What's Wrong With My Southern Cornbread? How to Make Great Cornbread

Southern cornbread is a great favorite in the South of the United States. It is also popular around the world. I have had request for my recipe from Germany, India and the Philippine Islands. I suspect that many of these request are from Americans living in these countries. But probably, not all.

You can go on the Internet and find dozens of recipes for Southern Cornbread. Unfortunately, most are not authentic Southern recipes. It saddens me that many people use these recipes thinking they are cooking the real deal when, in fact, they are not. So, let us first determine what is real Southern Cornbread.

The real deal:
1. DOES NOT CONTAIN SUGAR. It is not sweet, it is bread...not cake.
2. Is crunchy and crumbly. It does not have a cake texture.
3. Is white not yellow. (Uses white corn meal)

So, what's wrong with your Southern Cornbread? You are probably making one or more of these mistakes. Here are some tips for making this old, classic favorite.

Sweet Cornbread

Many people prefer sweet cornbread. That's fine, put sugar in it if you like it that way. Just don't call it Southern.

White vs. Yellow

Most recipes you find on the Web call for yellow corn meal. I don't know why. Every good Southern cook I know uses white corn meal. And I really don't know the difference in the corn meals other than one is made from yellow corn and the other from white I suppose. But, the white corn meal seems to give the bread a better texture. And, yellow looks yukky to me. It looks too much like cake instead of bread.

Milk

Always use buttermilk in your cornbread. It gives the bread a better, distinctive flavor. If you do not keep buttermilk on hand (I don't), you can make a reasonable substitute by mixing 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup of regular milk. Allow to sit one minute before use and stir well just prior to use.

Baking Technique

Always pre-heat your oven. Never put your cornbread in a cold oven. (flat, heavy bread). Pre-heat your oven to 400-425 degrees well before you start baking. When the top of the bread is golden brown, remove and flip the bread over to the other side and continue to cook another 10 minutes.

Skillet

Always use a cast iron skillet for Southern cornbread. It gives the best results and...it's the traditional way. Prior to pouring the batter in the skillet, put cooking oil (bacon grease is best) in the skillet and heat on top of the stove until the oil and skillet are very hot. Pour all but a couple of spoons of the oil in your batter, then sprinkle the skillet with dry cornmeal. This will keep the bread from sticking to the skillet.

There are more tips and techniques, but if you use these to start, you will be pleased with your real, authentic, Southern Cornbread.

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What Causes Eczema and Methods to Prevent the Itching

Red, irritated and itchy blotches on the skin could be eczema. It is a skin condition that affects men, women and children. The symptoms include cracking skin, blisters and itching to name a few. Extreme cases can be embarrassing and painful for many. Though there are no cures to completely rid the body of eczema, there are treatments and tips to avoid occurrences. Some are as simple as changing the fabric clothes are made from or using herbal remedies for ease of symptoms.

The cause could be due to a number of reasons such as genetics or environmental. When it is genetic it is most likely another family member also was diagnoses with the condition. If the environment is causing the irritation avoided harsh soaps in bathing and for laundry, certain chemicals found in household products, clothing material and the weather could all play a part in the initial or proceeding symptoms.

There are no permanent cures for eczema there is, however, things that can be done to avoid it. The first place to start would be with a change in lifestyle. Various changes may be beneficial with not all being what works for you so there may be a few steps to go through before finding the exact cause. When someone becomes embarrassed about others seeing the infected area they will often times try to hide the spots with clothing, this will only increase the itching and more lesions.

Sweating due to the body becoming overheated could introduce the itching which will result in lesions appearing and scratching will cause them to spread in patches. Keep the air in your home fairly cool especially during the summer months also a dehumidifier helps many while sleeping. To avoid becoming overheated during exercise, try to do workouts in the morning before the heat gets to high outside.

Your clothing should fit loose and be made with a cotton material for the most comfort. Tight fitting clothes or those made from wool or other rough materials could cause the skin to itch. When doing laundry it often helps to run the load through a second rinse cycle to make sure there is no laundry detergent remaining in the clothes.

Scratching will only increase the lesions and lead to more itching so attempt to keep fingernails cut short, it helps to avoid scratching. Also some find relief by wearing a light weight pair of cotton gloves to sleep at night as to avoid scratching while asleep. When the itch becomes frustrating a cold compress applied to the area may be beneficial in preventing it.

When an individual is stressed there are excessive hormones released that could irate the skin. Try to remain healthy and stress free if possible. Many health food stores sell herbs that will help combat stress in a natural way.

