21. PURPOSE OF COOKING.--As the so-called ready-to-eat cereals require
practically no further preparation, attention is here given to only
those cereals which need additional treatment to prepare them properly
for the table. Raw grains cannot be taken into the body, for they are
neither appetizing nor digestible. The treatment to which they must be
subjected is cooking, for the structure of grains is such that cooking
is the only means by which the coverings of the starch granules can be
softened and broken to make them digestible. But this is not the only
effect produced by cooking; besides making raw cereals digestible,
cooking renders them palatable, destroys any bacteria or parasites that
might be present, and, by means of its various methods, provides a
variety of dishes that would otherwise be very much limited.
22. CHANGES THAT CEREALS UNDERGO IN COOKING.--In the process of cooking,
cereals undergo a marked change, which can readily be determined by
performing a simple experiment. Place an equal amount of flour or corn
starch--both cereal products--in two different glasses; mix that in one
glass with cold water and that in the other with boiling water. The
mixture in which cold water is used will settle in a short time, but if
the substance that goes to the bottom is collected and dried it will be
found to be exactly the same as it was originally. The mixture in which
boiling water is used, however, will not only become a sticky mass, but
will remain such; that is, it will never again resume its original form.
This experiment proves, then, that grains that come in contact with
water at a high temperature, as in cooking, absorb the water and burst
their cellulose covering. This bursting frees the granulose, or the
contents of the tiny granules, which are deposited in a network of
cellulose, and as soon as this occurs it mixes with water and forms what
is called soluble starch. Starch in this state is ready for digestion,
but in the original, uncooked state only a very small part of it, if
any, is digestible.
[Illustration: Fig. 1]
23. PREPARATION FOR COOKING CEREALS.--Before the cooking of cereals is
attempted, it is advisable for the sake of convenience to get out all
utensils as well as all ingredients that are to be used and arrange them
so that they will be within easy reach. The way in which this should be
done is illustrated in Fig. 1. The utensils and ingredients shown, which
are suitable for most methods of cooking cereals and particularly for
cooking them by the steaming process, consist of a double boiler _a_; a
measuring cup _b_, a knife _c_, and spoons _d_ and _e_, for measuring; a
large spoon _f_, for stirring; a salt container; and a package of
cereal. The housewife will be able to tell quickly from a recipe just
what ingredients and utensils she will need, and by following the plan
here suggested and illustrated she will find that her work can be done
systematically and with the least expenditure of time.
24. FIRST STEPS IN THE PROCESS OF COOKING.--While cereals may be cooked
in a variety of ways, the first steps in all the processes are
practically the same. In the first place, the required amount of water
should be brought to the boiling point, for if the water is boiling the
cereal will thicken more rapidly and there will be less danger of lumps
forming. Then salt should be added to the water in the proportion of 1
teaspoonful to each cupful of cereal. Next, the cereal should be stirred
into the boiling salted water slowly enough to prevent it from forming
lumps, and then, being constantly stirred, it should be allowed to cook
until it thickens. The process up to this point is called _setting_ a
cereal, or grain. After the cereal is _set_, it may be boiled, steamed,
or cooked in the fireless cooker, but the method of cookery selected
should be chosen with a view to economy, convenience, and thoroughness.
The terms _setting_ and _set_ should be thoroughly fixed in the mind, so
that directions and recipes in which they are used will be readily
understood.
25. COOKING CEREALS BY BOILING.--Very often the cereal, after it is set,
is allowed to cook slowly until it is ready to serve; that is, the
method of _boiling_ is practiced. This method, however, is not to be
recommended, because it is not economical. Cereals cooked in this way
require constant watching and stirring, and even then it is difficult to
keep them from sticking to the cooking utensil and scorching or becoming
pasty on account of the constant motion. Sometimes, to overcome this
condition, a large quantity of water is added, as in the boiling of
rice; still, as some of this water must be poured off after the cooking
is completed, a certain amount of starch and soluble material is lost.
26. COOKING CEREALS IN THE DOUBLE BOILER.--Probably the most
satisfactory way in which to cook cereals, so far as thoroughness is
concerned, is in a double boiler, one style of which is shown at _a_,
Fig. 1. This method of cookery is known as _steaming_, or _dry
steaming_, and by it the food itself, after it is set, never comes
within 6 or 8 degrees of the boiling point. In this method, the cereal
is first set in the small, or upper, pan of the double boiler. This pan,
which is covered, is placed into the large, or lower, pan, which should
contain boiling water, and the cereal is allowed to cook until it is
ready to serve. The water in the large pan should be replenished from
time to time, for if it is completely evaporated by boiling, the pan
will be spoiled and the cereal in the upper pan will burn.
This method of cooking has several advantages that should not be
disregarded. Cereals to which it is applied may be partly cooked on one
day and the cooking completed the next morning before breakfast, or they
may be completely cooked on one day and merely heated before they are
served. Then, when cooked at a temperature slightly below the boiling
point, the grains remain whole, but become thoroughly softened, because
they gradually absorb the water that surrounds them. In addition, the
long cooking that is necessary to prepare them at a low temperature
develops a delicious flavor, which cannot be obtained by rapid cooking
at the boiling point.
27. COOKING CEREALS IN THE FIRELESS COOKER.--In a kitchen that is
equipped with a fireless cooker, it is advisable to use this utensil for
cereals, for cooking them by this method secures the greatest economy of
fuel and effort. As in the preceding methods, the cereal is first set in
the pan that fits into the cooker compartment. While the cereal is at
the boiling point, this pan is covered tightly and placed in the
fireless cooker, where it is allowed to remain until the cereal is ready
to be served. The heat that the cereal holds when it is placed in the
cooker is retained, and this is what cooks it. Therefore, while this
method of cooking requires considerable time, it needs neither
additional heat nor labor after the cereal is placed in the cooker. In
reality, it is an advantageous way in which to cook cereals, since, if
they can be set and placed in the cooker in the evening, they will be
ready to serve at breakfast time on the following day.
28. COOKING CEREALS BY DRY HEAT.--An old method of cooking cereals or
starchy foods is called _browning_, or _toasting_, and it involves
cooking them by dry heat. A thin layer of grain is spread in a shallow
pan and this is placed in a slow oven. After the grains have browned
slightly, they are stirred, and then they are permitted to brown until
an even color is obtained. By this method the flavor of the cereals is
developed and their digestibility increased. Since grains keep much
better after they have been subjected to the process of toasting, this
means is used extensively for preserving grains and cereal foods.
29. POINTS TO OBSERVE IN COOKING CEREALS.--In cooking cereals by any
method, except browning, or toasting, it is always necessary to use
liquid of some kind. The quantity to use, however, varies with the kind
of cereal that is to be cooked, whole cereals and those coarsely ground
requiring more liquid than those which are crushed or finely ground. 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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