Comments on: Oatmeal Prospect Theory

By: clew

clew — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:25:38 +0000

I put steel-cut oats and milk (and whole flaxseeds) in the microwave as I start getting up, set it long enough to get them boiling together, and generally get back to them about when they’ve cooled enough to eat and are soft/thick enough. Mmmmm, mmmmore mmmmmilk.

By: Winneigh

Winneigh — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 23:27:09 +0000

Get out of bed. Pull on trousers, shirt and boots. Go to stable and grab a handful of oats from a feedbag. Chew thoroughly while doing chores. Or, when in town, buy a bag of Luxury Muesli from any supermarket. Tear it open and proceed as above. Saves loads of time!

By: eudoxis

eudoxis — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:28:19 +0000

We use a water heater (Zojirushi) so that water is at boiling temperature when we wake. We only use water for cooking oatmeal. Mix boiling water and steel cut oats, turn to simmer, shower, stir, done.

By: KCinDC

KCinDC — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:16:00 +0000

I’ll look for it, Harry, but for now I’m sticking with raisins (and cooking with half milk). I don’t want it too sweet.

By: Bill Jones

Bill Jones — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:00:18 +0000

First – the tip never said you’d get the oatmeal faster, it just said it would cook faster – which is true. So you’re quibbiling with the energy savings?

Next – the Christmas Pudding – impossible to ruin in any circumstance becuase it already is. Ick!

By: harry b

harry b — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:28:32 +0000

kcindc— really treat yourself, and top them with a dollop of sugar cane (golden) syrup (sold under the Lyles brand, in the syrup section of upmarket grocery stores, and places like Whole Foods—expensive, but not more expensive than real maple syrup, and a real treat on porridge).

By: KCinDC

KCinDC — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 20:40:05 +0000

Harry, I actually did cook my first-ever batch of steel-cut oats Sunday, because the store was out of bulk rolled oats. It ended up being only enough for three days, though, and I’m afraid I have been warming them up in the microwave. They are enough of an improvement over the thick rolled oats (which are still far above instant) that I probably will continue making the extra effort.

By: Jim Flannery

Jim Flannery — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 19:35:29 +0000

to make the stuff on the stove the right consistancy

Surely the hardest part is getting two people who grew up in different households to agree on what “right” means in this sentence.

By: dfinberg

dfinberg — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 19:04:53 +0000

Or, even better, use your rice cooker - say a Neuro Fuzzy, and put it up the night before and it is ready when you wake up.

By: Antti Nannimus

Antti Nannimus — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:51:30 +0000

Hi Nick,

>Apply evenly to wallpaper. Attach to wall. Done.

Yah, I eat it every morning. That way I know nothing worse will happen to me all day. As paste it probably has nothing at all to recommend it though.

Have a nice one,
Antti

By: harry b

harry b — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 17:26:41 +0000

matt—i completely agree. but really – follow my instructions above and you casn have 45 minute stovetop porridge every day at only 5 minutes a day.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:35:18 +0000

Let me add to those saying that microwave oatmeal isn’t that great, either. It’s not awful- not like most microwaved foods- but it’s clearly worse than stuff cooked on the stove. partly this is because it’s easier (if you take the care to stir!) to make the stuff on the stove the right consistancy. But even for the stove-top stuff, the goodness is related to the amount of cooking time. The kind you have to cook for 20 minutes or a half hour is better than the 5 minute kind I use, but I can’t devote that much time to it. But the 5 minute kind is a lot better than the microwave kind, and I do usually have 5 minutes or a bit more that I can devote to making better oatmeal when I want it.

By: harry b

harry b — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:25:19 +0000

sam—I’ve only done it with small puddings, and have followed the directions quite carefully. Not as good as steaming, but not ruinous. That said, I ahven’t had a microwave for many years, and wouldn’t dream of doing it now…

kindc—point taken. Though people can be wrong about some things and right abut others, right? Instant oatmeal is pretty difficult to ruin, in my opinion, being ruined from the moment it was conceived.

By: nick s

nick s — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:23:14 +0000

The answers is to use “instant” oatmeal. Nuke water two minutes in the microwave. Pour over oatmeal. Nuke oatmeal on high 30 seconds. Done.

Apply evenly to wallpaper. Attach to wall. Done.

By: KCinDC

KCinDC — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 15:24:22 +0000

Harry, you really should be careful about describing someone as “right” about anything immediately after they recommend instant oatmeal as somehow equivalent to steel-cut oats.

If instant oatmeal is the answer, as Antti says, perhaps the question was “What’s a good emergency substitute for cat litter?”