If
the liquid is to be absorbed completely when the grain is cooked, it
should be in the correct proportion to the grain. To be right, cooked
cereals should be of the consistency of mush, but not thin enough to
pour. Much attention should be given to this matter, for mistakes are
difficult to remedy. Cereals that are too thick after they are cooked
cannot be readily thinned without becoming lumpy, and those which are
too thin cannot be brought to the proper consistency unless the excess
of liquid is evaporated by boiling.
_Gruels_ are, of course, much thinner than the usual form of cereal.
They are made by cooking cereals rapidly in a large quantity of water,
and this causes the starch grains to disintegrate, or break into pieces,
and mix with the water. The whole mixture is then poured through a
sieve, which removes the coarse particles and produces a smooth mass
that is thin enough to pour.
The length of time to cook cereals also varies with their kind and form,
the coarse ones requiring more time than the fine ones. Because of this
fact, it is difficult to say just how much time is required to cook the
numerous varieties thoroughly. However, little difficulty will be
experienced if it is remembered that cereals should always be allowed to
cook until they can be readily crushed between the fingers, but not
until they are mushy in consistency.
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