Rolled Oats

Instant oatmeal is quick and easy. Open packet, dump into bowl. Add water or milk, throw in the microwave for a bit. Good stuff.

Not-instant oatmeal is a pain in the ass.



The recipe was simple. Prepare plain oats, top with peanut butter and sliced strawberries. It was nutritionally sound and sounded delicious. When I pulled the Quaker Oats out of my cupboard, I noticed they weren’t instant. I was slightly disappointed, but after reading the back and learning that the oats only needed to be cooked for 2-3 minutes, I was ok. After all, that would give me time to put on clothes while my breakfast cooked.

I felt like one cup of milk to half a cup of oats was a little excessive, but I figured the folks at Quaker knew better than I did. I dumped everything into a bowl, stirred it with my finger, and put it in the microwave. Since my microwave is a beast, I only put it in for 1 minute, 45 seconds. When the lovely beep-beep-beeping pulled me from my room, I was unhappy to discover half cooked oats and milk all over the microwave. The two had cooked just enough to make the mixture sort of jelly—like congealed milk. Mmm. Yeah, that’s appealing.

This was a setback. But I’m a determined type, so I figured I’d give it another go. A few days later, I tried on the stove top. I boiled my water and put the oats in, and stepped away for a couple of minutes.

When I came back, I found the same thing that had happened in the microwave had happened on the stove top. I was slightly less than impressed. I wiped it up, and pondered what I could do differently. To maybe AVOID half cooked oats and gelatinous liquid spilling everywhere.

It turns out I CAN cook oats in the microwave or on the stovetop, but it actually takes somewhere between 5-10 minutes. If I do it in the microwave, I have to cook it, but I need to sit in front of the microwave. It will boil up, and I have to stop the microwave, stir it, and put it back in. Every 12 seconds, about. On the stovetop, I need to stir constantly.

Is it worth it? I wasn’t sure, until this morning. The peanut butter and the strawberries in oatmeal is delicious. So… I’m going with yeah, totally worth it.

I can’t WAIT to use up all my regular oats and get instant oats, though.