off the burner - to avoid the boil over, but you survived. Well done!.👏👏👏
YES, more cooking shows Laurence!!😊
Grits are so versatile! We have Seafood Gumbo over Grits, instead of rice, for breakfast! 😋
I don't want to see this just become a cooking channel... but a video like this here and there would be nice 👍.
Grits with a touch of butter, and a little cane sugar. Yum
That’s how I eat them!
Sugar? That'd get you called a "yankee" where I live, and that's still a mild insult, depending on the tone. 😂
But you do you. I've tried sweet grits before, and it just wasn't my cup of tea (cuppa).
I prefer salt to sugar. And a few more touches of butter. Okay, lots of butter.
@@robo5013same here😁 Because I was introduced to proper grits by a southern😉
Found the damn Yankee!
I can't tell you. i remember my grandma making grits and didn't like them. I was a kid, so not saying my gma didn't know how to cook them. Everything else she cooked i loved and is a big part of why I know how to cook. My parents both worked so I was in charge of dinner. Cream of wheat.. yum. also apple butter she always had in her fridge. yum
BTW, when they say 2 tbs of butter they REALLY mean 1 stick. 😂
I've probably recommended/mentioned this dish on this channel dozens of times. Glad to see you made it, and liked it! I love grits with cheese and hot sauce. Shrimp and grits are probably THE dish of my corner of the world, Charleston, South Carolina
Do you need recipes? For a nice side dish..chop onions and yellow squash and zucchini squash and steam! Yum.
Also please make fried green tomatoes. You will be happy with yourself if you do!!
Ohhh yes, fried green tomatoes! He'd have to grow the tomatoes for the best ones though! Mmmm, nom makes me just FEEL spring coming in and early summer foods!
@ yes!!!
Only two things in the world that’s fine and that’s true love and Home Grown Tomatoes!!!
Nothing more hilarious than British dry humor (our). This Texan approves, and yeah - the hair was a little jacked up at the end. Keep it up and be well, mate. Cheers
Good job Laurence. 👋Tara😁
Can't wait to see your verdict. I just cooked shrimp on cheesy grits for dinner and it was delicious. My recipe uses just chicken stick with butter, salt, and pepper boiled. Then grits are added and cooked down for about 5 minutes before stirring in cheese. About six strips of bacon are cooked in a large frying pan and are then chopped up. The shrimp are peeled and deveined, coated with baking soda and stored in the fridge for 1/2+ hour. The shrimp are then rinsed and cooked in the oil left from the bacon. Add green onions, the chopped bacon, a tsp of minced garlic, and juice from a lemon. Spoon out the grits and put the shrimp mixture on top. Simple, easy, and delicious.
In the future, I'll have to try making it with peppers, celery, Worcestershire, and heavy cream.
If you are making a southern dish, you can't use Worcestershire sauce, you need Washyoursister sauce.
That's spelled... Warsh.
We prefer “Who’syoursister sauce!
@@buddystewart2020I guess in Indiana it would be “Hoosiersister” sauce…
@ .... lolol, I guess that's right.
Hello, this is the wife of pictured. I am from NC. Just wanted to say, while I no doubt grew up eating grits, I still haven't tried shrimp with grits. You beat me to it. I'll have to try that now that you have been my guinea pig... lol Love your channel. And whatever you decide to do, don't change the way you go about it! Truly, Susan
OH YES!!!😀 Do cook more !
TOP SECRET: Use chicken broth instead of water. Plain grits with butter and salt, ham and grits, bacon and grits, scrambled eggs in grits, grits and pork chops or country fried steak...man, the grit is king!
How dare you make light of the "Fluffernutter" Invented in my home town, Lynn, MA.
He needs to see the Fluffernutter commercial! "Oh you need FLUFF! FLUFF! FLUFF! to make Fluffernutter! Mashmallow FLUFF and lots of peanut butter!"
I don't remember that commercial, and I'm old enough to. I grew up in Michigan, and it wasn't a thing there. We only had fluff in the house because my mother would use it to make Rice Krispie treats or some atrocious salad that she remembered from the 50s and 60s. However, someone the other day mentioned that when she was pregnant, she used to like fluff sandwiches with nutella. And I think if I got a lower sugar version of Nutella, I would probably enjoy that
@@LindaC616 Fluffernutters were pretty much only a New England thing back then. I lived in Upstate NY and we got the commercial when I was a kid.
Lawrence, I like to eat grits for breakfast, with poached eggs. When the grits are almost done, I crack a couple of eggs in the hot grits, cover the pot again, and let the eggs poach in the grits. Then I add butter and salt and pepper to the grits and eggs, and eat them out of the pot. I would love to make this dish, but about 30 years ago my body developed an intolerence to any kind of shellfish - so even though your dish looks delicious, I can't eat it. Cheers! Tip - grits cooked in milk are a little bit fancy. You can cook them in plain water, or you can add powdered milk to the water and grits if you have some dry milk hanging around that you have no particular use for. Keep doing a great job!
Hello from Georiga, Have grits in my fridge, 2 scrambled eggs mixed in with a dash of salt & cracked pepper period.
BTW 5 min grits take 20min.
