playdough that will last forever

this is the same recipe that is easily available online and in craft books with some tips for success.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

First, stir everything together really well before you start to cook it. That is a tiny amount of cream of tartar and it has to be well distributed. (Whatever it is that it does.) Then heat on medium low and stir all the time. Recipes will tell you to stir until it pulls away from the sides but mine does not seem to do this. The dough needs to get cooked through or it will be sticky so you keep on stirring it over the heat until it seems like it is changing consistency. The parts that touch the bottom will get cooked first and you just keep stirring until it all seems done. If homemade dough is properly cooked you can use it immediately with no stickiness or additional flour so just keep practicing. I turn mine out into a bowl and cover it tightly and let it cool, then add food coloring and have my children mix it in.