I’ve tried cooking polenta the traditional way, but always end up with a burned hand from the hot lava glooping away in the pan. Now I whisk the cornmeal into the desired amount of cold water, then cook it on a moderate heat until it thickens to a nice, smooth finish, and the result is pretty much the same. Which method do you think is the best?
Martin, Alberta, Canada
If the method you’re using works for you, both for taste and texture, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Sometimes – actually, all the time – what counts as “right” in the kitchen depends mostly on the person cooking and eating it.
The theory behind the traditional method is that cooking cornmeal (which is what polenta is before it’s turned into polenta) is similar to cooking arborio rice for a risotto. As with risotto, the texture of polenta is the result of all those starch molecules coming together once each individual grain has loosened and swollen – a process of thickening, or starch gelatinisation, that requires the combination of liquid, heat and motion (ie, stirring) to come about.
But, while those three factors are essential, there are, as always, variables. Liquid-wise, some people favour water, others milk, and others still a combination of the two. Stirring-wise, some insist on standing at the stove for ages, stirring constantly, while others stir only from time to time; others prefer to bake it in a covered oven tray. Each approach leads to a slightly different result – richer or blander, smoother or rougher – but all of them are “right”.
Heat-wise, the consensus seems to be that pouring the polenta into hot liquid is by far the most effective way to get the gelatinisation process going, so maybe it’d be worth your while simply to stir it less often or to invest in a spoon with a longer handle. That said, the oven-bake method is a failsafe, lava-free option.
The only non-negotiable, I’d say, particularly if you’re cooking it in water, is never to underestimate polenta’s need for lots of butter, grated parmesan and seasoning. And, of course, to remember that it’s often just a base for a thick, rich sauce to go on top.
