290529 Sat Oct 12 17:47:37 -0700 2002 27 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1577357 Getting cooler and want to try some warm cereal in the morning. Just bought some John McCann steel cut oats. Don't think I've eaten oatmeal since I was a kid. What's your favorite ways of preparing oatmeal?? Sat Oct 12 17:47:37 -0700 2002 0 Shaebones 1 1577358 In my new Zojirushi rice cooker. Oatmeal (both rolled oat and steel cut varieties) are excellent in the rice cooker on the porridge cycle. It takes more time than on the stove top, but you can leave it unattended, and it makes the creamiest oatmeal I have ever had. Sat Oct 12 17:50:59 -0700 2002 1577357 0 Carrot 2 1577359 yes, please share, because i HATE oatmeal, but i force myself to eat it because of cholesterol reasons. i used to eat oatmeal muffins instead, but i've gotten too busy to make them recently. right now i use regular old quaker quick cooking rolled oats; toss some cinnamon & nutmeg, wheat germ, grape nuts, splenda, and chopped apples; microwave with milk and swallow the healthy mess down. yucky. eating at work really limits what you can do with oatmeal. oh well... Sat Oct 12 17:59:25 -0700 2002 1577358 0 m00ncakes 3 1577407 Me, too... for health reasons, I have "learned to love" oatmeal. Once, my wife surprised me by bringing home a can of Irish steel cut oats, as if it were something special. I was very disappointed to find out that the special stuff tasted just like ordinary Quaker Oats, so we're back to Quaker (or store-brand) and its O.K. I usually make a double batch for myself every breakfast, to which I add about 8 to 10 prunes and about 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseed for additional fiber and every-reason-that's good-for-you. (Flaxseed blends up to powder well in the blender.) With Thanksgiving around the corner, here is an oat recipe that can be either a side dish or a dessert: Apple-Yam Delight: 1+1/2 cups rolled oats 8 Tablespoons flour 1+1/2 cups brown sugar 2/3 cup butter or margarine 2 16oz. cans sweet potatoes 2 16oz cans chunky applesauce 1 apple, peeled, cored, and sliced. 2 teaspoons cinnamon whipped cream or ice cream, optional Combine rolled oats, flour, and brown sugar. Blend well. Cut in butter evenly to make a crumb topping. Spread slightly less than 1/2 of the applesauce over the bottom of a casserole, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Spoon on 6 tablespoons of the crumb topping mixture. Cut yams into bite-size pieces. Then arrange them over the applesauce layer. Top with the remaining applesauce and the apple slices. Then, top with the remaining cinnamon and crumb topping. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 30- 40 minutes until heated through. Serve hot. "For a special treat, serve with ice cream or whipped cream." This was published in the Tampa(FL) Tribune, November, 1984, and is credited to April Philpott. I will tolerate oatmeal for breakfast (I have for years), but let me have some of that Apple-Yam Delight to REALLY enjoy oatmeal! Enjoy, Rick. Mon Oct 14 00:16:50 -0700 2002 1577359 0 ric 4 1577606 Another of our favorites, for oatmeal variety. I don't know how to adapt his to steel-cut oats, but you might experiment. From Better Homes and Gardens, October 1992: Cranberry-Almond Cereal Mix 1 cup regular rolled oats 1 cup quick cooking barley 1 cup bulgur or cracked wheat 1 cup dried cranberries or snipped dried apricots 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds 1/3 cup sugar 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt Milk is optional. Up to 6 months ahead: In an airtight storage container, stir together oats, barley, bulgur, cranberries or apricots, almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cover tightly and store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. Makes about 4+ 2/3 cups mix (7 servings.) For 2 breakfast servings: In a small saucepan, bring 1+ 1/3 cups water to boiling. Stir mix; add 2/3 cup of the cereal mix to the water. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or til cereal reaches desired consitency. If desired, serve with milk. For 1 breakfast serving: Stir mix. In a large microwave safe cereal bowl, combine 3/4 cup water and 1/3 cup cereal mix. Micro-cook, uncovered on 50% power(medium) for 9 to 11 minutes or until cereal reaches desired consistency, stirring once during cooking. Stir before serving. If desired, serve with milk. For very slight variation, we have substituted dried fruit from "Traverse Bay" brand, such as "Berry and Cherry" mix. I am sure other brands around the country have interesting mixes of dried fruit, too. Thu Oct 17 09:33:04 -0700 2002 1577407 0 Ric 3 1577634 i Have an old recipe for biscuites which says put in oz of ( force ) what is force is it some sort of oatmeal Thu Jun 19 08:06:48 -0700 2003 1577359 0 barb 2 1577362 Yes, cooking it for a long period of time makes it really good and creamy. You can cook it all night in a crockpot. My grandfather used to make a huge pot of it when we stayed there and tell us that was how he made it in the war. (Except he didn't have a cockpot - he just stirred it all night). He'd put it on at night and I don't know how he stayed up all ight sturring it, but, it was creamy, creamy, creamy in the morning. His recipe: Oats butter water brown sugar a little vanilla a litle salt Stir the oats in the butter and brown a little. Add the water (amount as directed on the box). Add brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Cook it all night. Sat Oct 12 18:45:08 -0700 2002 1577358 0 kc girl 2 1577607 Question: the above poster mentioned cooking oatmeal in a Zojirushi rice cooker. Can any other rice cooker do oatmeal, or (as I assume) does the Zojirushi have another "cycle" appropriate for oatmeal? Anyone tried cooking oatmeal in a regular rice cooker? Thu Oct 17 10:29:54 -0700 2002 1577358 0 Marra 3 1577608 Oatmeal is so quick to cook, I would never use a rice cooker for rolled oats. I cook them in a covered pyrex measuring cup in the microwave on 50% until done. However, when I soak whole oats overnight, and cook them to a porridge in the morning, the rice cooker works really well. (For "extra-chunky", add an ounce of dry Kamut whole wheat per cup of dry oats.) All rice cookers are not created equal. I would not use one that was not non-stick for this, and the first time I tried it I would keep an eye on it. If it boils too furiously, and there is no lower setting for you to use, it will boil over and make a horrible mess. Even with my Zojirushi, there is foaming, and I need to clean out the vent after cooking porridge. Thu Oct 17 10:40:23 -0700 2002 1577607 0 ironmom 3 1577611 I got the idea for cooking the oatmeal in the rice cooker from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook by Hensberger and Kaufman. The have a bunch of different porridge recipes (so far some good, some not so good) and include things like oatmeal and grapenuts, old fashioned oatmeal with steel cut oats, granola and oatmeal. They also cook grits, and rice porridge (which has not come out very well for me. Dennison, you warned me about this!). The recipes need a fuzzy-logic rice cooker with a porridge cycle. One advantage to something like this, to address the Barley recipe posted above, if you have a Zojiorushi or some such brand with all the bells and whistles, you can set a timer and prepare the night before for the next morning. Thu Oct 17 13:17:31 -0700 2002 1577607 0 Carrot 1 1577365 There was a thread last month about oatmeal preparation. See link below. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/290218#1574195 Sat Oct 12 19:36:37 -0700 2002 1577357 0 ld 1 1577370 I love oatmeal, but I can't stand it when it's made with water. I cook old fashioned rolled oats in milk with a pinch of salt - wonderful topped with butter and some maple syrup. Sat Oct 12 21:57:34 -0700 2002 1577357 0 Kathryn Callaghan 2 1577383 My grandmother taught me to make oatmeal that way, with milk instead of water, and it turns out so creamy - I agree, I can't eat rolled oats any other way. Haven't tried this method with the steel cut oats yet, though. I think the milk would scorch and stick to the bottom of the pot due to the long cooking time. Anyone have experience with that? Sun Oct 13 15:59:13 -0700 2002 1577370 0 LBQT 3 1577395 I grew up eating oatmeal cooked in milk, but I eventually discovered I preferred half milk & half water. To avoid sticking in the bottom of the pot, heat slowly and stir often. One advantage of taking longer to cook it (no, I'm not overlooking the big disadvantage) is that it gives your added dried fruit more time to soften. (Soaking overnight would also do this.) I like my oatmeal with a slosh of maple syrup. For me, it also goes better with an Assam or similar tea, rather than my usual breakfast congou... Peter Sun Oct 13 19:43:11 -0700 2002 1577383 0 Peter Dorman 4 1577444 LBTQ's query inspired me to have a go at that box of McCann's that's been sitting in my kitchen for 3 months. However, I found that I was running out of milk, so I ended up using half milk and half water. I used a non-stick pan and it came out fine, though I had to stir frequently over the lowest possible heat during the last few minutes. It was just about creamy enough - Maybe because some of the water boils off during the long cooking time. Mon Oct 14 13:40:17 -0700 2002 1577395 0 Kathryn Callaghan 3 1577563 If you soak your steel-cut oats overnight, you can cook them in only around 12-15 minutes, like you would rolled oats. Tue Oct 15 17:14:02 -0700 2002 1577383 0 Caitlin McGrath 1 1577371 Oatmeal, UGH! But the guys like it. I also hate to get up early, so the simple way to make good oatmeal, is to start the night before. We made single servings in corelle ware bowls, with saucers for lids. The nite before, make according to directions but with milk, and whatever you like to add - raisins! that will benefit from soaking. Cover each bowl with a saucer and stack in the refridge overnite. Straight into the microwave on high the next morning. (yes, with "lid" on) Time will depend on how you like it, and what kind of oats you use. The soaking overnite is what makes it good. This would work at the office too, if you have a micro - most do now. Personally, I'll just choke down the "cinnamon roll" instant stuff to scrape my arteries. Story about Grandfather reminds me that we use to do oatmeal out camping, in a dutch oven, buried in a fire pit of coals over nite. Cover the whole works with dirt, and dig up in the morning. Old fashioned slow-cooker? :) I've seen recipes for baking oatmeal at home in the oven. Never tried any tho. Can anyone comment on that? Sat Oct 12 22:38:57 -0700 2002 1577357 0 Maureen 1 1577380 I used to to make extra oatmeal let it sort of dry out and shape into patties. The next morning I would fry them up in butter. I topped them with small diced apple fried in brown sugar and thinned with apple juice. This was my daughters favorite morning breakfast. Sun Oct 13 12:33:37 -0700 2002 1577357 0 marilayne 1 1577463 I have a bowl of oatmeal as part of my breakfast four or five mornings each week. This started a year or two ago because I wanted something filling enough to help me stay out of the excellent bakery next door to my store - and due to health considerations. I found a recipe in "Taste of Home". I don't recall the issue date, but it was titled "Raisin Oatmeal Mix" and is credited to Robert Caummisar of Grayson, Kentucky. 