Secrets of cooking oatmeal with milk

Oatmeal with milk is the most common type of breakfast that has not lost its relevance for centuries. Despite its external unattractiveness, oatmeal is rich in useful substances, gives a boost of energy and a feeling of satiety until dinner, and there are many recipes for its preparation. Therefore, every breakfast with oatmeal can be original and tasty every day.

Recipes for making oatmeal are varied and very colorful. This is due to the versatility of this type of breakfast, its prevalence in many countries of the world and the speed of preparation. Oatmeal is ideal for children from an early age, active working people, retirees, adherents of any type of diet: vegetarians, vegans, proper diet, etc.

Oat grains are rich in B and E vitamins, macro- and microelements, and contain amino acids. Oatmeal is a low-calorie dish that contains complex fats and carbohydrates, which are broken down in the body for a long time, maintaining a feeling of satiety. For people with diabetes, oatmeal can help maintain proper blood sugar levels.

Depending on the structure of the ingredient (grains, flakes of various processing), recipes and especially the cooking time will differ, but there are general rules for making viscous porridge.

• A saucepan with thick walls and a bottom with a tight-fitting lid. For cooking porridge, a thick-walled aluminum or non-stick pan is best. They retain heat well and allow the porridge to infuse and not cool for a long time ceramic pots or pots, pans with titanium and granite coatings that can be placed on an open fire.
• The size of the pan should be with a margin. Porridge tends to swell and increase from the initial volume by 1.5-2 times (the amount of increase depends on the ingredient: grains, flakes, Extra flakes, etc.).
• Preparing cereals for cooking. No matter how well the grains are polished and the flakes are cleaned, it is imperative to rinse the groats under running water before cooking.
• To make the porridge cook faster and not burn, it is better to pour the cereal overnight or for several hours.
• Before starting cooking, it is better to grease the bottom of the pan with butter or olive oil so that the cereal does not burn, it is also necessary to grease the edges of the pan so that the milk foam does not run onto the stove.

• Do not cook porridge immediately with pure milk. On it, it will cook much longer, and the milk will lose its rich aroma and taste. It is better to cook the right amount of cereal in a small amount of water until half cooked, and then add boiled or pasteurized milk to the desired consistency.
• The ratio of proportions and the consistency of the finished porridge.Oatmeal has a viscous consistency and, as a rule, is cooked in a ratio of 1 to 2, that is, 2 glasses of liquid are taken for 1 glass of cereal. The longer the porridge is ready, the thicker it becomes, this factor must also be taken into account. If the family prefers liquid porridge for breakfast, then you can pour 200-250 g of cereal per liter of liquid (milk with water).
• In the process of cooking, the porridge must be constantly stirred, not forgetting to remove the foam from the milk. If she remains in the porridge, she will turn into a lump that will fall into the serving plate.
• After the allotted cooking time, the porridge should be allowed to brew, swell and absorb all the tastes and aromas. To do this, you can leave the pan just on a hot stove, but it is better to wrap it in a blanket and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.
• Add spices and oil should be at the end of cooking. You can put a piece of butter in each serving plate, so the taste will be even more saturated, and the breakfast will be nutritious.

On the shelves of stores today there are many oatmeal of various degrees of processing, which determines the time of their preparation. The classic or traditional way of preparing milk oatmeal involves the use of whole grains for cooking, and not the Hercules flakes familiar to many. It is whole grains that contain the greatest amount of nutrients and trace elements.

To make oatmeal tasty and nutritious according to the classic recipe, let's take a step-by-step look at how to cook oatmeal for breakfast correctly.

• Preparation of ingredients. It is necessary to take 1 glass of whole grains, 2 glasses of milk, salt on the tip of a knife, sugar to taste, 30-50 g of butter.
• Before cooking, the cereals must be thoroughly washed and the transparent shells removed from the grain. It is enough to fill the grains with cold water and these shells, as well as small debris, will float, after which they can be easily drained.
• To reduce the cooking time, it is better to pour the grains with cold water and leave overnight in a cool place. After swelling, oat grains will cook twice as fast.
• At the bottom of the pan, be sure to pour a small amount of water so that the milk does not burn to the bottom, and let the water boil. Then pour in 2 cups of milk. Over medium heat, stirring occasionally, bring the milk to a boil.

• Add salt on the tip of a knife to boiling milk and pour in the cereal, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Sugar is best added at the end of cooking.
• During cooking, foam will collect on the surface of the milk, which must be collected with a spoon and removed from the pan;
• After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and cover tightly with a lid, even if it seems that the grains are not boiled enough. To infuse and reach readiness, the porridge needs another 5-10 minutes. For a better thermal effect, you can wrap the pan in a blanket.
• After 5 minutes, add some of the oil and let stand for another 10 minutes.
• Hot porridge is laid out in portioned plates. In each, if desired, you can add a small piece of butter.

The consistency of classic oatmeal with milk is viscous and viscous.Whole grains for breakfast will give you a boost of energy and a feeling of satiety until lunch.

According to the traditional English recipe, oatmeal is boiled with water in the ratio of 1 cup of whole grains to 1.5 cups of water, just like in the classic recipe above. But boiled warm milk, and sometimes even sour cream, is added to a portioned deep plate. Often, English oatmeal is eaten not sweet, but with the addition of spices: red or black pepper, paprika, basil, Italian dried herbs.

