Oatmeal Gruel
Ingredients
Directions
Bring water to a boil in a pot.
Add avena and salt, then cook over direct heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
Transfer to a double boiler and cook for 1 hour.
If using milk, add salt just before serving.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Avena (oatmeal)
- Its starch swells in the hot water and thickens the mixture into a gruel.
- Milk
- Adds fat and richness, making the gruel creamier and softer on the palate.
The step that matters
Stirring during the first 15 minutes over direct heat. Oats are starchy and settle quickly on direct heat, so they can scorch on the base of the pot. Constant stirring keeps the starch dispersed and heat even while the mixture thickens.
“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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