Those dealing with eczema often times find it difficult to get under control. If you have attempted to change daily items used to those of a more natural made substance and continue to have discomfort, as well as for severe cases or if changing products does not prove to be beneficial, visiting a dermatologist will help. They can provide informational regarding preventative measures and effective treatments.

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How to Choose a Soup Pot For the Best Soup Recipes

It is important to buy a good quality soup pot if you want to make the best soup recipes. Soup pots are versatile and you can also use them for braising meat, making broth and cooking pasta. Whether you want to make a pumpkin soup recipe or a braised meat stew, using a good pot is essential to your success.

The shape and size of a soup pot are important factors. Soup pots range from four to twenty quarts in capacity, and then you have commercial ones, which can be enormous. A soup pot tends to be smaller than a stock pot because you usually make less soup at once than with stock, but buying one pot, which is good for making soup or stock, is a good investment, because you will not have to buy two pots.

Tips for Choosing Soup Pots

Choose something between six and twelve quarts because this makes the pot versatile enough for many uses. Soup pots normally have deep straight sides, a round base, and a lid. You can use something smaller and wider, such as a big saucepan, for making soup.

A thick, heavy base is very important because a thin bottom might result in burnt soup. Soup can take a long time to cook so the pot will be on the stove for perhaps hours at a time. Copper, cast iron, steel, and aluminum are soup pot material choices and there are pros and cons to each one.

It is important to choose a soup making pot with a strong, securely attached handle. Rivets or heavy screws should be used to attach the handle to the pot. The handles should also be comfortable and big enough to get your fingers through.

Recipe for Split Pea and Ham Soup

This is a great recipe to make in a big pot. The combination of ham, split peas, spinach, vegetables, and herbs is magic and this is a hearty, rich, and flavorful soup, which is perfect for lunch or dinner. This recipe serves ten people.

What you will need:

1 lb rinsed, dried green split peas
5 cups water
2 diced celery ribs
2 fresh or smoked ham hocks
1 cup slivered spinach leaves
1 minced clove garlic
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 finely chopped sprigs fresh parsley
2 finely chopped carrots
1 finely chopped onion
5 cups chicken broth
1 sliced leek (white part only)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and black pepper, to taste

How to make it:

Stir together the chicken broth and water in a big soup pot, then bring the mixture to a boil. Add the split peas, ham hocks, celery, thyme and half the parsley. Turn down the heat and simmer the soup for forty five minutes with the lid partially covering the pot.

Stir it every ten minutes. Melt the butter in a skillet over a moderate to high heat, and then saute the leek, garlic, onion, and carrots until soft. Transfer the vegetables into the soup pot. Add the spinach and simmer the soup, partially covered again, for half an hour.

Turn the heat off and take out the ham hocks. Take the meat off the bones and discard the bones as well as any fatty bits. Return the chopped meat to the pot. Adjust the seasoning, add the rest of the parsley, and serve hot.

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Preventing and Eliminating Mold With Dehumidifiers

Every person does not want to mold from forming in the different areas of their homes. These molds are not just undesirable to look at; they also damage the different places where they are present. Well, removing these undesirable fungi would not be easy. However, if you know what to do and what to use, you can get the job done without spending so much effort and money in removing these molds as well as preventing them from growing. So what is the best solution for it? In this article, we are going to discuss about how to use a dehumidifier in preventing and removing molds from growing.

First to consider in using a dehumidifier is to know how big the problem is. If you think the molds forming on a particular place are just minimal, you might just need a small dehumidifier. A small one saves you money as well as time and energy, for it can be easily transferred from room to room when you are cleaning your house. However, if your problem with molds is quite big, then you need a bigger one to get rid of them.

After determining how big the problem of the mold is, you can now start using the humidifier that you choose. Mold cannot grow in low humidity. Set your dehumidifier in a way that the room would get 50 percent humidity and below. With this, you will not worry about the problem of mold anymore.

What brand of dehumidifier should you choose? Before choosing the brand that you will be using, have a little research first on what is the best brand. You can read some of the reviews and ratings of experts about dehumidifiers in the internet. With this, you will know which ones would be suitable for you. The most trusted brands that you might want to consider are Whirlpool, LG, Danby, and Royal Sovereign. When you are buying a dehumidifier, remember to consider the compatibility of the area with it. What I mean is, buy the ones with the correct capacity. If you have a small area, a small one will do. If it is otherwise, the big ones would be best.

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