Home › The Principles of Cookery › Water Gruel

Water Gruel

Ascertain whether it is desired that the gruel should be thick or thin. If it is preferred thick, mix two table-spoonfuls of oatmeal smoothly with a little cold water; if it is preferred thin, one table-spoonful of oatmeal will be sufficient. Boil a pint of water in saucepan, stir it gradually into the oatmeal in the basin, return the mixture to the saucepan, and boil it till smooth. Stir it well to keep it from burning, skim it, strain through a sieve, sweeten, season, or flavour it, and it will be ready for use. The gruel may be used after it has boiled five minutes. It will be better if boiled a quarter of an hour. Gruel may be sweetened and flavoured with nutmeg, ginger, or grated lemon, ale, wine, or spirit; or it may be seasoned with salt and pepper, and flavoured with spices, herbs, mushroom-powder, celery-seed, shallots, or onions. When sweetened with treacle, and taken just before getting into bed, it is one of the best suppers that can be partaken of by anyone who is suffering from a cold in the head or on the chest. It is most usually served with a small piece of butter dissolved in it, and either sweetened with sugar or seasoned with salt.