Cornmeal is ground sweet corn that is available in varying textures and colors depending on the type of corn used.

In general, choose fine flour-like cornmeal when baking cakes and pastries; fine or medium grinds for crumbly cornbreads; and coarse grinds to make polenta (yellow cornmeal) or grits (white cornmeal).

Steel-ground cornmeal is the most widely available in the United States. It is processed to remove the husk and germ of the maize kernel and has less nutritional value than stone- or water-ground cornmeal, which retains some of the husk and germ. Note that stone-ground cornmeal has natural oils that can go rancid and should be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 months; steel-ground cornmeal has a long shelflife if kept in an airtight container in a dark place.