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. Add this to my Recipe Box.
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.
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