Oatmeal Mush
Ingredients
Directions
Make the porridge
Combine oatmeal and cold water in a pot.
Add salt and cook slowly for 1 to 2 hours, adding hot water as needed.
Finish
Just before serving, stir in butter.
Alternative methods
Alternatively, soak oatmeal overnight, add boiling water, and cook in the morning.
For best results, use a double boiler.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Oatmeal
- Its starch thickens the water as it cooks, forming the porridge's body.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a smoother, silkier mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Cook slowly, adding hot water as needed. Low, gentle heat lets the oat starch swell evenly and thicken without scorching on the bottom of the pot. Adding hot rather than cold water keeps the cooking temperature steady, so the porridge does not stall or turn lumpy.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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