the quest for the perfect easy bowl of oatmeal

[surgtech1956]

I've never tried Cream of Wheat, from the picture on the box it looks like mashed potatoes. Whats it taste like???? I loved hot cereal in the winter.

[Blueberry]

I've never tried Cream of Wheat, from the picture on the box it looks like mashed potatoes. Whats it taste like???? I loved hot cereal in the winter.

Very plain - or like what you put in it. I make mine with milk, and add a little maple syrup. It's really good (but not nearly as nutritious as oatmeal - which I don't like as well...).

I also like grits for breakfast. Also not as nutritious (but very good when butter and cheese are added...)

CA

[TahoeDirtGirl]

Tucker, I like your style- that sounds so simple. I have to admit I've never just put hot water in them and eaten them like that, usually I cook em. I will have to check it out.

Oakleaf- do you rinse your rice/grains before cooking them to get the loose starchy dust? Sometimes that helps keep the foaming down. I know that certain types of rice makes mine foam. I got a rice cooker that has a plastic vent so it keeps some of the foamy stuff inside. But as I learned you have to clean that plastic flap vent every time because well...rice juice gets moldy here on the east coast!!! Out west it just dries up and turns to cement haha...

[carpaltunnel]

I love steel cut oats too. I usually chop up an apple and throw it in at the halfway point with some cinnamon. Sometimes pecan pieces . I'm going to try dry rolled oats and yogurt, that sounds good. Sometimes I make granola with honey, just to get some oats into my husband, but it has so much fat and sugar.

[letsride89]

1/4 old fashion oats
3 packets splenda
1/4 cup sugar free syrup
1/2 banana
walnuts

eat up my friends, eat up.

[jobob]

After much experimentation LeeBob & I have come up with our never fail method.

Get the largest pyrex bowl your microwave can hold, to prevent those messy boil-overs.

Mix 1/2 c. steel cut oats with 2 c. water in the bowl.

Microwave on high for 9:99 (depending on the power of your microwave)

Stir

Microwave on high for 6:66 (depending on the power of your microwave)

Stir. Let sit a bit*.

Spoon into 2 bowls, add a pinch of salt and some combination of milk, sugar, splenda, a pat of butter, brown sugar, cinammon, whatever, to taste.

This makes fairly chewy oatmeal.

*If you want it a less chewy consistency, let it sit for 1/2 hour or more, or even overnight (covered of course), then add a bit of milk and nuke it for 3-4 minutes.

[tzvia]

Skimmed over some of these posts. It sounds like some people can handle oats. I sure can't. Instead, I just pop some 50/50 cous cous 'n water with a little butter into the microwave for 2.5 minutes. Add a little honey and a dash (or more) cinnamon and some strawberries or blueberries, and I have a nice hot breakfast that doesn't make me feel like I swallowed a leaky gas canister. And my loved ones can actually sit in the same room with me. Another substitute is good old fashioned Farina. Love the stuff, as long as I've got my lactose pills as I like a little milk in mine. Either that, or my loved ones have to sit in another room again .

Too bad I can't stand rice based hot cereals as I could handle them in a gastric sense but I just don't like em. If I could find something that could take the bloat out of oats that would be great, as I actually like oatmeal, but it doesn't like me.

[shootingstar]

Am not familiar with a bit butter in oatmeal or couscous. particularily in oatmeal.

Am impressed by those of you and steel-cut oats. Guess I'm lazy...microwave works before 5:00 am for me. I have enough memories as a child asked to cook a big pot of oatmeal over stove for 7 other people. Did it often enough.

But even now, I still like my oatmeal..milky without sugar. Sometimes I will add an easy fruit..ie. berries.

[Eden]

Am impressed by those of you and steel-cut oats. Guess I'm lazy...microwave works before 5:00 am for me. I have enough memories as a child asked to cook a big pot of oatmeal over stove for 7 other people. Did it often enough.

That's why a crock pot is so great... so easy, put your oats and liquid in before you go to bed and in the morning you have a nice pot of hot cooked oatmeal. Just scoop and eat - takes even fewer wakened brain cells than microwave usage.

I tried pumpkin in with the oats. It's pretty good, though I think I might need a little sweetener. Usually I make it without sugar and put some dried blueberries on. With the pumpkin it seems to need a bit more something sweet to bring out the flavor.

[buddha_bellies]

OMG! Steel cut oat tastes SO GOOD! After reading about it in here, I decided to buy some Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats. It has a texture similar to quiona. I quite like it. Though I don't think I can live w/o maple syrup in it. And a bit of nutmeg and almonds. Yum!! And it wasn't too hard to cook. I cooked it in an iron casted pot for 20 mins. Ate it with some soya milk and still had left over for next morning. I think cooking it this way the night before is the way to go for me. I just heat it up in the microwave with milk and it's pretty much instant breakfast the next day.

Question: How's Scottish Oat different then your reg. oatmeal? Is there a different in texture?

[newfsmith]

I find that if I use cider as my liquid I don't need to sweeten the oatmeal, just add cinnamon.

[Raindrop]

I like steel cut oats mixed with Quinoa cooked in the crockpot. In the morning I add some salt and pepper and a little butter...and eat it like the grains they are.

In the Summer I'll add fresh berries, but in the Winter...it's back to comfort food time.


P.S. Quinoa tastes like dirt to me unless I roast the grain a little before I cook it. I add it only because of the protein.

[buddha_bellies]

I find that if I use cider as my liquid I don't need to sweeten the oatmeal, just add cinnamon.

Do you mean apple cider?

[OakLeaf]

In the Summer I'll add fresh berries, but in the Winter...it's back to comfort food time.

pick some extra berries and freeze them, and you can have them in your oatmeal all winter!

[newfsmith]

Do you mean apple cider?

Yes, I didn't know there was any other kind of cider.