Few breakfast foods suffer more ridicule than oatmeal. It is the cousin of the less than appetizing-sounding “gruel” or what we imagine a Dickensian orphan barely surviving on. It is the equivalent of the annually re-gifted fruitcake and bane of the breakfast table. But oatmeal got saddled with its bad rep because most moms and summer camp cooks don’t know how to make it properly or, even worse, opted for the convenience and speed of the pablum known as “instant oatmeal” instead of staying true to the original grain. Rather than a prepackaged microwave breakfast laden with sugar or something resorted to only when you need to feed hundreds, oatmeal deserves more attention and gentler preparation.
If you need a reason to eat oatmeal other than its flavor, which you won’t after following these preparation instructions, consider its health benefits. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially recognized the health benefits of oatmeal since 1997. It can improve heart health, reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol and add artery-cleansing fiber to your diet. Oatmeal is referred to as the “Bo Derek” of foods – a Perfect 10 – in The Abs Diet book, which extols the grain’s weight loss benefits.
The Oats. Which oats to use is a matter of personal preference, but I’ve eaten a lot of those that are generally available and have settled on two which I use together.
First, Old Fashioned Quaker Oats. These come in the cardboard cylinder, not paper envelopes, and should not be confused with the similarly-packaged Quick Quaker Oats. Put a whole oat, quick oat and instant oat next to one another and you’ll see the difference. “Quick” oats and those in paper envelopes cook quicker because the grain is milled into smaller pieces and pre-cooked more. But smaller, processed pieces equals more of a mush-like consistency and it doesn’t take much longer to cook the larger and less-processed rolled oats. Go with whole, rolled oats and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the difference in the cooked cereal.
Second, Hodgson Mill Steel-Cut Oats. Although steel-cut oat pieces are even smaller than instant oats, they have been cut by steel disks rather than rolled flat and are unprocessed, so they actually take longer to cook. I use half-and-half rolled oats and steel-cut oats because they bring two different textures to the bowl of oatmeal and the steel-cut oats also add a nutty flavor. You’ll need 1/4 cup of each type of oats.
The Liquid. Notice that I didn’t say “water.” I consider what you cook the oats in the secret to great oatmeal and what separates a tasty bowl of hot cereal from either clumpy or runny slop best served to hogs rather than people. Use ¾ cup of water and ¼ cup of milk, and add a pinch (1/8 tsp.) of salt. Which type of milk you use is up to you, but that choice will have some impact on the health attributes of the breakfast. I generally use no fat or lowfat (1%) milk and can’t detect a noticeable difference in the oatmeal from using regular, 4% milk. Cooking the oats in a mixture of water and milk produces a creamier cereal and avoids any temptation to drown it in cold milk after cooking.
Cooking. Combine the water, milk and salt in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Milk is heavier than water and will scorch on the bottom of the pot, so an occasional stir is needed. Just as the liquid comes to a boil add the oats, turn down the heat and stir well. Dropping the heat and stirring is necessary to prevent a sticky boil over. How long you cook the oats depends on whether you like them more to the al dente or much softer. You are looking for most of the liquid to be absorbed by the oats, leaving wet flakes of oats but with little to no broth. Generally this will take 4-5 minutes on the stove. The combination of rolled and steel-cut oats will provide contrasting textures of creaminess and harder “kernels” of oats.
Finishing. The cooked oats can be turned out into a bowl and this is where creativity comes in. I will often eat my oatmeal with nothing on it. I like the earthy, natural taste of the whole grains with just the small amount of sweetening from the milk they were cooked in. But most people want sugar and usually omething else to top the cereal. Be conservative in topping the cereal so as not to damper its health benefits and to let the taste of the oats come through.
Sugar probably finds its way onto oatmeal more than any other topping. Never use regular table sugar. It remains gritty in the oats and the sweetness can be cloying. Traditionally, brown sugar gets sprinkled across the top of the cereal. But if you’re going to reach for the sugar, try turbinado sugar instead. Sprinkled lightly over the hot oats, the light brown crystals will melt into almost a syrup that comes closer to a maple flavor rather than the candy sweetness of regular or even brown sugar.
Other interesting oatmeal sweeteners are honey and Lyle’s Golden Syrup from the United Kingdom. Rather than a sugar consider jams, jellies or butters as a sweetener instead. They can be easily mixed into warm oatmeal. Some may even enhance the health benefits of this breakfast. For example, a natural peanut butter mixed into oatmeal adds protein and a black currant jam provides antioxidants, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.
Fruit often gets added to a bowl of oatmeal. The traditional, and my personal, favorite are raisins. For an interesting variation, use part raisins and part dried cranberries. Dates, figs, green apples, apricots, pears and mango also all bring rich flavors and natural sweetness to the cooked oats.
Nuts will enhance the already nutty grain flavor of the oatmeal. My favorite oatmeal topping is walnuts and raisins. The raisins provide just enough sweetness and the dry, nutty flavor of the walnuts complements the oats incredibly well. But also try pecans, almonds and hazelnuts. Whichever nut you choose, be sure they have not been salted. Oatmeal also provides an excellent food platform to get the cholestorol-reducing benefits of flax seed. Their nuttiness blends well with the oats.
For those occasional mornings when you want to throw caution to the wind, consider putting a scoop of ice cream onto your oatmeal. It adds a quickly melting sweetness, milk and flavor to the cereal. Favorite flavors to complement the oats include french vanilla, butter pecan and black walnut, but experiment with chocolate chip and rocky road, too. This can also be a good way to introduce children to oatmeal and begin a life-long habit of healthy morning eating.
Oatmeal provides too many health benefits to be ignored. Make it more interesting by experimenting with different types and brands of oats, cooking them in different liquids to different textures, and exploring the vast array of toppings that can enhace the cereal’s natural flavors. And when you sit down to breakfast feel good knowing that there are few things you could be eating instead that could top the health benefits of that satisfying bowl of oatmeal.
Sources:
http://www.quakeroats.com/oats-do-more/for-your-heart/heart-disease.aspx
http://www.quakeroats.com/products/oatmeal/quick-oats.aspx
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-9590.pdf
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/CL00002
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/foodlaw/2008/05/fda-final-rule.html
Zinczenko, Spiker & Spiker, The Abs Diet (St. Martin’s Press 2005)
http://black-currant.com/black-currant/Health+Benefits+of+Black+Currant
http://www.healthcastle.com/flax.shtml
