Oatmeal Mush
Ingredients
Directions
Wet the oatmeal in cold water to prevent lumps.
Stir the wet oatmeal into the boiling water.
Boil for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add salt to taste and boil for another 30 minutes.
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
- Forms the body of the porridge as its starch swells and thickens in the boiling water.
- Boiling water
- Hydrates the oats and provides the liquid that cooks them into a soft, thick porridge.
The step that matters
Wet the oatmeal in cold water before adding it. Dry oats clump when they hit hot liquid because their outer starch gelatinises quickly and seals the inside. Wetting them first lets water reach the centre evenly, so the porridge cooks smooth instead of 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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