Cornmeal & Popcorn

Types of Cornmeal:
Steel ground: The most common type of cornmeal, it has the husk and germ almost all removed.  Because of this, steel ground cornmeal has less flavor and nutrients but does have a very long shelf life. This is the type you will typically find at the grocery store.
Stone ground: This type of cornmeal retains more of the husk and germ but because of this it is more perishable than steel ground. Cornmeal can be found in white, yellow, red, and blue. Yellow and white are most common.

Types of Corn:
The basic types of dried corn used for food storage are: flint, dent, and popcorn. All can be used fairly interchangeably but flint is a little better for cornmeal, dent is better for corn masa, and popcorn is the most versatile since it can be popped for a snack OR ground into meal or flour. Corn can be found in white, yellow, red, and blue. Yellow corn is often recommended over white, since white corn doesn’t contain carotene (which converts into vitamin A). Yellow dent corn is very common at food storage stores, but popcorn can easily be found at grocery stores.

Corn/Cornmeal Shelf Life:
Cornmeal: Between 6 and 18 months. Store in a cool dry place to help prolong this.
Corn: 8 years or more if stored in a sealed airtight container with an oxygen absorber.

Corn/Cornmeal Uses:
Dried corn can be used as a vegetable in stews, popped into popcorn, or ground into flour or cornmeal. Corn flour is most commonly used to make corn masa which is a dough used to make tortillas. Cornmeal (fresh ground or store bought) can be used to make delicious cornbread or corn cakes. It can also be made into hominy or grits.


I love these recipes that use cornmeal:
Tamale Pie in a Skillet
Yummy Sweet Cornbread

*From FoodStorageMadeEasy