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Enough grain or meal should be used to make the mush quite thick and glutinous when done. Watery or sloppy mush is neither palatable nor strengthening to the digestive organs when used constantly. In fact, it should not be considered necessary to have mush every morning. A change occasionally to drier foods is better for the digestion.

Double Boiler

An excellent utensil for cooking grains is a milk or mush boiler, generally called a double boiler. This consists of one vessel set inside of another, the inner one containing the grain to be cooked, the other partly filled with boiling water. An ordinary saucepan, however, will do very well, if smooth, and by greasing the inside with a little butter before putting in the water, the tendency of the grain to adhere to the saucepan will be greatly obviated.

If a double boiler is used, allow the grain to boil in the inner vessel standing directly over the range until it “sets,” then cover and place in the outer vessel, the water in which must also be boiling in order that the cooking process be not checked; then leave to cook slowly until done. From three to four hours is not too long when the double boiler is used. Grain prepared in this way may be cooked on the previous day and simply warmed up again the next morning for breakfast. What is left over from any meal may be used in the next preparation.