On 25/02/2012 10:40 AM, Jerry Avins wrote:

>>
>> 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.

That and the flavour, which is a lot like paste. I have quick cooking
oats on hand for baking, like cookies and date squares. For porridge I
prefer large flake or steel cut.



> 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 just bring the water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and a handful of
oats, turn it town and st the timer for 15 minutes. If it is too thin I
cook it a little longer.


> I often sprinkle a handful of dried currants (I find raisins
> too sweet) on top as it begins to cook. YMMV>

How about fewer raisins? Dried blueberries are nice on oatmeal.