On Saturday, February 25, 2012 9:53:12 AM UTC-5, Dave Smith wrote:
> I picked up a bag of Quaker Oats large flake oatmeal yesterday. I was
> surprised to see "Cooks in 4-5 minutes" printed in the front of the bag.
> Large flake oats usually take more like 15 minutes to cook. When I
> prepared to make some for breakfast this morning I looked for the
> instructions and had some confusion. Among all the small print on the
> side of the crinkled bag was a list of numbered steps. I scanned down to
> the bottom and step 3 was "COOK uncovered for the specified amount of
> time."
>
> I had to go searching again. Stove Top Instructions it said for single
> servings cook 10-15 minutes, for 4 servings cook 20-25 minutes.
>
> Then... I spotted the microwave instructions, and it says 4-5 minutes
> for one serving.
>
> I have been cooking oatmeal porridge for decades. It was early morning.
> I got thrown off by that 4-5 minute thing. I hate to imagine what it
> would be like for someone who has never cooked oats before to try to
> figure out how to cook this item, which I always thought easy so simple.
>
>
> They did have a very handy hint..... for thicker oatmeal use less
> water... for thinner oatmeal use more water.

Quaker makes three kinds of oat meal; regular, quick, and instant. Of the three, I like the texture of the quick least. I cook my morning oatmeal i an open saucepan, one measure (1/2 or 2/3 cup) of oatmeal and two measures of water. I use hot water and start with the heat on high. When bubbles appear around the edges, I turn the heat down to lowest and set the timer for ten minutes. That gives me a thin crust on the bottom of the pot that I scrape into the rest. It adds a toasty flavor. I cut two minutes off the cooking time if I don't want that. I often sprinkle a handful of dried currants (I find raisins too sweet) on top as it begins to cook. YMMV

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.