CHAPTER VI
CEREALS
Suggestions for Cooking Cereals
Mix the cereal very gradually with the amount of boiling salted water, and cook in double boiler until done. To hasten the cooking, cook in single boiler or saucepan for the first part of the time, stirring constantly to keep grain from sticking.
As a rule, cook steam-cooked cereals twice the time given on the package.
Coarse cereals, like rice and hominy, should be cooked in a large quantity of water, and stirred as little as possible.
Fine cereals, like wheatena, wheat germ, and others, are more easily kept from lumping by first mixing them with a small amount of cold water, and then adding to the boiling water.
Rolled Oats
- 1 cup rolled oats
1-¾ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients, and cook in double boiler thirty minutes to one hour.
Old-fashioned Oatmeal
- 1 cup oatmeal
4 cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons salt
Mix ingredients, and cook in double boiler six to eight hours.
Boiled Hominy No. 1
- 1 cup hominy (fine)
4 cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons salt
Cook all ingredients, stirring occasionally, for one hour.
Boiled Hominy No. 2
- 1 cup coarse hominy
8 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons salt
Mix ingredients and cook six to eight hours, or, instead of boiling, cook in double boiler all day.
Cracked Wheat
- 1 cup wheat
5 cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons salt
Mix ingredients and cook in double boiler from three to five hours.
Prepared Cereals
The receipts given on the packages for all prepared cereals may be followed, doubling the amount of time given.
Boiled Rice No. 2
- 1 cup rice
2½ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
Salt water, add rice a few grains at a time, so as not to stop the boiling, boil rapidly one half hour. When grains are tender, drain in colander, and pour boiling water over rice to wash starch from grains. Serve immediately.
Steamed Rice
- 1 cup rice
2½ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
Place rice in earthen dish, add salt and boiling water, and steam two to three hours. Cooked in this way, every grain should be separate.
Corn Meal Mush
- 1 cup corn meal
4 cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons salt
Salt water, add corn meal, a little at a time, until all is used, boil five minutes, and cook in double boiler three hours.
Sautéd or Fried Corn Meal Mush
- 1 cup corn meal
½ cup white flour
4 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons salt
Cook in the same way as Corn Meal Mush, pour while hot into greased bread pan or baking powder box. When cold, slice and sauté in pork fat, first on one side and then on the other; or fry in deep fat.