This was so fun! :) You always make me laugh - and boy, do I need that! Thanks so much . ☀️💙🌷🌱
Love shimp and grits. I live in the deep south and it is on most menus at better restaurants. I would encourage you to try it at a restaurant sometime. Thanks for the video.
That was a very entertaining episode, Lawrence. Somehow you managed to remain calm, even through your panic moments.
Absolutely delightful. More cooking segments please.
Cheese grits and fried panfish. I caught some crappie the other morning through a foot of ice, cheese grits and a nice garden salad YUM!!!! My wife had that Churchill quote on the refrigerator 👍
9:09 Ooooh Laurence, your American Midwestern accent is soooooo good I could have never guessed you were a Brit. 😂
Oooh, Lawrence cooking, not what i was expecting to see, but awesome ❤
Quick grits - meh. "Real" grits take much longer and are worth every minute. I am glad you enjoyed it.
That is the gospel truth.
Born and raised in the Deep South. There’s no difference.
I've never had grits, but I tell you what, I've had instant oatmeal (inferior to whole-oat boiled-for-a-long-time oatmeal, but still good), I've had instant rice (garbage, but got me through college), and instant mashed potatoes (possibly good if you dolled them up enough, but basically garbage.) So I believe every good ol southern boy when he says don't eat instant grits.
there are some things that are okay partially precooked. Cornstarch for example. Works a lot better if you buy it cooked (or 'modified' as it says on the package) and clumps less and still doesn't taste like anything. Buut... You know, I've also bought partially-baked bread and taken it home and toasted it the rest of the way to done, THAT works. But instant cereals just seem to not work. I guess cream of wheat is okay.
The important thing about grits, and what separates them from polenta, is that the corn is nixtamalized to remove the pericarp and make the nutrients accessible to our digestive systems. That's what makes it hominy rather than corn, and it's also the kind of masa used to make tortillas.
This was great!
More cooking videos, please!!!
Gotta Love the Bubble Lights on your Christmas Tree, Nephew.
My one and only experience with grits happened on my first day of Basic Training in South Carolina. Shoved a spoonful in my mouth and gagged. Ignored them ever since. That was in 1987
My grandmother from Mississippi showed me how to cook lots of stuff when I was a kid. Two main points, if something does not taste right you either cooked it too long or there was not a enough fat (could be butter, but likely bacon fat). If all is lost, make it spicey and no one will notice.
Lawrence, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience with you! And I’m gonna be honest I kind of thought I wouldn’t. But this was so much fun! I’m from Texas and I’ve never appreciated grits. My husband tried shrimp and grits in North Carolina and adored it!
Indigenous people here were making grits long before other people showed up. I don't like instant grits because I don't feel like they have time to get really creamy. I often have them for breakfast with salt, pepper, butter, and an over easy egg on top
If I have enough leftover grits I put them in the fridge then pan fry them later. I made beef cheeks in a spicy tomato sauce poured over fried grits just last week. So yummy!
Done right I actually love shrimp and grits.
I'm laughing at the mound of dirty pots and pans behind you as you're eating the finished dish. 😂😂😂
Most versatile food there is. You can pair it with just about anything.
Fun watching you cook. Your shrimp and grits looked delicious.
I know grits basically as a breakfast food. I first had them in basic training. We weren't allowed any type of refined sugars, so the southern kids there told me to get grits and put maple syrup and butter on them. I was HOOKED. I just had some the other day (roughly 30 years after first trying them) and I dressed them up with brown sugar, pecans, butter, and raisins. I was feelin' ✨fancy✨ 😂
Yummmmm
OK, you have me headed to the kitchen.😊
WHAT? Salt, pepper, and butter. That's all. Everybody is going to be exactly right and exactly wrong . 😄😄
I knew the military was debasing and abusive to the trainees, but.... you were only allowed to eat unrefined sugar? what the hell is the molasses going to do to make you a better soldier.
Yuck. In my neck of the South, putting sugar in grits is blasphemy. I will take butter, salt, garlic powder, a little heavy cream, and cheese.
southern here, quick grits are fine. I even nuke them. Add in butter, cheese, and salt and they're a good quick snack.
Was that flour just dumped in without stirring and cooking out the raw flour taste?
So glad you liked the grits. There's nothing better on a cold morning to warm you and fill you. Being a southerner, I don't remember the first time I had them, I just know they mean love and home, especially back long ago when my Mama had to stir them on the stove for awhile. And like some other commentors have told you -- the 5 minute grits and even the instant packets work just great, especially if you use milk to make them creamier.
I think grits is a form of gruel of some sort actually. Anything that looks like gruel is probably interchangeable to a great extent.
No it's not. Read about how pellagra appeared in poor populations of Europe that relied on cornmeal when they skipped the necessary step to nixtamalize their dried corn (creating hominy) before grinding it. Polenta/cornmeal is not hominy grits
As a former New Englander, I applaud the adding of shrimp, bacon, veggies and cheese to the grits. Plain grits are sad in my estimation.
Ooo Lawrence, that looked delicious.😋
Ooo...Laurence, You're a natural in the kitchen! I love your wry sense of humor and funny comments about the tasks you're doing. The shrimp and grits looked very yummy! More chef episodes, please!
Butter and an over easy egg or 2 on top of grits. ❤
Best video. Ever. Hands down. Close the Internet.