For when you absolutely, positively can’t whip up a batch of homemade.

Cornbread is a dish that Southerners are willing to fight forandfight over.

So, for those desperate times, we turn to boxed cornbread mixes to get the job done.

All cornbread mixes baked at 375F or 400F.

Most also required an 8- x 8-inch pan; two specifically called for baking in muffin pans.

I did not go beyond the bake timeframe suggested by the package.

I then presented all nine cornbreads to the editors ofSouthern Living.

Each editor scored the cornbread and provided written feedback.

After all testers tried the cornbreads, I tallied scores and reviewed notes.

I used this feedback to rank the cornbread mixes.

Two rose to the top.

How We Judged

This was a “blind” taste test.

I gave the testers a piece of each cornbread, but I did not tell them the brands.

The most expensive option was just shy of $3, and the average price was $1.40.

It’s also what you’d expect of classic cornbread: smooth, soft, and moist.

A hint of saltiness balances out the butter, and the sweetness isn’t as pronounced as some others.

Best review:“I like the lightness of it; it tastes a lot like the butter.”

It’s flavor is classic, without sweetness or too much saltiness, but it’s a white cornbread.

Don’t expect it to turn golden yellow the way other cornbreads might.

For lovers of sweet cornbread, however, it was “absolutely my favorite.”

Best review:“It tastes like my elementary school’s cornbread.”

(We used milk for testing.)

It doesn’t produce a sweet cornbread, though there is just a hint of corn sweetness.

(It doesn’t have lard like the classic mix; it uses vegetable shortening.)

Best review:“This tastes the most like cornbread to me.

The texture isn’t too cakey or moist, and it has a nice crumble.”

(Mixes with additional flavorings like honey, jalapeno, or cheese were excluded.)

What kept it from the first-place position, however, is its texture.

Best review:“It wants to be a cupcake.”

The Winners, yo!

Sugar provides color in baked foods, so food companies will almost always include it.

Trulysugar-less cornbreadsare often not as golden and brown as ones with some sugar.

And it earned the most points of any other mix in this taste testby a lot.

It’s “a nice, sweet muffin, and would be good to crumble over some chili.”

It’s an option on most of them, so just follow those directions.

For smaller mixes (like the Martha White ones), use an 8-inch skillet.

For larger mixes, use a 9- or 10-inch skillet.

And heat the pan before you put the batter in it.