You Can Cook Oatmeal From Scratch That Your Family Will Love

Have you decided to ditch the little packets of instant oats and want to learn to cook oatmeal from scratch? Well, I am here to help you prepare delicious, healthy oatmeal at home in just a few minutes time. You will love the health benefits and cost- savings and your family will love the many flavoring options.

The Budget-friendly Choice

Congrats, Mama. You have decided to toss out those icky little packets in favor of better ingredients. But did you also know that choosing to cook oatmeal on the stove at home is also a very budget-wise change to make. The cost-savings are easily recognized when you get an entire canister of oats for less than a little box with fewer ounces of product. You can really become a budget boss when you purchase oats in bulk. It just depends on your pantry storage options.

A Variety of Choice

Do not be overcome by anxiety when you observe the sheer number of oat choices on the store shelves. The options are readily broken down into 3 main types: quick-cooking oats, old-fashioned oats, and steel-cut oats.

Quick-cooking oats – good choice.

Quick-cooking oats are basically the oats found in the instant oatmeal packets. They have been processed in such a way that the cooking is almost complete. That is why you can simply pour boiling water over them to soften and heat them through before consuming. I still sometimes use these for No-bake Cookies, or when serving Salmon Patties, but I do not recommend them for when you cook oatmeal as they are too processed.

Old-fashioned Oats – better choice.

These are the large oats you see on the can that come off the mill in a flat “flake” as it is called. In fact, they are sometimes referred to as “flaked oats.” These have been steam pressed and will need to be cooked in order to fully enjoy their flavor and texture. In addition to using these to cook oatmeal, I sometimes grind them in my Ninja and use the oat flour in recipes. This is what I have used in the recipe included in this article

Steel-cut Oats – best choice.

This is the regular oat consumption we are all hoping to attain. There was a time when these were difficult for me to find in stores, but now there are usually at least two to three options available on the shelves. Due to the fact that steel-cut oats are largely unprocessed or “whole” they are a texture that most Americans will have to become accustomed to. Steel-cut oats are also sometimes called Irish Oats as well. These whole oats taste absolutely great, but their unfamiliar appearance in the bowl will be a dead giveaway to your picky people that this is something to be suspicious of.

A Healthy Eating Choice

For centuries, humans have enjoyed this cooked cereal grain with wide appeal. Oats are naturally gluten-free and are not genetically modified, but should probably be eaten “organic” as the seed head (which is the part we eat when harvested) is commonly sprayed in fields with weed killer at harvest time to encourage drying. The EWG has actually observed that glyphosate levels are being greatly reduced in oat products we consume. Yay!

Oats also have the added benefit of being loaded with fiber which aids our gut by bulking and softening our stool. Uh, moving on. A healthy fiber diet literally feeds and activates our gut biome inhabitants, causing them to thrive. In addition, much research has shown how fiber contributes to weight loss and prevention of disease. Please do your own investigation into that, and let’s get to cooking oatmeal!

Unlimited Flavoring Choice

Let me just say that endless options abound when flavoring your oatmeal. Some people like to eat the same food for breakfast every day, and oatmeal is a great choice for that. My husband is not one of those people, so I only cook oatmeal once a week. I usually try to make extra for other uses. Even though I am serving six people right now, I usually have enough left over to use as part of my homemade Oatmeal Bread recipe or to reheat as a convenient late-night snack for growing boys with hollow legs!

I have included some instructions for flavoring options in the recipe below, but don’t let our preferences inhibit your creativity. I have brewed chai tea and used the tea in place of the water to flavor the oats, you can use juices, etc. The choice of sweetener and amount used will also vary greatly according to taste. What you will find helpful is the oat to liquid ratio. You can just use 5 cups water and 3 cups rolled oats. My instructions call for using milk and cream because we have access to raw dairy. These add a nutrition boost and give an incredibly creamy mouth feel to the oats. Stick with the 5:3 liquid to oats ratio and you will be fine.

Let me know how your family likes their oatmeal flavored in the comments below!