We’re still eating our way through the Anson Mills grits. Iris and I tried the quick grits the other day. In Anson Mills country, “quick” means half an hour of cooking instead of 90 minutes (but see below). They’re good, but they’re not really that different from Albers quick grits, which cook in ten minutes and cost much less. So if you’re ordering from Anson, which I recommend (especially since they just redid their [web site](http://www.ansonmills.com/), stick to the antebellum grits.

Sticking to the old-school grits doesn’t mean you have to stand watch by the pot, like they did before the Civil War. If you soak them overnight (just combine the grits and water in the saucepan and put the lid on), they cook in 30-40 minutes. I’ve gotten better at removing the chaffy bits, too. But the best thing to do with your cooked grits is to put them in the fridge so you can slice them and make gritcakes.

If you’ve had fried or grilled polenta, you know what I’m talking about. These are even better. Just slice the cooked grits about 1/2-inch thick, dredge them in a little flour, and fry them up. As for my preferred cooking oil, it rhymes with “chard.” The cakes cook about four minutes per side on medium-high. Iris dipped hers in syrup. But it’s hard to improve on plain.

There sure are a lot of good fried leftovers. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a risotto cake.