How To Cook Cereals

Cereals should be thoroughly cooked. It is best to use a double boiler, as cereals being starchy will easily stick on. Put the cereal in the double boiler, with a little salt, a half teaspoonful to a cup of the dry cereal, cover with boiling water and cook fast on the top of the stove for five minutes, stirring a little to prevent sticking; then place in the boiler and cook for a half hour, anyway. Some cereals require longer cooking. Now many of them go through a steaming process before being put on the market, so that the five minutes of hard boiling and the half hour cooking in the double boiler is all that is required. The cooking of rice and all kinds of cereals are given in the book.

How To Cook Corn Starch Or Tapioca

Heat the milk in double boiler; when scalded add the corn starch that has been mixed smooth the thickness of cream with a little cold milk and a little salt. Stir into the hot milk and cook for twenty minutes before sugar or eggs are added. Various ways for cooking corn starch and tapioca are given in the book.

Wash the tapioca and add to the hot milk, stirring frequently.

Corn Starch Gruel

Scald two cups of milk in a double boiler; mix a tablespoonful of corn starch with a little cold milk and an eighth of a teaspoonful of salt; stir into the hot milk and cook for twenty minutes; stirring frequently. If too thick, add a little hot milk. Flavor with a little sugar and nutmeg, or lemon or orange juice.

Make Arrowroot Gruel the same as corn starch.

Milk Porridge

1 cup of milk.

1 tablespoonful of flour.

1 dozen raisins, quartered. 1/8 teaspoonful of salt.

Scald the milk in double boiler, rub the flour to thin paste with a little cold milk, add to the hot milk with the salt, stir till smooth; cook twenty minutes. The raisins should be washed in cold water, quartered and boiled for ten minutes, letting the water boil out, then add to the milk after the flour has been put in. Flavor with a little sugar and nutmeg.

Cracker Gruel

Brown fresh crackers in the oven until a light brown is reached. Roll very fine; use two tablespoon-fuls of the powdered cracker, one-half cup boiling water and one-half cup hot milk, speck of salt; stir the cracker crumbs in the milk and water, add salt, let boil for one minute. A little sugar and flavoring may be added.

Corn Meal Gruel

2 tablespoonfuls of corn meal. 1 tablespoonful of flour.

1/2 teaspoonful of salt.

2 cups of hot milk or water.

If milk is used, heat in double boiler to prevent burning. Mix the meal, flour and salt to a smooth paste with a little cold water, pour onto it the milk or boiling water, a little at a time, stirring rapidly. When smooth the liquid can be added more rapidly. Let cook for thirty minutes. It can be thinned with hot milk and flavored with a little sugar, nutmeg or lemon.

Oatmeal Gruel

2 cups boiling water.

2 tablespoonfuls oatmeal.

1/4 teaspoonful salt.

Boil all together for one hour; add more boiling water if necessary, strain. Serve with hot milk or cream.