Question about oatmeal

[MyBlueLobsters]

The oatmeal that does not come from a little brown bag that says "Maple and Brown Sugar" ;) I got some oatmeal that is not the individual bags and made it according to the directions. When it was 'done' you could still see each individual peice of oatmeal and it was still a bit crunchy. I tried putting in in the microwave after that for 2 minutes, and after a minor oatmeal explosion, it still was not done. Is 'real' oatmeal supposed to be that different than the little bags of yummy flavored oatmeal?

 

Oh, and BTW, crunchy oatmeal with nothing on it but a little bit of cinnamon is NOT yummy (dumb new diet) :glare: I would have MUCH rather had my sons which was swimming in milk, brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs....MMMMmmmm

[TeacherZee]

It shouldn't be that different no.

 

I make my oatmeal on the stove because it doesn't take that much longer and it is tastier than the microwave.

 

I do about 1/2 cup of oatmeal and 1 cup of water per person with a sprinkling of salt. Takes less than 5 minutes on the stove. Just make sure you stir a couple of times.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Oh and apple sauce is nice on it. If you make it yourself without sugar it should fit in with any diet;)

[Book Crazy]

This is the way I always make Porridge (Oatmeal to you Americans).

 

1/2 cup of porridge and 1 cup milk. Never water, yuck, yuck, yuck.

 

Put them both in the pan and start warming on a med heat.

 

When the milk starts to bubble, you have to keep stirring it.

 

I have never timed it, but I would guess for about 7/8 mins, keep stirring.

 

When it gets thick, no milk left over, then your done.

 

 

The stuff that comes in packets is not porridge, it's horrible nasty stuff that should be banned. It gives people the wrong idea as too what porridge is.

[The Governess]

I eat the "real" :D stuff all the time. Mine isn't ever what I would consider crunchy, although it does have more texture than the instant oatmeal and keeps its shape. I guess I would call it...toothsome. :tongue_smilie:

[Heather in the Kootenays]

I do mine on the stove. I keep adding water until the flakes have disappeared because that's the way I like it. Dc both like it a bit crunchy so they add less water and cook for less time.

 

But I'm going to try milk tomorrow.

[Haiku]

Is 'real' oatmeal supposed to be that different than the little bags of yummy flavored oatmeal?

 

 

Do you mean different in that it's not a mass of lumpy mush? Yes, real oatmeal is supposed to be different. ;)

 

Real oatmeal, properly cooked, should retain it's separateness. Each piece should be distinct. It's tricky to do, which is why we generally eat barley meal. It stays separated much more easily.

 

They key with real oatmeal is to cook it for a brief amount of time but then let it steam for about 5 minutes. That helps the oats absorb moisture without becoming soggy and mushy.

 

Tara

[Sara R]

Do you have old fashioned oats or quick oats? I can make quick oats taste like instant oatmeal. (1/2 cup quick oats, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cups water (or whatever you add to instant oatmeal), stir well in a bowl, microwave 1 1/2 minutes, add pancake syrup to taste. Young kids can make it themselves.)

 

I've never tried very hard with old fashioned oats.

[TeacherZee]

This is the way I always make Porridge (Oatmeal to you Americans).

 

1/2 cup of porridge and 1 cup milk. Never water, yuck, yuck, yuck.

 

Put them both in the pan and start warming on a med heat.

 

When the milk starts to bubble, you have to keep stirring it.

 

I have never timed it, but I would guess for about 7/8 mins, keep stirring.

 

When it gets thick, no milk left over, then your done.

 

 

The stuff that comes in packets is not porridge, it's horrible nasty stuff that should be banned. It gives people the wrong idea as too what porridge is.

 

:D

 

Milk would be great except milk makes me spend the day in the ladies room iykwim :D:D:D So water it is

[Ellie]

There are two ways to cook oatmeal: by boiling the water first then adding the oatmeal, and by putting water and oatmeal in the pan at the same time. The first method will result with chewier oatmeal, the second, creamier. We tend to like the chewier kind.

 

Oatmeal with real butter and pure maple syrup or molasses is the best breakfast. :-) With lactose-intolerant children, we could never put milk on our oatmeal, but I think it's much tastier with butter and maple syrup. (For people who are not purists, lol, margarine and pancake syrup is also quite yummy.) And you can add raisins, bananas, peaches, or apples, and cinammon, of course.

[Starr]

My son eats it cold with milk. :)

[Starr]

Cold as in not cooked.

[MyBlueLobsters]

Do you have old fashioned oats or quick oats? I can make quick oats taste like instant oatmeal. (1/2 cup quick oats, 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 cups water (or whatever you add to instant oatmeal), stir well in a bowl, microwave 1 1/2 minutes, add pancake syrup to taste. Young kids can make it themselves.)

 

I've never tried very hard with old fashioned oats.

 

They are the old fashioned oats....

 

I will use some of your tips guys, thanks!! I can't have dairy so it has to be done in water....bumer. lol

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

I eat mine with raisins and lots of cinnamon. Yum! And I was not an oatmeal person before I tried it this way.

[Haiku]

I will use some of your tips guys, thanks!! I can't have dairy so it has to be done in water....bumer. lol

 

We are vegan so we don't so dairy. We make ours with almond milk. Much tastier than water.

 

Tara

[Country Girl]

You may want to try steel cut oats. I love to eat these plain, just cooked in water. They are definitely crunchier than old-fashioned and taste a little nutty to me. I could never do the old-fashioned plain, but I like the steel cut oats because they have a little flavor on their own and are less like eating a bowl of mush :001_huh:.

[hornblower]

They are the old fashioned oats....

 

I will use some of your tips guys, thanks!! I can't have dairy so it has to be done in water....bumer. lol

 

Can you have blueberries?

I cook my oats (either old fashioned or steel cut) for about 10-15 mins, probably closer to 20 for steel cut, then take off the heat & stir in frozen blueberries. A whole whack of them. The frozen berries bring the temperature down so I can eat right away, cause by then I'm starving & the flavour is lovely.

 

The color - not so much. When the berries break up, their color mixes with the oatmeal & it all ends up looking like blue-grey wet cement......best to have a book & read while you're eating this, so you avoid actually looking at it too much. :D

[partyof5]

I have eaten oatmeal nearly daily for over 3 years, but I can only stand it because it's a blend I make, thanks to a NP's recommendation for good healthy breakfasts. I love it. I make a huge batch and keep it in the freezer, scooping out just 1/2 cup a day.

 

Ingredients include old fasioned oats, oat bran, ground flax seed, sesame seeds, almond meal, and some other things you could leave out for dietary reasons: dry milk and soy flour.

 

It's super easy, cooks on the stove in 3 minutes, is microwavable if you prefer mushier, and has TEXTURE and more flavor than just oatmeal. Plus flax is a healthy addition to the diet. I do add cinnamon, sometimes a dash of milk, and either a bit of local honey or real maple syrup to sweeten it a bit, but lots of other suggestions I've read here would be tasty too.

 

If anyone wants proportions, I'd be happy to share more.

[GailV]

Fastest way to cook old-fashioned oats: put oats and water in a pan the night before and cover. In the morning, heat up and eat. Great with maple syrup and butter, or blueberries and bananas.

 

Rolled oats have been steamed and cooked already when they're processed. All you're trying to do is re-hydrate them to a form you'd like to eat.