How To Make Oatmeal?

Oatmeal is a really easy way to ensure you’re starting your day off right. A bowl oatmeal is quick to make and can give you all the right nutrients that you’ll need to be energized all day long.

However, there are a few things that you might need to know about making oatmeal, especially healthy oatmeal, which we’d be happy to fill you in on. Read on to find out more!

What is Oatmeal?

Oatmeal is a staple in a lot of people’s diets, but it’s also a mystery to others. This doesn’t have to be the case - it’s a really simple dish.

Oatmeal is just oats and a liquid. Usually, the liquid is either water, milk, or a mixture of the two. When cooked, the oats absorb the liquid that they’re in, creating a thick, rich, dense bowl of breakfast that’s perfect for filling bellies and giving your energy.

The reason that oatmeal has had such popularity for such a long time is that it is cheap and healthy. Buying a large bag of oats that will last you a month or more can cost less than a dollar - and water and milk have never been expensive either. Simply combining the two makes a filling bowl that you can dress however you’d like. Historically, seasonal fruits and nuts were mostly used - for example, strawberries in the summer. Nowadays, you can use whatever you can get your hands on.

What Are The Types of Oatmeal?

The types of oatmeal are determined by which oats are used in the bowl. There are a lot of varieties out there, but there are only really three types of oats that you might need to know about: quick oats, steel-cut oats, and rolled oats.

Quick oats or instant oats have been processed to be very fine, and therefore will absorb liquid quickly. This cuts down on cooking time by about a minute, which can make all the difference in the mornings.

Steel-cut oats are the whole oat - they’re unrolled and completely unprocessed. They take a very long time to cook, typically about twenty minutes on the stove.

Rolled oats are somewhere in between the previous two options. These oats are rolled to be slightly squashed, but they aren’t as flat as quick oats. Therefore, they take a reasonable amount of time to cook. Also, rolled oats are not scottish oats. Scottish oats are oat groats.

How To Make Oatmeal?

There are two methods to bear in mind - stovetop, and microwave. Both methods are roughly as good as each other, as they both rely on boiling the liquid and then allowing that to do the cooking.

To cook oatmeal in the microwave, simply measure your oats and liquid - the ratio is 1:2, oats to liquid. Therefore, we would suggest using half a cup of oats and one cup of water or milk. That’s roughly enough for one person. Place the ingredients in a bowl without a cover, and then microwave on high for two minutes - the consistency should be perfect!

To cook oatmeal on the stovetop, start out by measuring the oats and liquid in the same ratio as before. Then, place them in the pan, and bring the liquid to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and allow the pan to simmer and thicken until all the liquid is absorbed. This will take about five minutes.

In addition to these two methods, you can also prepare the oats at night. To prepare overnight oats, mix oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup in the jar. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The best bet would be to leave it in the refrigerator overnight. You can consume it either cold or warm in the morning. If you want to heat it, you can heat it in the microwave or in the pan. Then serve with fresh fruit, granola and peanut butter on top.

Is Oatmeal Good For You?

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Oatmeal is definitely good for you! The two things that make it so are the fact that the grains make a great breakfast, and that you can add a number of healthy things to the bowl.

Grains are one of the best things to have in your breakfast in the morning. This is because they slowly release energy as they’re digested so, throughout the day, you’ll be constantly topped up with bit by bit of energy to keep you going. Perfect, right?

Adding whatever you like to the bowl is a win for both creativity and health. We’d recommend adding in some nuts, as they’re very high in protein. This protein will keep you fuller for longer, allowing you to have a smaller lunch.

You can use additions to help yourself out in the day, too. For example, if you suffer from hayfever, eating honey from local bees will help to reduce your symptoms, and that’s the perfect thing to go in your oatmeal.

Benefits of Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a really beneficial breakfast, here are some great reasons why:

• Oats are super nutritious!

Oats are a great source of carbs and fiber, which are both great for digestive health. They also contain a lot of important vitamins, such as manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium.

• Oats are very rich in antioxidants.

Oats contain a lot of great antioxidants, including avenanthramides which are a unique group of antioxidants found only in oats.

• Oats contain beta-glucan.

Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber that has great benefits. For example, beta-glucan can reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, while promoting healthy gut bacteria and feelings of fullness.

Is Oatmeal Gluten-Free?

Technically, yes, but in reality, the answer is sometimes no.

Oats themselves have no gluten in them whatsoever, that’s just not a part of how the plant grows and reproduces. However, the processing that turns oat plants into rolled oats is often done in factories that also handle grains like wheat, rye, and barley. These grains all have gluten in them, which could contaminate the oats themselves.

The other spanner in the works is that oats contain a protein called avenin. This chemical is completely natural, but it is chemically similar to gluten. This can mean that some people who are exceptionally sensitive to gluten may not be able to handle oatmeal.

To sum up, oatmeal is generally gluten-free so it is appropriate for a gluten-free diet, aside from in extreme edge cases. If you or whoever you’re cooking for has extreme gluten intolerance, we would recommend avoiding oatmeal.

Here are some our delicious Oatmeal Recipes: