The Ingredient You May Not Know Is In Jiffy's Boxed Corn Muffin Mix

Whipping up a batch of corn muffins to serve with a bowl of hearty chili from scratch is a great way to bulk out a savory meal. That said, these golden little nuggets also make a delightful dessert with a drizzle of honey. Jiffy's pre-measured box of corn muffin mix makes the job easier, but there's one ingredient you may not know is in there if you're a veggie: Lard.

Cornbread muffins use the same batter as a traditional cornbread recipe but are baked in muffin pans to create individually portioned servings. In some cases, they can be slightly sweeter, but usually they're made with identical components, such as cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, milk, and a fat, like melted butter or olive oil. As Jiffy's boxed version already combines the dry ingredients together, all you need to do is add an egg and a splash of milk to make the batter before pouring into muffin cups and baking. However, it also contains lard. The presence of this clarified rendered pig fat makes the boxed mix unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans, and those on a kosher or halal diet. 

If cornbread can be made without lard, why does it make an appearance in Jiffy's corn muffin mix? Because lard lends baked goods an incredibly tender and flaky texture, much like vegetable shortening. However, as it's an animal product, it also lends foods a natural umami flavor and depth, thereby enhancing the savoriness of the corn muffins too.

As lard has a higher smoke point than butter, the edges of the corn muffins aren't at risk of burning before the middle has had a chance to cook through (this results in a final product that has textural complexity and a moreish toasty quality). The crust on a cornbread is a prized feature for some cooks who purposefully like to prepare their cornbread in cast-iron cookware. For instance, John Wayne's favorite way to cook cornbread was in a cast-iron skillet because it created the ultimate crispy exterior and fluffy center. In this recipe for cast-iron cornbread, melted butter is swirled over the base of the pan before the batter is poured in, but you could just as easily use bacon fat to grease the individual rounds of your muffin tin to elevate its savory character further.

Jiffy carries a vegetarian corn muffin mix if you're looking for a boxed version that doesn't contain animal products, but it will have a slightly more subtle vibe than the original version. The lard is subbed for neutral-flavored vegetable shortening, which is made with palm and soybean oil, but the remaining ingredients are identical, including wheat flour, degermed yellow cornmeal, and sugar.