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?
Asked
Active
Viewed 1,286 times
1
-
1How much water or cornmeal did you use? How long did you let it cook? – Mien Jan 23 '12 at 20:11
-
Were you following a recipe that gave directions about how thick it should be before trying to shape/cut/further cook it? – Cascabel Jan 23 '12 at 20:14
-
@Jefromi How can I shape it? – aneuryzm Jan 23 '12 at 20:35
-
Like this: http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2009/07/polenta__1851179761.JPG – aneuryzm Jan 23 '12 at 20:50
1 Answers
1
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.
Cascabel
- 58,065
- 24
- 178
- 319
-
I see... I will give a try daily to get experienced. Another question is: how do I shape it? I mean.. something like this: http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2009/07/polenta__1851179761.JPG – aneuryzm Jan 23 '12 at 20:49
-
@Patrick: That looks like it was shaped just by pouring/scraping into a broad flat pan, chilling, and then cutting into rectangles. – Cascabel Jan 23 '12 at 21:06
-
Mhm, does that mean that after cooking it, I should lie it on a pan and work its shape ? Do I miss the last step ? – aneuryzm Jan 24 '12 at 10:57
-
I meant exactly what I said: while it's mushy, transfer it into a flat pan, chill it (in the refrigerator) to get it firm, then cut it. There's no "working" unless you mean using a spatula to smooth out the top. – Cascabel Jan 24 '12 at 14:22
-
So, i do need to chillmit in a refrigerator to get a smooth shape ? For how long? – aneuryzm Jan 28 '12 at 16:42
-
@Patrick: Comments aren't really meant for extended discussion - if you have a lot more questions, just ask another question about it. Yes, you pretty much have to chill it to get it to set; it's not safe to just leave it at room temperature for hours. And how long? Until it's ready, until it's a bit cool, until it's firm. – Cascabel Jan 30 '12 at 03:03