Both Rolled Oats and Quaker Oats are now partially cooked in their
preparation, but the starch cells must be thoroughly broken and they
should be cooked at least forty-five minutes in a double boiler; or, a
good way to prepare the porridge is to bring it to the boiling point at
night, let it stand covered over night and then cook it from twenty to
thirty minutes in the morning. Another method of cooking is to bring
the porridge to the boiling point and then place it in a fireless
cooker over night.
The great fault in the preparation of any breakfast food is in not
cooking it sufficiently to break the starch cells.
_Puffed Rice_ is made from a good quality of finished rice. The process
is a peculiar one, the outer covering or bran, is removed and then
the product is literally “shot from guns”; that is, a quantity of
the rice is placed in metal retorts, revolved slowly in an oven, at
high temperature, until the pressure of steam, as shown by a gauge on
the gun, indicates that the steam, generated slowly by the moisture
within the grain itself, has thoroughly softened the starch cells. The
gun retort is pointed into a wire cage and the cap which closes one
end is removed, permitting an inrush of cold air. This cold air, on
striking the hot steam, causes expansion, which amounts practically to
an explosion. The expansion of steam within each starch cell completely
shatters the cell, causing the grain to expand to eight times its
original size. It rushes out of the gun and into the cage with great
force, after which it is screened to remove all scorched or imperfectly
puffed grains.
This process dextrinizes a portion of the starch and also very
materially increases the amount of soluble material as against the
original proportion in the grain.
_Puffed Wheat_ is manufactured from Durum, or macaroni wheat, of the
very highest grade. This is a very hard, glutinous grain. It is pearled
in order to thoroughly clean and take off the outer covering of bran.
It then goes through a puffing process, identical with that of Puffed
Rice. The chemical changes are very similar to those of puffed rice.
Both Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat are more digestible than in the
original grain state. They are valuable foods for invalids.
_Stale Bread._ A food which tastes much like a prepared breakfast food,
but is cheaper, may be made by dipping stale bread into molasses and
water, drying it in the oven for several hours, and then crushing it.
It is then ready to serve with cream. This is a palatable way to use up
stale bread.
_Crackers and Milk or Bread and Milk._ As noted by Table VI, crackers
are similar to breakfast food in nutrient elements, and with milk make
a good food for breakfast, or a good luncheon. Business men, and
others who eat hurriedly and return immediately to work, will do well
to substitute crackers and milk, or bread and milk, for the piece of
pie which often constitutes a busy man’s lunch.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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