For those who adhere to a proper nutrition system or diet, oatmeal with milk is good for breakfast.

Grains or flakes of oats act like a brush on the human intestines, cleansing it of harmful substances. Whole grain oatmeal has a low glycemic index, which means it is suitable for people who follow a low-calorie diet, and at the same time replenish the required level of complex fats and carbohydrates. The long process of splitting grains allows you to maintain the necessary level of sugar in the blood, so this breakfast is suitable for patients with diabetes who, for health reasons, must follow a diet.

For a dietary breakfast, you can choose both whole grain cereals and oatmeal. The recipe for making dietary porridge with milk does not differ significantly from the classic one, but has its own nuances.

• Choice of cereal variety: whole grain cereals are the most useful, since each grain retains all the useful elements, and they are also satisfying, because they break down in the body longer. Flakes "Hercules" quickly boil soft. Cereal porridge will be more homogeneous in consistency.The least useful in terms of quality are flakes "Extra" or instant porridge in portioned sachets. The upper hard layer is completely removed from them, along with some useful trace elements, but such cereals can be prepared even without cooking.
• Proportions: 1 cup cereal, 1.5 cups milk, 1.5 cups water. The consistency of diet oatmeal is less viscous due to the use of more liquid. Milk is a rather fatty product, therefore, for dietary porridge, it must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 1;

• During the preparation of a dietary breakfast, do not add salt and sugar. If you need sweet porridge, you can add honey or a sugar substitute to a serving plate.
• The cooking time for a dietary dish is 15-20 minutes, if Hercules flakes are used - 8-10 minutes, Extra flakes are cooked for no more than 5 minutes.
• Instead of butter in a diet dish, it is better to add corn or extra virgin olive oil. Vegetable oils should only be added to the pan, because in a portioned plate it will not look appetizing enough.
• Oatmeal should not be cooked until fully cooked, it is better to let it brew in a warm place. In portioned plates for dietary oatmeal, you can add honey, fresh fruits, dried fruits to taste.

Many nutritionists advise cooking scrub porridge for the intestines without cooking. Oatmeal is poured overnight with nonfat milk or one percent kefir in a ratio of one to two in a glass or plastic container. Close tightly and put in a cool place or refrigerator. In the morning, this porridge can be heated in the microwave or eaten cold.

A traditional breakfast of milk oatmeal can become quite varied and not get bored for years.

You can diversify oatmeal not only using various cooking recipes, but also methods: in a slow cooker, in a microwave, in a saucepan.

Be sure to experiment with the consistency of porridge. According to its properties, oatmeal turns out to be a viscous porridge, but if you add half a serving of liquid, oatmeal can be an interesting side dish for vegetable stew or scrambled eggs. With a ratio of cereals and milk of 1 to 3, you get a very thin porridge that will remind you of breakfast from childhood.

You can replace the sugar additive using honey or urbech - this is a ground mass of apricot kernels or black cumin seeds. Thanks to natural sweet additives, the beneficial properties of breakfast will increase significantly, and the taste will only improve.

Today, many refuse to consume lactose-containing products and replace cow's or goat's milk with plant-based products. In this case, it is perfectly acceptable to cook oatmeal with vegetable milk.

• Almond milk has a sweetish creamy taste and is ideal for making sugar-free breakfast cereal. Almond milk is rich in Omega-3, calcium, zinc, phosphorus.Almond milk on the shelves of supermarkets is made from roasted almonds, and therefore has lost some of the beneficial elements (folic acid, zinc). Therefore, it is better to prepare almond milk yourself from unroasted almonds.
• Coconut milk - the sweetest type of lactose-free milk, which contains, in addition to many useful trace elements, lauric acid. Lauric acid supports the immune system and helps fight viruses. Despite the sweet taste, this type of milk contains less sugar and fructose than other types of lactose-free products.
• rice milk - a variant of plant-based gluten-free and lactose-free milk, which is rich in useful trace elements (antioxidants, calcium, vitamins D and E). Rice milk is obtained from brown rice, which means it is rich in fiber and is ideal for diet cereals.

There are other types of plant-based milk: oat, pumpkin, cashew, etc. Which milk to choose depends on personal preferences and tastes, as well as on what beneficial properties are needed for the body.

If children are not very fond of milk porridge, and adults are bored with the monotonous look and taste of a traditional breakfast, you can diversify traditional milk oatmeal with various additives.

• Dried fruits: dried apricots, raisins, prunes, kiwi and melon chips, dried banana or pineapple go well together and reveal the taste of oatmeal.
• Fresh fruits: banana, apple, peach, pear. The choice is limited only by personal preferences and the seasonality of a particular fruit. Oatmeal with a banana or apple should be served immediately before use, because these fruits, reacting with oxygen, turn black and lose their appetizing appeal.
• Nuts: walnuts, cashews, peanuts, almonds, cedar. Walnut is a fairly fatty product, so you should not abuse these supplements, especially for those who are on a diet.

You can add one ingredient at a time to oatmeal or mix it. On the shelves of stores you can find instant milk oatmeal with dried fruits and nuts. Advantages of this product: quick preparation and ease of use. Such cereals can be used in the office or on the road, when there is no way to cook or there is no time for this.

You should not get carried away with instant cereals, because due to excessive grinding of grains, practically no useful properties are preserved in cereals, and each package contains a lot of sugar and preservatives for long-term storage.

How to cook oatmeal in milk, see the following video.