Frankly, in general we are always a bit skeptical about store-bought pre-made mixes and coatings. Not because they are always bad, that is far from the case, but because you have to go through so many bad ones before you find those that are truly good at what they do, and give you the taste that you want.
Fortunately, we found that the Kentucky Kernel mixes lived up to our hopes, and gave a fast, quick, easy, and clean way to prep fish and chicken for meals in a Southern style.
- EASY: You just have two bowls, a skillet, olive oil
- FAST AND QUICK: Add a small amount of olive oil in one bowl, 1/3 of the bag of mix in the second, and more olive oil in the skillet. Heat skillet, coat your protein in the first bowl’s olive oil, then dredge in the dry mix of the second bowl, then put in the skillet to cook.
- CLEAN: No batter, no batter drops, no egg shells. Just clean your bowls and you’re done.
Now, here’s come the fun part of the review. We found that when we used the Crunchy Corn Meal Seasoned Coating Mix with Tilapia, the most ‘economical’ fish in most grocery stores, our tasters were blown away with how good it turned out. They made comments like, “this could be from the small restaurant down the street”, or “tastes like it came from an old-time fish shack.”
We found that the Lemon Pepper Seasoned Coating Mix was good, but much better for pork chops than for fish.
So, which is better? The Crunchy Corn Meal Seasoned Coating Mix is lot more versatile. You can use it with chicken, fish, and meat, but we think it shines best with fish.
From a health perspective, we haven’t gone too deep into figuring out if they could use less salt, etc. They say, “All of the new mixes feature genuine herbs, spices and flavors, with no preservatives, artificial colors or flavorings, no MSG, and no added sugar.” We say that although it doesn’t taste salty, you should not add any additional salt to your food after you use these mixes. Then they will taste way too salty.
Kentucky Kernel
Kentucky Kernel, an old-fashioned southern comfort food favorite, is expanding its family of mixes with four spicy and savory new flavor combinations. The four new fully prepared coating mixes are blended in the Southern cooking tradition for making fried chicken, pork, beef, or crispy veggies. They are dade with premium heartland wheat flour and yellow corn meal, each new flavor also includes the signature (and secret!) Kentucky Kernel blend of herbs and spices. www.KentuckyKernel.com.
Crunchy Corn Meal Seasoned Coating Mix
Featuring the signature (and secret) original Kentucky Kernel blend of 10 different fragrant herbs and zesty spices, this delicious Southern favorite features the unique crunch and flavor of yellow corn meal to create a perfectly crispy coating for chicken, catfish, meats and veggies. Fry them up in traditional comfort-food fashion, or bake for a healthier option with all the spicy crunchiness your family will love.
Lemon Pepper Seasoned Coating Mix
Featuring the tangy tartness of lemon and the pop of cracked black peppercorn, the Lemon Pepper mix makes it easy to bring this classic flavor combination to your next family meal. Zest up your next fish dish or other favorite meat with Kentucky Kernel’s own southern spin on this popular, citrusy classic.
