Oatmeal Mush
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pick over the oatmeal.
Put the oatmeal into a double boiler.
Add the salt and boiling water, then stir until mixed.
Cook
Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours without stirring.
Ensure the lower boiler has enough water throughout cooking.
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
- Provides the starch and fibre that thicken the water into a porridge.
- Boiling water
- Hydrates the oats so they soften and swell as they cook.
- Salt
- Seasons the porridge and sharpens its flavour.
The step that matters
Cook without stirring, with enough water in the lower boiler. Stirring breaks up the oats and makes the porridge gluey, while a dry lower boiler lets the gentle steam heat fail. Steady, low, undisturbed heat over the full hour or more gives an even, creamy texture.
“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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