A manual of home-making

Ckreau5 in jt€*ri<^ral are a cheap soiiree of energy but then* am wide* (HfTerencPi* in tlu* cost of the various oereab thpinselvesL Rolled oats, the whole-whe^t grain, aud LX}rnmefi] are, under ordinary coarlitionSf the cheapest enerKy-yieldin(? foods. The ready4o-eat and the partly cooked cereab are from two to t^i timeH a« expensive aj4 the raw cereals. Attention given to th© proper cooking of the raw cereals and to simple varintionfi in serving them will, therefore, help to keep the food bills low, while at the same time the family is provided with a nutritiotM and appetizing food. Proportion of cererd and water. No nile for the proportion of cereal and water can be given that will apply to all kinds of cereals, or that will give a con- aJBteney which will satisfy every t.a^te. The kind of cereal^ the method of manufacture, and the method of cooking affeei the amount of water that should be us«K Oreal cooked in a fireles-s cookt*r requires le-ss water than that cfxiked in a double boiler lKH:*aus€* there Ls Ie>is evap«3ration. Cereal cooked in a double boiler requires less water than that cookc<l directly over the fire, for the same reason. The table here given suggests proportions of water and cereal that may be used. Modifiea- tinn may be made to suit tlie taste. The proportion of salt should be 3>^ to 1 teaspoOQ for every cup of water. Timt required for cooking cereals, Cercak retpiire long» slow cooking to make them palataf>1 and digestible. Just as the various cereals call for diff< oua V COOKING OF CEREALS m proportions of water, so they require tiifFerent lengths of tinie for cooking. The whole j(raiiis unci the ^roiimi grains contaio- ing large amounts of rellulose, sucli as whole-wheal, oatmeal, or Ralst Oil's brc^akfast fooil, require a longer time for cooking than the grains that naturally or l>ecause of the process of manu- facture contain less cellulose, such as rice or cream of wheat. The time of cooking may Ijc refluccft consideralfly by soaking the cereal for several hours, or even as long as overnight, to soften the cellulose. This soaking may be esf)€'cially desirable in the case of whole cereals. Since the cereal in this way absorbs a considerable amoimt of water, an equal amount should be deducted from that used in t^ooking the cereal. lliens^ils for cooking cereah, A firelcss cooker is particularly well adapted for cooking cerealSi since it gives the desirable long, slow cooking and makes possible a saving in attention and fuel A double boiler is the next most convenient utensil. Cereals may be cooked directly over the fire if the temperature is kept low, but since there is a tendency to shorten the time of cooking because of the attention rectuired to prevent Imniijig, this method is in general not recommended. Even jf stirred, cereal cooked in this way is likely to stick to the kettle and make it difficult to wash. Diredions for cooking cereals in a double boiler.