Forget instant or even quick for that matter. The key to grits is long cook time.
I start with four cups of water toss in a stick of butter and a heaping tspn of salt. Once boiling pour in a cup of grits. Stir it up good while pouring to prevent lumps. Back to a boil then down to a simmer.
That goes on first on a back eye to simmer while I fix the rest of breakfast. Check and stir every so often adding water as needed. The idea is to let it soak up as much as possible. You want it thick but not soupy.
That'll serve four or five younguns.
It can sit on that back eye as long as you need it to as long as you add water when needed.
It'll probably need more salt and butter but I leave that for the person eating to add. I like mine with more salt and a heaping spoonful of butter.
We get the regular quaker brand white grits, it doesn't take THAT long to cook them up. Wife likes them with butter, I like them with cream and maple syrup....
North of Mason Dixon line......choices are limited. Some form of Quaker may be it. South of Mason Dixon line.......options open up. Some grocery stores may have 3 to 5 choices of traditional grits that take 20 minutes or so to cook. Jim Dandy is one. From memory, can't remember the others. All about the same.
But for the hard core grit eaters, there is another option.......the stone ground coarse grits. Here is one........but there are others like it. These will take you at least an hour.
Yes......polenta is just grits by another name. Upscale Italian food.........a way to get city folks to eat em. When cooled and chilled into a loaf.........then fried.........also known as fried mush. Breakfast specialty treat.
I love me some poverty food. It's all about the love you put into the pot not the fancy ingredients.
Give me beans and rice, collards, low cuts of pork, a little smoked meat, an old laying hen and I can make up some good and filling to feed the family.