Water Gruel
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the oatmeal
Gradually add the oatmeal to the water.
Boil until smooth.
Strain after 15 minutes.
Serve
Add salt and butter when serving, stirring until incorporated.
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 hot water as it cooks, giving the porridge body.
- Water
- Hydrates the oat starch so it swells and softens during boiling.
- Butter
- Adds fat that gives the finished porridge richness and a smoother mouthfeel.
The step that matters
Gradually add the oatmeal to the water. Oat starch granules swell on contact with hot liquid and clump if dumped in at once. Adding it slowly and stirring keeps the mixture smooth and lump-free.
“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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