How to Grind Cornmeal
Cornmeal is an important kitchen staple. But packaged cornmeal may have been ground some time ago, and commercial grinders often remove the outer layer (the skin and germ), lessening the nutritional value. If you want the freshest, most nutritious cornmeal, grinding it yourself is the way to go. It's easy and can be very cheap if you grind it manually. Expense varies if you grind it with an electric machine, depending on the equipment you use. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Dent or field corn
- Mortar and pestle
- Manual coffee grinder
- Electric spice grinder, blender or grain grinder
Instructions
-
Manual Grinding
-
1
Select a mortar and pestle. This is the simplest, most basic way to grind corn. You can use a regular kitchen mortar and pestle or a Mexican version made explicitly for this task, called a metate.
-
2
Check over the corn. Stir the corn around in a loose-holed sieve to remove any dirt or small stones.
-
-
3
Pour in the corn, filling the mortar with about a cup of corn at a time. Use dent corn, also called field corn, which is a softer grain appropriate for meal.
-
4
Grind the corn. Using the pestle, press down on the grains, moving them around the inside of the bowl. Do this repeatedly until they are the texture you prefer.
-
5
Try a manual coffee or spice grinder. Follow steps 2 and 3 above, but pour the corn into a clean coffee or spice grinder. Set the grinder to the consistency you want. Turn the crank repeatedly until all of the grain has been ground up.
Electric Grinding
-
6
Choose an electric grinder. These range from simple electric coffee/spice grinders to heavy duty grain grinders, and the prices range accordingly. You can also use a heavy duty blender like a Vitamix, or a juicer with a grain attachment.
-
7
Check over the corn. Stir the corn around in a loose-holed sieve to remove any dirt or small stones.
-
8
Pour in the corn, using about a cup at a time (or more, if your appliance is large). Use dent corn, also called field corn, which is a softer grain appropriate for meal. Grind according to appliance directions.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Dent corn can be difficult to find. If you are in a rural area, check your local Agway or feed store (Find Agways near you at www.agway.com/store_locator.html). Be sure to buy "re-cleaned" grain for human consumption. If you are in an urban area, check your local health food store, which may be able to order it for you. Or, order from an online grains source such as www.homegrownharvest.com.
Do not grind ordinary popcorn. It is too hard for cornmeal and can damage your grinder.
