Oatmeal Gruel
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal in a bowl and stir well.
Strain through a wire sieve.
Cook
Boil the strained liquid until it thickens and looks clear.
If too thick, add boiling water to reach the desired consistency.
Add the salt and sweet cream, if using.
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
- Oatmeal
- Its starch thickens the liquid as it cooks, giving the porridge its body.
- Boiling water
- Hydrates the oatmeal and carries its starch into the liquid, where boiling thickens it.
- Sweet cream
- Adds fat and richness, softening the flavour and mouthfeel of the porridge.
The step that matters
Boil the strained liquid until it thickens. Oat starch only thickens fully when it is brought to a boil and cooked, which swells and sets the starch granules. Stopping too early leaves the porridge thin, while adding cream before thickening can dilute the starch network.
“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.
More oatmeal porridge recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.