Lots of chefs, including Food Network's Sunny Anderson, swear by the same brand of cornbread mix when they want to serve a slightly-sweet-but-still-savory side. (Getty)(TheCrimsonMonkey via Getty Images)
As talk of Thanksgiving starts to crop up, we can't help but feel like it's not just pumpkin spice season but also cornbread season. To make this classic side dish, you need cornmeal — but who really has that on hand?
I write about food and cooking for a living and I certainly don't, probably because it's one of those ingredients I only use a couple of times a year. For this reason, and because I have about a thousand other items on my to-do list, boxed cornbread mix is super appealing to me ... and lots of professional chefs, too. The pros love a good hack!
And it turns out there's one cornbread mix they mentioned more than any other. Read on for their pick —it's a perfect, easy Thanksgiving side — plus the only pan you need for baking it.
Ina Garten herself is a fan of this durable pan, which is made of sturdy cast iron that'll last for decades. It has excellent heat retention for achieving the perfect sear, and since it comes pre-seasoned, you can use it right out of the box. It's compatible with all stovetops, it can be used for campfire cooking and, at just $20, it's an affordable kitchen workhorse you'll reach for again and again.
Check out our full Lodge Cast Iron Skillet review for more.
We suspected a few chefs would champion Jiffy, a version of which has been around since the 1930s, but we were unprepared for their unbridled enthusiasm. Quite a few confessed that Jiffy is their go-to when it comes to cornbread (or corn muffins, as the box says).
Oscar Diaz, chef at Little Bull in Durham, NC, explains why, "I always have a box of Jiffy on hand because when I cook at home, I keep things simple. I try not to 'chef it up' too much at home; the most I will do is tweak things here and there."
Food Network personality Sunny Anderson even calls it magic! "I love Jiffy mostly because I grew up on it, there's plenty of nostalgia there [...]. The best thing about Jiffy is that it's a very forgiving mix. You can add a multitude of ingredients like sausage, cheese, herbs, fruit, even adding or substituting sour cream or Greek yogurt for the eggs, and somehow how it still comes out great. Kitchen magic in a box."
Jocelyn Delk Adams of Grandbaby Cakes also prefers Jiffy. "It's the perfect texture of a cornbread: light, fluffy and moist. Even though there’s a continued debate amongst Southerners if [cornbread] should be sweet or savory, just about anyone who tries Jiffy loves it."
