Okay, so I’ve been trying to make some cornbread lately, and I kept seeing recipes calling for “degermed yellow corn meal.” I was like, “What the heck is that?” I’d always just used whatever cornmeal I grabbed off the shelf. Turns out, there’s a difference!
My Cornbread Journey
First, I went to the store. I looked at all the cornmeal options. Some said “stone-ground,” some just said “yellow cornmeal,” and then there were a few that specifically said “degermed.” I grabbed one of those.
When I got home, I poured some of the degermed cornmeal into a bowl. I also had some regular cornmeal left from before, so I poured that into a separate bowl for comparison. I wanted to see the difference with my own eyes.
Honestly, looking at them side by side, it was hard to tell. The degermed stuff might have been a little finer, but it wasn’t a huge, obvious difference. So, I did a little digging online.
- It said the germ the oily part can get rancid.
- Degermed is shelf stable way longer!
Next, I made two small batches of cornbread – one with the degermed cornmeal and one with the regular stuff. I used the same recipe for both, just swapped out the cornmeal.
I baked them in the same oven, at the same temperature, for the same amount of time. I wanted to keep everything as consistent as possible so I could really see if the cornmeal made a difference.
When they came out of the oven, they both looked pretty similar. Golden brown, slightly crumbly… you know, cornbread!
Then came the taste test. I cut a piece of each and took a bite. The one made with degermed cornmeal was, surprisingly, a bit lighter in texture. The other one was a little denser, maybe a touch more… corny? I don’t know, it’s hard to describe! I think the regular germ gives the cornmeal more flavor.
I tried storing both cornbreads the same, wrapping them up with a paper towel and plastic wrap. I wanted to see the shelf life.
After a few days the regular cornmeal was already stale. The degermed batch was still moist!
So, that’s my degermed yellow cornmeal experiment! It was fun to see the difference, even if it was subtle. I’m no expert, but I think I’ll be paying more attention to the type of cornmeal I buy from now on!
