Eat Your Oatmeal

[Hoos]

I have become a dyed-in-the-wool steel-cut oatmeal fan since I bought this:

A Zojirushi rice cooker. They have several other models, but this one is great. Timer, non-stick bowl, doesn't take up much counter space, and it's also great for making brown rice and other dishes. It really does more than cook rice.

I can set it so that the oatmeal is ready for me in the morning, when I get up. It works great.

Get yourself one for the holidays. Not too expensive, and one of the few small appliances that's really great. It's nearly replaced my stove.

Oatmeal recipes (easy):

When the oatmeal is done cooking, throw in a handful of dried cranberries (other dried fruits work great, too, but cranberries and oatmeal go nicely together) for another 15 minutes. Mmmmm.

Add some applesauce and cinnamon to the cooked oatmeal. This is great! And it cools down the oatmeal.

Sometimes, I just do butter and cinnamon-sugar. Also great.

 

[expatCanuck]

I take my oatmeal the same way, with a touch of brown sugar to help me forget that I'm eating something healthy.

Brown? Go for demerara sugar. Or better still, skip the sugar and get some nice, tasty, dark honey. Now yer talkin'!


... oh, and since it's fresh cranberry season, a handfull of those tossed into the pot when you start cooking the oatmeal ads a nice zing.

Maple syrup. And I keep the berries (whatever they are) raw.

 

[Confuzius]

Pretty much oatmeal or cheerios for breakfast every day. Problem is that I adulterate my oatmeal with brown sugar or maple syrup.

 

[toucanlamp]

Oatmeal has to be one of the absolute best foods out there for general nutrition. I am still pretty young and I get lazy so often times I just end up pouring some milk on the oats and eating them like cereal. Its kind of bland, but I'm also into working out and stuff and so try to get more calories than the average person and when you cook oats it expands massively so in order to get a 1/3 cup you have to eat this whole big bowl full of oatmeal, which is better than uncooked taste-wise, but kind of time consuming.

Also, I like to mix it up a bit. If you have a Bulk foods store around you, there are many things which you can basically cook like oatmeal, are good, healthy grains, and give you a bit of variety. I like to get rye flakes, which look pretty much just like oatmeal bit a bit darker brown, they cook up simiarily but the taste is more rye-ish. I also get corn grits once in a while, though corn is a much more simple carb and doesn't have the same amount of fibre as oatmeal or something like rye, but it's tasty once in a while.

You can also mix in a little bit of ground up flaxseed for a bit of the healthy fats they contain. Like said already, stay away from the processed stuff like oatmeal bars or the pre-made cereals, they're a ripoff money-wise and contain tons of sugar. At the bulk barn you can buy a pound of oats for like 60 cents around here.

Someone else also reccomended steel cut oats, which I've had, I think they are also called Scotch Oatmeal, it's the whole oats not cut up and rolled, it tastes way different and is apparantly more health being less processed, but they are kind of a pain since they take like 15-20 minutes to cook on the stove.

Lots of options out there though. I think incorporating healthy grains into your diet is one of the easiest ways to improve your nutrition.

 

[JarheadSgt]

For you guys that cook up a week's worth, how much oats do you use?

 

[ratcheer]

Pretty much oatmeal or cheerios for breakfast every day. Problem is that I adulterate my oatmeal with brown sugar or maple syrup.

Problem?

Tim

 

[biomesh]

Funny how this thread came up. I just made some oatmeal (steel cut oats) in a crockpot last night - 3/4 cup oats, 1 cup milk, 2 cups water, with some dried cranberries and raisins.

Some of the best oatmeal you can have.

 

[TstebinsB]

Oatmeal gets a bad rap but it's a great meal. With the right fruit and/or sweetener, it is hard to beat. I especially like it during the colder months.

 

[expatCanuck]

I have become a dyed-in-the-wool steel-cut oatmeal fan since I bought this:

A Zojirushi rice cooker. ...

We've used this one:

for the past five years or more.
NS-KCC05. Less than half the price of the fancy programmable model. Cooks steel-cut oats just fine. Makes rice well, too.

 

[Aevum]

this forum is killing me, first scad and now this,
i needed more fibre in my diet, so i picked up some wheatabix, 2 of those wheat patties in a bowl, with skim milk and i ate it. tasted like cardboard,

now thanks to this tread, i´ve started premaking it, sugar, vanilla, heat it up, a worlds differance in taste and texture, and now im going to have to go get real oats and a rice cooker aswell..

i wonder if the goverment has a special provision for people who went bankrupt following forums like this.

 

[ratcheer]

i wonder if the goverment has a special provision for people who went bankrupt following forums like this.

Not another government bailout!

Tim

 

[whiskerlips]

How long does it take in a rice cooker? I use the slow cooker method sometimes but a portion always seems to cook too much and stick to the bottom.

 

[Hoos]

Not sure how long oatmeal takes in my rice cooker since the timer is set so that the oatmeal is cooked when I wake up. The timer is the kind that you set the time for when you want it ready, not when you want it to start cooking.

I think it cooks for about an hour or so.

Brown rice takes about 1-1.5 hours to cook.

 

[expatCanuck]

How long does it take in a rice cooker? I use the slow cooker method sometimes but a portion always seems to cook too much and stick to the bottom.

Not sure how long oatmeal takes in my rice cooker since the timer is set so that the oatmeal is cooked when I wake up. The timer is the kind that you set the time for when you want it ready, not when you want it to start cooking.

I think it cooks for about an hour or so.

Brown rice takes about 1-1.5 hours to cook.

In the KCC05 on the porridge setting, I think 45-50 minutes. If you're not using the timer, you can cut down on the time a bit by starting the process using hot water (not hot out of the tap -- filtered water made hot in the microwave or heating it up in a small pot -- only really a time saving option if you've got a gas stove).

 

[ScotchDave]

Being Scottish I'm afraid I can't not say this: it's called Porridge!!!!!!!!!


I make mine by putting rolled oats in a mixture of water and milk, no set ratio just try it. Bringing it to the boil then simmering.


Dave

 

[TstebinsB]

Being Scottish I'm afraid I can't not say this: it's called Porridge!!!!!!!!!

Technically, oatmeal is a kind of porridge.

 

[Abdiel]

is the problem sitting down to eat, or making and eating it?

If it's the making it part get yourself some pinhead/Scottish/Irish oats and toss them into a slow cooker set to low the night before. Alton Brown has a recipie for this actually.

Dish out shovel em down and out the door.

 

[blary54]

I made oatmeal yesterday and did a stupid experiment not really thinking it through.

I just got back from the Gym and was going to take my protein powder. Decided to mix the vanilla protein powder into the boiling water I was going to put my oatmeal in. Well the protein started separating from the water turning into gelatinous globs....eventually turning into a jellybean hard rubbery texture. Ate one just to try it...disgusting. Whole pan of oatmeal went into the garbage.

Next time ill just mix the protein with the milk then pour it on top.
One thing I recommend is BSN dessert whey Banana Bread protein. Mix it with your milk and pour it on top. Tastes delish.

http://www.vitacost.com/BSN-Lean-Dessert-Protein-Shake-Banana-Nut-Bread

 

[smalltownlegend]

Joe's morning breakfast ritual consists of coffee, bagel & cream cheese, 1 serving oatmeal plain, 1 hard boiled egg.

 

[blary54]

Are you Joe? Are you referring to yourself in the 3rd person?