6 cups quick-cooking oats 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup chopped dried apples or bananas 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup packed brpwm sigar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT FOR OATMEAL: 3/4 cup water In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Yield: 14 batches (about 7 cups total). To prepare oatmeal: In a deep microwave-safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup oatmeal mix and 3/4 cup water. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute; stir. Cook 30-60 seconds longer or until bubbly. Let stand 1-2 minutes. Yield: 1 serving per patch. Editor's Note: This recipe was tested in an 850-watt microwave. The above recipe suits my tastes better than anything I have found. The mix is easy to make (we store it in a Tupperware container), and I can fix a bowl fast. I have made a couple of adjustments to the recipe. I vary the fruit depending on what is on hand. I make a cup of dried cherries, cranberries, raisins, chopped apricots, chopped prunes, chopped figs, or whatever is in the pantry. I also make the oatmeal with skim milk, rather than water (That was my wife's suggestion). Mon Oct 14 15:57:25 -0700 2002 1577357 0 Milt 1 1577469 Now for something almost completely out of left-field... have you tried salty oatmeal? My dad taught me to make it with water, a bit of chicken bouillon or broth, and crack an egg into it a la egg drop soup. I love it this way and this way only as I found out at the college cafeteria one morning... spit out the conconction of oats, milk and cinnamon. My body refuses to think of hot oatmeal as sweet! Mon Oct 14 16:56:46 -0700 2002 1577357 0 Jennifer W. 2 1577519 I like my oatmeal bare naked, prepared 1 part oats to 2 1/2 parts water with what might seem like too much salt boiled in the water (a teaspoon per 2 1/2 cups of water)...and I like it al dente, which means it's a real eating experience and not a slurpy mushy (and frequently gluey) milky sweet pap. Raisins! Cinnamon! OH NO! Chicken broth might be a stretch...but one of these days I'll give it a try. Thanks, Jennifer, you're the closest to my heart in this thread. And now it's time for breakfast, mmmmm. Tue Oct 15 09:02:34 -0700 2002 1577469 0 Cristina 3 1577550 Oatmeal with butter, oatmeal with melted cheese, oatmeal with butter AND melted cheese, oatmeal with butter and 3 melted cheeses, mmm... Tue Oct 15 13:52:25 -0700 2002 1577519 0 ironmom 4 1577555 wow you make me jealous about having bad genes. maybe if i have butter and cheese with oatmeal the oatmeal will counteract the cholesterol- in-a-bowl effect... Tue Oct 15 15:04:07 -0700 2002 1577550 0 m00ncakes 2 1577537 I grew up eating salty food for breakfast. So I created my own version of salty oatmeal for my kids. I add miso to the oatmeal to make it salty. I have tried the chicken broth version and the salt version but like the miso the best. Tue Oct 15 12:13:19 -0700 2002 1577469 0 Teri 2 1577556 Oatmeal with butter and salt is one of my favorite breakfasts. Your broth-and-egg version sounds delicious, Jennifer. How does the egg get cooked? Do you make your oatmeal fairly soupy, so that the egg gets poached, or what? Tue Oct 15 15:09:37 -0700 2002 1577469 0 C. Fox 3 1577610 I am so happy with the responses! Never thought to try miso, or adding meat and scallions to my salty oatmeal. Must definitely try these options....and soon, very soon, now that the weather has turned chilly. Thanks Chowhounds! For C.Fox: I like my oatmeal on the soupy side so it's almost like a thick chicken soup with rice. When I break an egg into it, I keep stirring so that it gets boiled and you end up with floating white strings, much like you find in egg-drop soup. I suppose you could *not* stir and poach the egg too---another idea I hadn't thought of! ;) Thu Oct 17 12:01:46 -0700 2002 1577556 0 Jennifer W. 2 1577559 I'm glad that there are other folk out there who like savory (salty) oatmeal. I grew up eating it that way, and find the sweet version with milk really off-putting. I cook mine with water (never thought to use chicken broth but thanks for that tip, Jennifer!), add pork meatballs, salt, and, after turning off the heat, stir in an egg, then top with crispy fried shallots, dark soy sauce, a sprinkle of white pepper (chopped scallions are optional). Similar to congee except you're using oatmeal instead of rice. Woo-hoo! - it is sooo good, a perfect cold-weather food and I'm looking forward to it now that it's getting cold outside. Tue Oct 15 15:58:58 -0700 2002 1577469 0 ju 1 1577500 recently i've been cooking oatmeal in milk and then adding almonds, banana slices, and cardamom. doesn't need any sugar. Mon Oct 14 21:24:39 -0700 2002 1577357 0 emily