I keep trying to like oatmeal, but...

[dreamshark]

 Have you ever cooked oatmeal in the microwave? What happened? It explodes, right? But it says right there on the box that you can cook it that way, so I tried it 3 times with different techniques (INCLUDING a covered microwave container with a steam release valve in the lid!) and had to clean out the inside of the microwave 3 times. And it wasn't even fully cooked. 

I've concluded that claims that steel-cut oats are microwavable are flat out lies. Like pretty much everything else I've ever read about oatmeal. No, it does NOT satisfy your appetite. No, it does NOT make you fuller longer than other cereal. And no, steel-cut Irish oats actually don't taste any less like wallpaper paste than instant oatmeal. 

The one thing I can't tell through personal experience is whether oatmeal's purported health benefits are real or not. But considering oatmeal's strikeout rate so far, I'm inclined to doubt it. So that's it - I'm going back to Cream of Wheat, which at least has a pleasant texture. And I'm adding the Oatmeal Conspiracy to my short list of Conspiracy Theories that are Actually True.

Comments

[pameladean]

We once had a microwave with an oatmeal setting, and it cooked oatmeal fine. I have never been able to do that again. I did figure out that if you make the oatmeal in a container that has about four times the volume of the actual water and oatmeal, it won't overflow. I reduced the power level as well, though at this point I don't recall to what. These things don't really translate well among microwaves, anyway. Mine did not actually ever explode; it just creamed quietly over the sides of most containers in the nanosecond that you chose to blink.

I don't like Cream of Wheat except in some Indian dishes, but it sounds like a good solution for you.

P.

[dreamshark]

Hmm. Okay, that sounds plausible.

But part of the point of cooking a single serving in the microwave, IMHO, is that you can cook it right in the serving dish and don't have to mess around with cleaning multiple pots and utensils.

[pameladean]

Honestly, I just eat it out of the four-times-too-large container that I cooked it in. Fortunately, this amuses me.

P.

[magenta]

No, the package lies. You cannot cook oatmeal in the microwave except the nasty instant kind. Steel cut oats take time. Even "one minute" oats need to be done on the stove top, preferably with chopped apples added before the water comes to a boil, and if you like them, raisins added as soon as it is done cooking, before you let it stand for a few minutes. Add maple syrup. It is not supposed to taste bad, and I usually eat two servings worth, not just one.