If you’re moving away from ‘just add hot water’ oats, (aka instant), or trying from-scratch cooking for the first time, then oatmeal is a great place to start.
For the full overview of oats, whether it’s healthy or not, who can eat it and who shouldn’t eat, you can head on over to this post where I cover all of that info.
This is a very basic, let’s-get-you-started recipe. Some things you may come across and need to note as you become familiar with making oats are:
Brands matter
You may have been told that it doesn’t, but my personal experience has been contrary to that. Some oats cook softer than others; some have a milder flavour, and some have hard bits that make them pretty yucky.
The only way to know which brand works for you, is to try a few different ones and go from there.
Keep at it
Your first try will likely be mediocre or a complete disaster.
If you are anything like me, I burnt my oats on my first try. Not fire and brimstone, but enough to make my oats bitter and require about 3 hours of scrubbing my pot.
Practice is key. After you have made it 4 or 5 times, you will get the hang of it. Things to try when you make your oats:
- Boiling water – adding your oats to boiling water is the quickest way to get it cooked. Adding your oats to the water and then bringing it to boil, while longer, makes for softer and creamier mix.
- Using milk or plant milks – generally they will boil faster, so be sure to monitor the pot. You will also notice that your oats will be thicker and stick to the pot more. Depending on your tastes, this can be a plus or a no-no.
- Under/over cooking – keep checking the consistency as you cook. Taste as you go. If you are not sure if it’s ready, taste as you cook. Check for smoothness, lumps, or powdery taste.
Versatility
- Oats is a super versatile dish. Once you have the basics sorted and you can cook a pot without really thinking about cooking times or texture, you are ready to start customising.
Consider adding flavour as you cook like:
adding mashed bananas for natural sweetness
- adding cocoa powder or protein powder for new flavour profiles and extra nutrition
- adding nut butters for deeper flavour and fullness
It all starts with this basic two ingredient recipe. Your first few tries may be a little bland or not as tasty as you are used to. But, the focus to begin with needs to be about finding the brand you enjoy, getting to know the readiness by sight and knowing which pot is the best one to use.
After that, customising your oats opens a world of flavour, fun and experimentation!
Enjoy.