Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

needed. This utensil consists of a tin pail fitting into another considerably larger, the space between the two being filled with water, so that the contents of the inner pail can never acquire a burnt flavor. Into the double-boiler pour half a cupful of boiling water, and into this water turn the cooked oatmeal. Set the dish where it will heat while the remainder of the breakfast is being prepared. If steamed oatmeal be liked it can be cooked in the morning. A cupful should be stirred into a quart of boiling water, together with a good-sized teaspoon ful of salt, and boiled gently for half an hour, being stirred twice during the first ten minutes. * Baked Oatmeal. Opinions vary as to the manner in which oatmeal should be cooked. In Scotland and Ireland, where oatmeal is a staple article of diet, the method of cooking what is there termed porridge, and what we call mush, is generally the same. This is not the case in America. In the old countries the meal always is sprinkled gradually into the boiling water ; the mush being stirred constantly. Then it is cooked for an hour or more, being placed where it will boil gently all the time, and being stirred frequently. The people of Scotland and Ireland keep smooth iron pots for the special purpose of cooking oatmeal. These pots usually have feet, diminishing the danger of burning. This kind of pot is in common use in the South, where hominy is cooked in much the same way that oatmeal is cooked in Scotland. Hominy is as important in the South as oatmeal is in Scotland. By cooking oatmeal in the manner described, one obtains a sweetness and richness not found in oatmeal that has been cooked in a double-boiler. But the necessary stirring breaks the grains, and the dish may be properly called mush. Now, if the grains be desired to remain whole, there should be no stirring after the first ten minutes' boiling. In baking oatmeal, you may get every grain well cooked, but whole. Put three pints of boiling water and half a tablespoonful of salt into a stew-pan, and place the pan on the fire. Gradually stir into the water one cupful of coarse oatmeal. Let it boil for five minutes, stirring frequently; then turn into a deep earthen bowl, and cover with a plate. Set the bowl in a pan. Now pour into the pan enough boiling water to come almost to the top of the bowl. Place in a moderately hot oven, and bake for two or three hours. Take the mush from the oven at the end of that time, and let it cool in the bowl ; then set it away in a cold place. In the morning put the bowl again in a pan containing boiling water, and set it in the oven for half an hour. On taking it from the oven, slip a knife between the mush and the bowl and turn the mush into a warm dish. If this rule be followed carefully, the mush will be of delicious flavor and each grain will be whole. When one is fond of milk, half water and half milk may be used at the start. This is an especially good way to cook mush for children's dinner or supper. * Wheat Germ Mush.