I was slow to understand and apply the timesaving which microwaving oatmeal offers an over-burdened mother in the morning. The only time I had microwaved oatmeal was in the mid 1980’s during a home economics course which made more use of the microwave than anyone has ever dreamed of doing since. To my recollection, the microwaved oatmeal was a pasty goop, which spilled over the bowl and exploded into a nasty mess that I ended up cleaning, because my cooking partner was cleverer than I at weaseling out of it was. For years I eschewed microwaved oatmeal because of this one bad experience.
Turns out, I deprived myself of a wonderful time and energy saving method. The key to microwaving oatmeal is to cook it in a larger bowl than you think it needs. For the recipes included in this book, I use a 3-quart glass casserole dish. This gives the oatmeal plenty of room to boil, without tempting it to bathe the inside of the microwave with its hearty goodness.
To begin, combine all of the ingredients called for in the recipe in your large glass bowl or casserole. This includes the water, the oatmeal and all of the various seasonings. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook it on High for about 8 minutes, or until the mixture boils really big and aggressively all over the dish. For old-fashioned oatmeal you want it to continue this rumbling boil for a minute or so. For quick oatmeal, you just need it to boil all the way through to the center of the dish, and then let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Depending on your microwave wattage the cooking time may be more than 8 minutes, or it may be less. Watch the oatmeal the first time you make it, and take note of how much time it takes to cook.
The beauty of this method is that the oatmeal can be left to tend itself. Meanwhile you can run off to find lost socks; scavenge up field trip money; and pack the lunches for hungry heathens hell bent on making the morning rush take as long as possible so they miss the bus and you have to drive them to school. Other hot cereals can also be microwaved. Read the package to find out how, and be sure to use a big enough bowl for the cooking.
I do microwave Oatmeal for One. I use 1/3 cup quick oatmeal, 2/3 cup water and put it in a 4 cup pyrex measuring cup. Put it in the microwave on full power (1100 Watt) and set it at 1-3/4 minutes. It is perfect. I pour it into a soup mug, add sugar and enough milk to make it soupy and sit down at the computer and “drink” it. A teaspon gets the last little bit out of the cup. Good Stuff.
This is one I read about and then modified. It is a easy way for a fast start in the morning.
Another way to keep things like oatmeal and rice from boiling over in the microwave or on the stove is to add a little healthy oil like cold pressed coconut butter. Microwaved oatmeal with chopped apples and nuts has been a favorite in our house for years. A spoon full of oil makes a world of difference.
How many servings are you cooking for 8 minutes? We’ve always cooked it one serving at a time.
Is there a specific recipe for this? I always do instant oatameal in the microwave. No problems there.
I cook my oatmeal in my rice cooker. Its been a while but I don’t think it took more than 20 minutes. I like that this method means I can go do something else while it cooks. So my time in the kitchen is just seconds!
I have another instant oatmeal recipe that we love.
1/2 cup instant oats
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon(or to taste)
2-4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp skim milk powder
1 cup water.
(if you don’t want to use skim milk powder and water a cup of milk works just as well.)
Mix all together in bowl and nuke for 1 m 45 seconds.
I find that i can mix up this ahead of time in snack size bags and it’s ready and waiting when wanted.
My kids love this. you can add raisins or dried apples as well.