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Water Gruel

A simple oatmeal gruel made by cooking oatmeal in water, seasoned with salt and butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Water Gruel

Water Gruel

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Gradually add the oatmeal to the water, stirring until smooth.

  2. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring well to prevent it from boiling over.

  3. After 15 minutes, strain the mixture.

  4. Serve with salt and a bit of butter, stirring until the butter is incorporated.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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
Thickens the water into a porridge as its starch swells when cooked.
Butter
Adds richness and fat, giving the finished oatmeal a smoother mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Adding the oatmeal to the water gradually. Adding oatmeal slowly while stirring separates the particles so they hydrate evenly. Dumping it in at once forms lumps that stay dry inside, leaving the porridge uneven and 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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