Creamy Polenta

Creamy polenta transforms humble cornmeal into luxuriously smooth comfort food. The key is slow, steady stirring and patience—rushing leads to lumps. Use a 4:1 liquid-to-polenta ratio, whisking constantly as you add cornmeal to simmering salted water or stock.

Common problems include lumps and sticking. If you find lumps, whisk vigorously or blend with an immersion blender. If your polenta sticks, reduce heat and add more liquid gradually. Too thick? Thin with warm stock or cream. Too thin? Cook longer, stirring frequently.

Fine cornmeal creates smoother texture than coarse. For extra richness, finish with butter, cream, or cheese. If making ahead, cool completely and reheat gently with additional liquid—polenta firms as it cools but reheats beautifully when loosened properly.

In Season 15 of MasterChef, we saw Zach and Michelle begin cooking their creamy polenta with only 10 minutes left but these are typical cooking times:

Polenta cooking time depends on the type you use:

• Instant/quick-cooking polenta: 5-10 minutes

• Regular polenta: 25-35 minutes of active stirring

• Traditional coarse polenta: 45-60 minutes, sometimes longer