Even though oatmeal is a very common dish prepared all around the world, some of you may still wonder how to cook perfect oatmeal. This guide reviews different ways on how to cook oatmeal preserving its taste and nutrients.
Oatmeal made out of hulled oat grains is a type of gluten-free coarse flour. Oat porridge made using rolled oats cooked with water or milk is also known as oatmeal in America and some parts in Canada. Rolled oats are often consumed either cooked or uncooked with milk and sugar as a breakfast cereal. They are also used as the main ingredient in preparing oatmeal cookies, oatcakes and different types of desserts. Oatmeal is simple to make and eating it as a breakfast staple will keep you energetic all day long.
Oatmeal is widely consumed in the world mainly because it is packed with vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Many people who are with dietary restrictions eat this daily as a breakfast cereal in order to reduce weight. Oatmeal also regulates the blood sugar level and reduces the risk of heart failures.
Ingredients Needed to Make Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one of the simplest breakfast meals you can ever make. It just needs only a few ingredients; rolled oats or old fashioned oats, milk or water and a pinch of salt. You can find three types of oats in the stores. Quick oats is a processed variety of oats that can be prepared quickly. It has been given the name “quick oats” because of its ability to cook quickly and save your time. Steel-cut oats is a variety of whole oats that is unrolled and 100% unprocessed. Since this is a completely natural variety of oats, it takes more time to cook than the other varieties. Old fashioned oats, also known as rolled oats are a slightly processed type of oats you will find in the market. As they are thicker than quick oats, they take more time to cook
How to Cook Oatmeal on the Stove
When cooking your oatmeal on the stove, you can either cook it in water or milk. If you need a creamy texture once the oatmeal is cooked, cook it in milk. If you don’t like the high-calorie content in milk, go with water. First, boil a pan of water or milk with a pinch of salt. Let the water or milk simmer and add oats. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent oats from being sticky. This meal can be made even tastier by adding your favorite toppings. Some of the delicious toppings I can suggest are strawberries and cream, caramelized apples, chocolate chips and bananas, peanut butter with honey and nuts including cashews, almonds, walnuts and pistachios.
How to Cook Oatmeal in the Microwave Oven
Cooking in the microwave oven is one of the easiest and quickest methods of cooking oatmeal. You just have to mix oats with water or milk and a pinch of salt in a microwave-safe container and microwave for about three minutes. Stir well and add your favourite topping before serving.
How to Cook Oatmeal in the Rice Cooker
When cooking oatmeal in the rice cooker, first, oats should be mixed with low-fat milk and a pinch of salt and cooked. Stir well and serve after adding your favourite topping.
Baked Oatmeal Recipes
Baked Blueberry Oatmeal
If you are bored of eating and serving oatmeal cooked on the stove, in the microwave oven or rice cooker, now it’s time to be different and bake your oatmeal.
This nutritious and vegan baked blueberry oatmeal dish can also be prepared ahead of time, portion out and freeze. To prepare this dish, first, combine the dry ingredients including old fashioned oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and any variety of nuts of your preference such as almonds, pecans or walnuts.
Next, combine the wet ingredients including milk, maple syrup and melted coconut oil together. Then, add the mixture of wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine well. Next, take a baking or casserole dish and place some blueberries at the bottom of the dish. Next, place the mixture of oats and again place some blueberries on the top of the dish.
Finally, bake the dish for about 40 minutes until oats become golden and blueberries on top are tender.
You can also alter this recipe as per your tastes and requirements. For example, if you don’t like blueberries, you could replace it with some other variety of fruit such as strawberries, peaches, bananas or apples.
Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups
Instead of baking whole casserole of oatmeal, you can choose to bake it in a muffin tray so that it would be convenient for you to make individual servings. Like in the previous recipe, first combine the dry ingredients -oats, cinnamon and baking powder- together. Then, mix the wet ingredients –milk, maple syrup, applesauce, vanilla extract- together. After that, combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir well. Next, add apples and pecans chopped into small pieces to this mixture of oats. After mixing everything well, fill up the muffin tin with the oats batter bake until they become golden. This would be great when served with some delicious peanut butter.
Conclusion
Oatmeal is one of the healthiest and the most common breakfast meals in the world today. As this is gluten-free and contains a very less amount of calories, many people concerned about their health tend to start their day with a bowl of oatmeal. Oatmeal is very easy to prepare. You can either make it on the stove or cook in the rice cooker or microwave oven. Once cooked, you can eat it with your favourite fruity or nutty topping. You can also bake your oatmeal, make a large batch of baked oatmeal and freeze it for future use. This article helps you have a clear understanding of all the methods in which you can cook oatmeal.
