# Help with oatmeal



## jpinmaryland (Dec 1, 2009)

I made the mistake of getting the slow cooking oatmeal, not the ones that cook up in 3 minutes. Anyhow, they seem to boil over all the time. I put them in the microwave and it made a mess; I tried using a bigger tub so I used a 2 quart plastic and they still climbed over the side and spilled out..Then I did them on the stove in admittedly a small pot and they still run over the side after I covered them.

Are there any tricks to making the slower cooking oats?


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## Wyogal (Dec 1, 2009)

bigger pot, lower heat, simmer.


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## Selkie (Dec 1, 2009)

Just as Wyogal said, bigger pot, lower heat, but more than that, oatmeal and similar foods (grits, malt-o-meal) need constant attention and stirring while they are cooking. You cannot put it on the stove and just walk away. Stirring while they are boiling (I use a long handled wooden spoon), actually makes them creamier in texture as well as helps keeping them from boiling over. And you can see the foam rise, so you're right there to turn down the heat. (No messes!) They aren't "convenient", but they're good.


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## Wyogal (Dec 1, 2009)

I know folks that put it in the slow cooker...


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## gpc2000 (Dec 1, 2009)

I prefer the old fashioned like you bought by accident.  A couple of things you can do with it.  when you cook it cook for five minutes stirring constantly on a very low heat.  Turn off heat cover and let stand for five minutes.  If when you go to serve it it still has a lot of liquid in the pan try cooking some of it out but you must stir constanly again.  I stumbled upon the best use for it.  I run it through my food processor and use it as a partial replacement for flour.  It has worked in Cookies and bread, although the bread was a little heavy.  I think maybe I needed a little more yeast using my own oat flour.  The best thing I used it for is a complete replacement for flour when coating chicken for fried chicken.  It makes a wonderfully soft crust and the flavor is WOW.


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## julie.a.dehart (Dec 1, 2009)

*Oatmeal Help*

I say kudos to gpc2000; great advice on cooking for more than one, and like the idea of oat flour & coating for chicken. 

Now, here's my 2 cents 
Cooking for one or two (since it's fast):
I just had yummy old-fashioned oats (slow cooking) this morning for breakfast; just got my cholesterol check back and need to add oatmeal.
I put about 1/2 cup of rolled oats in my everyday bowls; added water to cover slightly; microwaved about 30 seconds; stir; microwave another 30 seconds to 1 minute until done.  Stir & heat in microwave until water absorbed.  
Then, I added tsp. of ground flax meal; a small banana; T. or two of frozen raisins & poured vanilla soy milk over the whole thing.  It was delicious.  

Depending on how many you are making for in the morning; this may work for you too.


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## Selkie (Dec 1, 2009)

gpc2000 said:


> It has worked in Cookies and bread, although the bread was a little heavy.  I think maybe I needed a little more yeast using my own oat flour....



Oat flour has no gluten. By itself no amount of yeast is going to make it rise. It has to be mixed with wheat flour or wheat gluten in order to make bread that rises.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 2, 2009)

I always use the long cooking oatmeal, there is nothing I hate more than a bowl of mush.  I cook it till it's al dente (I seem to do that with most foods) and let it sit for about 5 minutes off the stove.  It turns out just right.  And I agree with the low and slow method, I never bring the pot to a rolling boil.


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## rlauzon (Dec 2, 2009)

I use one of those fuzzy-logic rice cookers for mine.  I can dump the oatmeal and water into the unit before I go to bed, set the timer for 5 minutes after I normally get up and, voila, hot oatmeal.  These rice cookers have a "keep warm" cycle, so if I decide to sleep in, it keeps the oatmeal nice and hot.

All I have to do when I get up is add a little salt, lots of cinnamon and some Splenda (plus whatever fruit I want that morning).


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## jpinmaryland (Dec 2, 2009)

[FONT=&quot]Can you explain more about using the oatmeal for the fried chicken? For instance does it have to be refrigerated before yoiu coat the chicken or is room temp. sufficient? Same w/ respect to after you coat the chicken do you have to refrigerate it to get the coating to stay on? Do you add spices to the oatmeal mixture? thx[/FONT]


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## tinlizzie (Dec 3, 2009)

Two more cents from a cook who doesn't like washing oatmeal pots.  Also, I've been trying to get more fiber into my diet, so I tried the Irish steel-cut oats, which have much more texture--naturally al dente.  They take more time to cook, but here's what I do:  when I have the time, I make a large batch (large for me, regular family-size for four - lasts me 4 days), timing it to cook while I do other kitchen chores, so as to stay close to the stove.  It is necessary to watch it carefully at first and stir it down when it boils, because it will try to get up and over the side of the pan.  Bad.  Don't like scrubbing out burners, either.  

Then lower to a simmer for the remaining 25 or 30 minutes (steel-cut oats).  When it has finished cooking, let it cool, then pour it into a buttered loaf pan and refrigerate it.  In the AM, take out however much you want and microwave it, with butter, etc.  The pan got washed yesterday -- no hurry in the AM, hot oatmeal for breakfast!  

Ditto for regular oatmeal - just requires watching for the first minutes on the boil until lowering to simmer to finish cooking.

By the way, we're paid by the word here, right?


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## jpinmaryland (Dec 4, 2009)

I got good results using the microwave in one minute bursts technique described above. you only have to stir during the down time between microwaving; and it took only 5 one minute nukes to get it down. Prolly get it done with 4. good technique...

Basically every other week I have to get both my dad ready for day care bus and my six year old ready for school. That is why time constraint is a problem in the morning.


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