The purpose of cooking cereals is to gela¬
tinize the starch and soften the cellulose.
This improves flavor and texture and con¬
tributes to the ease and completeness of
digestion. As the starch gelatinizes it absorbs
water and the mixture thickens. Enough
liquid should be added to cereal so that it
will have the consistency of a thick mush
when cooked. The cereal should be com¬
bined with the liquid in such a way as to
avoid lumps, and the cooked cereal should
be served piping hot.
Cereal foods vary in the amount of water
required. The amounts required for pack¬
aged cereals have been carefully determined
and are stated on each package. Follow these
directions carefully.
To prevent lumps, finely ground cereals,
such as farina, granular wheat cereals, or
cereal meals, should be combined in the same
way as starches. That is, add enough cold
liquid to the dry cereal to separate the grains.
The remainder of the total liquid should be
brought to a boil, and the cereal mixed with
cold water poured in with careful stirring.
After it has returned to a boil directly over
the fire, place over hot water to continue
cooking or hold at serving temperature.
Many packaged cereals are now quick-cook¬
ing. Some of these, however, are improved
in flavor by longer cooking.
To reheat cold, cooked cereal such as
farina, granular wheat cereal, oatmeal, or
rolled wheat, use a covered double boiler.
Do not stir until the cereal is well heated.
If it is too thick, add a little hot water.
To heat ready-to-eat cereals or to restore
crispness in damp weather, pour the cereal
into a shallow baking pan. Place in a mod¬
erate oven (350° to 375° F.), leaving the
door slightly ajar. Never put the package in
the oven.
Shredded cereals may be heated either in
the oven or by dipping the biscuits quickly
into salted boiling water. Remove from
water, drain, and serve at once.
RICE
A number of varieties of rice are grown in
the United States. These have been devel¬
oped largely on the basis of yields and re-
sistence to breakage in milling. Increasing
attention is being given to cooking quality
and nutritive value in the selection of new
varieties.
Varieties. Rice varieties are grouped as
long grain, medium grain, and short grain.
The leading American long-grain varieties
are Rexoro, Fortuna, Nira, Bluebonnet,
Prelude, and Texas Patna; in the medium-
grain group, Blue Rose and Venus; and in
the short-grain, Calora, Cody, and Calusa.
These varieties may require slightly different
cooking times, and so should not be mixed in
packaged rices. Blue Rose is the rice sold in
largest quantity and frequently this name
appears on the package. The distributors and
[91]
Long grain Medium grain Short grain
Types of Rice
institutional users, who buy in quantity and
on specification, usually specify variety; but
other than Blue Rose, variety names do not
often appear on consumer packages. Dif¬
ferent sections prefer' types to which they
are accustomed.
Milling. Rice reaches the consumer as
"milled rice.”1 In milling, the hulls, the
germ, and most of the bran layers are re¬
moved. Milled rices are designated as brown
or white, depending upon the extent of
milling.
Page 83
Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The purpose of cooking cereals is to gela¬ tinize the starch and soften the cellulose. This improves flavor and texture and con¬ tributes to the ease and completeness of digestion. As the starch gelatinizes it absorbs water and the mixture thickens. Enough liquid should be added to cereal so that it will have the consistency of a thick mush when cooked. The cereal should be com¬ bined with the liquid in such a way as to avoid lumps, and the cooked cereal should be served piping hot.
Cereal foods vary in the amount of water required. The amounts required for pack¬ aged cereals have been carefully determined and are stated on each package. Follow these directions carefully.
To prevent lumps, finely ground cereals, such as farina, granular wheat cereals, or cereal meals, should be combined in the same way as starches. That is, add enough cold liquid to the dry cereal to separate the grains. The remainder of the total liquid should be
brought to a boil, and the cereal mixed with cold water poured in with careful stirring. After it has returned to a boil directly over the fire, place over hot water to continue cooking or hold at serving temperature. Many packaged cereals are now quick-cook¬ ing. Some of these, however, are improved in flavor by longer cooking.
To reheat cold, cooked cereal such as farina, granular wheat cereal, oatmeal, or rolled wheat, use a covered double boiler. Do not stir until the cereal is well heated. If it is too thick, add a little hot water.
To heat ready-to-eat cereals or to restore crispness in damp weather, pour the cereal into a shallow baking pan. Place in a mod¬ erate oven (350° to 375° F.), leaving the door slightly ajar. Never put the package in the oven.
Shredded cereals may be heated either in the oven or by dipping the biscuits quickly into salted boiling water. Remove from water, drain, and serve at once.
RICE
A number of varieties of rice are grown in the United States. These have been devel¬ oped largely on the basis of yields and resistence to breakage in milling. Increasing attention is being given to cooking quality and nutritive value in the selection of new varieties.
Varieties. Rice varieties are grouped as long grain, medium grain, and short grain. The leading American long-grain varieties are Rexoro, Fortuna, Nira, Bluebonnet, Prelude, and Texas Patna; in thmedium-grain group, Blue Rose and Venus; and in the short-grain Calora, Cody, and Calusa. These varieties may require slightly different cooking times, and so should not be mixed in packaged rices. Blue Rose is the rice sold in largest quantity and frequently this name appears on the package. The distributors and
[91]
Long grain Medium grain Short grain
Types of Rice
institutional users, who buy in quantity and on specification, usually specify variety; but other than Blue Rose, variety names do not often appear on consumer packages. Dif¬ ferent sections prefer types to which they are accustomed.
Milling. Rice reaches the consumer as "milled rice.”1 In milling, the hulls, the germ, and most of the bran layers are re¬ moved. Milled rices are designated as brown or white, depending upon the extent of milling.