What could be more understandable and simpler than oatmeal? It is this porridge that is preferred for breakfast by ordinary people, aristocrats and those who want to be strong, healthy, live long and in their own minds. But for some reason, oatmeal is not always tasty. Porridge often fails, goes slimy or bitter. What the queen of croup hides in herself?
Saving or taste? They are inseparable!
On the water, you can cook buckwheat, pasta, pearl barley, but not oatmeal. This cereal will turn out boring, meager, it just will not please the taste. Her Majesty's oatmeal requires milk, at least a small portion. You can dilute it in half or a third with water. If there is no whole milk at home, then try looking for a replacement.
What can be used:
- Powdered milk, cream. We breed according to the instructions or a little more, add when cooking porridge.
- Fresh cream. We use it as regular milk, but we dilute it with three or four parts of water, it all depends on the fat content.
- Condensed milk. It is less suitable for cereal, as it contains a lot of sugar; do not add more than two tablespoons per serving. Can be used when boiling or for dressing ready-made cereal on the water.
It should be borne in mind that porridge in milk is prepared only with lactose tolerance. Otherwise, you have to look for an alternative. Although, now this is not a problem, on sale you can find vegetable types of milk for every taste. You should only familiarize yourself with the information on the package. Not all vegetable milk can be heated and used to cook porridge.
Salt is the main ingredient in porridge
You can make oatmeal from the highest quality premium cereals, add the best oil, pour sugar or season with honey, but there will still be no taste. Just a pinch of salt will fix it. Yes, it is this ingredient that is important not to forget.
Salt is a natural flavor enhancer. In this embodiment, it works better than glutamates and other chemicals. She fills porridge with sweetness, aroma. Any dish with it will be tastier, but you should not abuse it. Everything needs a measure, a large amount of salt will ruin everything.
Another common mistake: go and do not bother
Oatmeal does not like peace. Flakes sink to the bottom of the pan, swell slowly, may even stick together. There is nothing worse than lumps of oatmeal in porridge. Therefore, when cooking, the mass must be stirred. This is especially important when boiling and the first two minutes. Then you can reduce the fire, go about your business, just occasionally glance over the porridge.
If porridge is not made from cereal, but crushed oats are involved, then it can also burn. It is important to regularly raise the settling grain, preventing it from sticking. For this reason, it is recommended to use a pan with a thick bottom.
Do not boil, but boil
If time allows, then you can pour oatmeal with boiling milk, cover, leave for a couple of hours. But such porridge is still tough (albeit useful), so more often we cook porridge, and it’s not always possible to just wait. In this case, you need to bring the cereal to full readiness. Otherwise, coarse particles will come across in the porridge, it will not turn out soft, soft, does not absorb a sufficient amount of liquid.
Usually the cooking time is indicated on the packaging. Hercules on average needs to boil for 15 minutes. If oatmeal is used, quick cooking (not the most useful type), then it takes 3-5 minutes to cook. The porridge from crushed oats is cooked the longest. It is recommended to soak it for an hour or another, and then boil for 30-40 minutes. The process is not fast, but there is much more benefit in such a dish.
Bath or shower?
Rinsing oatmeal may seem delusional. But this is not so. When cooking cheap loose cereal, a gray foam appears on the porridge, the dish has an unpleasant earthy aroma, often gives off with bitterness. If you are destined to cook porridge from such oatmeal, then be so kind as to rinse. Also come with crushed grain.
How to do it:
- Oatmeal bath. Pour the cereal with water in a saucepan or in a large bowl, stir, leave for a few seconds, let it soak. Then we merge into a sieve, dirt drains along with small particles.
- Oatmeal shower. Pour the cereal in a sieve or in a colander with small holes. Pour over the shower head with a watering can. Let the drops of water drain.
By the way, oatmeal is sometimes washed to improve the quality of porridge. Small particles - flour and starch, which give a slimy texture, stickiness, the dish looks like jelly.
Oatmeal can also be bitter if old flakes are used or if mold appears in them. In this case, washing does not help, it is easier to replace the main ingredient.
Interesting facts about oatmeal
- Until the 19th century, only livestock was fed oats. In the diet of people, this product appeared relatively recently (in comparison with other cereals) after the invention of cereals. But along with this, oats increased in price.
- Oatmeal is useful not only for the digestive tract. This simple dish improves skin condition, is useful for acne, normalizes the sebaceous glands and is considered a beauty product.
- It turns out that oatmeal can not be consumed by all people. The main contraindication is gluten intolerance.
- Flakes without cooking will do more harm than good. Especially people who are overweight or have diabetes.
- Contrary to the claims of nutritionists, oatmeal does not give everyone a feeling of fullness. Many people, on the contrary, after eating this cereal for breakfast, after an hour or two begin to experience severe hunger, without a bite they can’t endure before dinner. Which category do you belong to?
Maybe cook not only porridge?
As you can see, oatmeal is really a queen among cereals (or a king, if we talk about hercules). But even such an honorable person sooner or later get bored on the table. Then she comes to the rescue - ingenuity.
What else is useful to cook:
- Granola. Mix dry oatmeal with a small amount of honey, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, grind, bake on a sheet of parchment. Such a semi-finished product can be poured with yoghurts, juices, ordinary boiling water or consumed in a dry form.
- Oatmeal pancake. It will replace buns, bread, pastries, while it is much more useful and easy to prepare. It is enough to mix 30 g of chopped oatmeal with an egg, three tablespoons of kefir, add spices and fry in a pan.
- Oat cookies. There are many recipes, but it is better to choose options with a small amount of fat and sugar. Let them contain honey, dried fruits, seeds or nuts.
If you still want to use it is a healthy porridge, then you can experiment with it. For example, boil in baked milk or season with syrup, fried nuts, add fresh berries or a ball of ice cream for taste.
