Quaker Instant Grits, 4 Flavor Variety Pack, 0.98oz Packets,44 Count (Pack of 1)

why do stores carry so much more oatmeal than grits? grits are obviously superior
i’ll take corn and salt (grits) over oats and sugar (oatmeal) pretty much any day….but maybe that makes me the weird one? I stand by it, though. I never wake up and want oatmeal. and I grew up eating sugar cereal every morning, so it’s not like i’m unfamiliar with eating oats and sugar. in my life, i’ve definitely consumed FAR more oatmeal than grits, but that’s merely because I didn’t experience grits until recently, at which point I dropped oatmeal almost entirely and never looked back.
butter grits are still my favorite.
original was strictly fine. i’ll happily eat it each morning, but i’d be generously happier if they were butter grits.
three cheese was intriguging, and I found myself looking forward to each bite. and a little sad when it was gone. and that was while eating 2 packs at a time.
cheddar was a little heavyhanded, and I didn’t find myself as eager to finish the 2nd pack. i’m glad there were only 8 cheddar in this multipack. I could have lived with 4, and taken more butter grits and ideally some other flavor/experience of grits that would better round out the bunch.
i’m still holding out hope for a new genre of grits. Growing up, I had always assumed grits were just “old people food” precisely because it felt like the land of grits was devoid of energy, innovation, and any modicum of curiosity. they were strictly functional, perfunctory, bland. seemingly never marketed to children, and devoid of a child’s mind approach to design, marketing, and product decisions. at least as far as Quaker was concerned during the entirety of my childhood. and frankly my adulthood, too.
I’ve seen maybe 2-3 other brands offer up their take on grits, but i’ve never been impressed. and none of them have been instant. i’ve actually in 30 years never seen another instance of instant grits. that’s weirdly shocking. zero. I even remember googling around for it sometime last year, and I recall feeling shocked then, too, to not even actually encounter any instant grits products online, like, Quaker was the only one. Every other brand that claimed “instant” were actually just ‘quick’ or ‘5 minute’.
Admittedly, those other brands had precious few ingredients (frequently just grits and salt), and I felt like it was consequently much easier to trust them, while Quaker had to add quite a few additional ingredients to the mix in order to achieve the shockingly quick-to-eat experience it currently has. I pour boiling water, stir for 10-30 seconds, and am already able to begin eating, and they’re great. No waiting 5 minutes. Who has 5 minutes?! For breakfast? I used to be lucky if I had time to grab a granola bar from the cabinet. 5 minutes was a luxury. Quaker’s box says “ready in 2 min” and but I like expediting that by simply blowing on it so I don’t burn myself.
Anyway, I feel like there’s an untapped market for some incredible grits, and all that’s needed is a meaningfully “instant” grits competitor with a compelling flavor lineup, ideally with vegan options and higher-texture options so people can vote with their money which textures are truly best. it just doesn’t feel right to have only 1 monopoly in this market.
I love these grits, I really do, but quaker hasn’t been pushing the bar in my entire lifetime and I just really think grits are better than oatmeal. and I know that quaker also makes oatmeal, and probably sells way more oatmeal, and I literally went to the store and saw that some of my favorite childhood movie characters were getting their own genres of oatmeal and I felt momentarily sad that grits had no cultural icons pairing up with them for creative new products.
poor grits.
meanwhile, I walk into a whole foods and/or a bougie greenwich village apartment and it’s “overnight oats” as far as the eye can see. oatmeal is now cranked full of sugar (an addictive substance) and marketed to both kids and voraciously nostalgic millennials. overnight oats, meanwhile, seem to be marketed to time-strapped white collar workers and urban hipsters, but they’re beginning to jump the shark and cost $3-5+. for a single packet of it. mind you, grits over here are coming in at $0.22/packet.
anyway, grits are great, I like having them around. they feel like a staple. they’re a stand in for a piece of toast, or a piece of physical cake, or a half bagel, or a small soup, or pretty much anything, at any meal of the day. few foods have that kind of capability and versatility. and i’ve never really tired of them. maybe that’s why quaker can get away with not changing much up in the land of grits. they’re just…reliable? they don’t need that much changing?
maybe I just don’t feel like i’m really being communicated with very much as a consumer. the packaging hasn’t meaningfully changed in my entire lifetime. I don’t follow their social media accounts, so I don’t really hear from them. maybe it’s good that a random brand isn’t actively trying to get my attention all the time. enough brands try every minute of every day across every screen and every surface….
I guess I hoped this review could count as an implicit message to quaker, but who knows if it’s even quaker or just some ‘authorized reseller’ ¯_(ツ)_/¯ .
But also, this review is a message to my younger self. Grits are great! Try them, try them! Green Eggs and Ham — and Grits. That’s so obviously a meal you’d add grits to. ham both lack fiber. Grits add fiber!
Eggs and ham are both salty, and grits can be salty, so I wouldn’t want to overdo it. these instant grits are 310-470mg of sodium per tiny packet, and i’m admittedly doubling up with 2 packets most times. so I’d want some juice, fruit, or other hydration to accompany the meal. ultimately I’d go with the original grits, which are (relatively) less salty! Original grits to the rescue!
I used to live down the street from a cafe that offered a $5 cup of grits filled to the brim with bacon/sausage, cheese, and eggs. it felt like a reckless indulgence but also a neighborhood secret. since when can you get a full breakfast in a cup in brooklyn for $5?! a cup of coffee in brooklyn can start at $5-7, before you even add…..oat…milk. I was sad, and a little surprised, that that cafe didn’t have a vegan option.
. . .
tl;dr: I want to see a take on vegan* gf lower sodium instant grits with options for more textural variety.
*i’m not even vegan; I just like to know that brands are trying to reduce their (and their consumers’) net impacts upon the environment and support the well-being of all beings, globally.
PS — I also kinda want to know what other people add to their grits. I don’t add anything to mine. but I bet there are fun things out there. I get sent recipes on tiktok all the time, but like, are grits cool enough to be on tiktok? if I search instant grits on tiktok will the algorithms judge me?

Easy
These easy to use packs really help with my on the go lifestyle. Simple and cost effective, this is the best way to go for my budget.

So very good!
This is a delicious product and so easy to use! I love these tasty grits and I got some bang for my buck! Delicious and easy!!

It is great food
It is a healthy hardy breakfast and can add and egg and bacon bits to increase protein. It is so delicious and you need to cook a little longer is these are added to original mix.

Très salé