I Asked 3 Food Editors To Name the Best Cornbread Mix, They All Said the Same Brand

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Nostalgia played a significant role.

For many Southern cooks, there's a strongly held opinion, often passed down through generations.

Everyone is welcome to join me for a meal.

I was curious, though, which brand people with expertise in food preferred, so I asked three food editors for their all-time go-to cornbread mix, and the results confirmed my suspicion.

The Cornbread Connoisseurs' Panel

• I couldn't find any text to paraphrase. It seems there was no text provided.
• Editor of Food and Drink Content, Specializing in Wine, Spirits, and Cuisine
• Food Editor of Style Weekly and Executive Producer and Host of the docuseries,

* A simple mix that produces the perfect cornbread, requiring only the addition of buttermilk and butter, and baking in just 20 minutes.

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Feeling nostalgic was a common thread in the responses. Reminding someone of a certain classic box mix brought up warm, fuzzy feelings of baking with their mom, according to Food & Wine Assistant Editor Lucy Simon. “I grew up making Jiffy cornbread with my mom every summer, and it is still my go-to. I love how it’s slightly sweet, and the bread is fluffy and delicious.”

Mabel Holmes, the founder of Jiffy, is credited with introducing the first pre-made biscuit mix in the 1930s to assist families facing financial difficulties during the Great Depression. In 1950, Jiffy launched the product it's most famous for: its cornbread muffin mix.

The instructions require combining one egg and one-third cup of milk with the 8.5-ounce mix, then pouring the mixture into muffin tins for baking. The original mix sparked a wave of imitators, but no one else has yet created a match for it.

From cornbread to muffins, biscuits to pound cake, Jiffy has a mix for every occasion. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a beginner, these convenient products will help you whip up a delicious meal or snack in no time."

The editors I spoke with weren't opposed to a touch of sugar in their cornbread. Sweetness was a desirable trait among this group of experts. Deb mentioned that Jiffy cornbread mix was one of the only store-bought products her grandmother trusted. "However, using the instructions on the box as written was a major no-go," says Deb. "Instead, she used extra milk, eggs, and butter to make a more cake-like cornbread, which was delicious!"

This person shared a similar story saying, "Even though I was raised in a Southern family that mostly made unsweetened cornbread, one of my grandmothers would occasionally use Jiffy when in a hurry. The flavor is so nostalgic for me that whenever I buy a box of cornbread mix, it's always Jiffy without hesitation."

The sweet nostalgia has a powerful influence, inspiring new generations of cornbread bakers to eagerly adopt the blue box.