Thursday, December 22, 2022

Oatmeal

It’s been raining buckets all day, and I haven’t wanted to do a thing, so mostly I didn’t. (Except the gym, which was amazing.)

Slow cooker oats was just the right foil to the day’s chill, with enough left over to set aside for the duration of the winter storm.

I use freshly rolled oats, but any variety of old-fashioned oats will do. (If you need them to be gluten-free, make sure they are processed at a gluten-free facility; while oats don’t have gluten, they can pick it up on the equipment from other grains. If you only have quick-cooking oats on hand, it’s all good, they just won’t be as creamy and they have a bit less nutrition, but they’re still wonderful.)

Method
Stir one cup of rolled oats into 3 cups of water* (double or triple or halve or whatever mathematics make sense to you and your equipment / size of your army**) in a 2-quart slow cooker. I like to add in a little cinnamon for cooking, but it’s totally optional. They say a dash of salt is optional too, but i find it makes a world of difference.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or overnight.

The oatmeal will have much less definition than you’re probably used to, but it will be super creamy tasting. To enhance the creaminess, you can add some actual fresh cream at this point—the slow cooked oats will really incorporate it well.

Scoop out and serve in a bowl.

I like mine topped with freshly grated ginger, Vietnamese cinnamon, and some jumbo flame raisins.

Some folks go the peanut butter and banana route, or the berries and walnuts route, or the swirl of Nutella route. It’s a wonderful base for any of the toppings you’re into at the moment and have on hand.

*Any liquid, really — I hear half milk and half water makes a really nice balance, and I’m looking forward to trying it. I would recommend whole milk if you go this route. I am also considering going straight three cups of milk and having that replace my morning yogurt. Want to make it dairy free? Go with almond milk!

**Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to five days.