Metropol

I have developed a taste for porridge and hence have gone for some lovely Quaker type stuff in individual packets.

I pour the contents of one sachet, add the appropriate amount of milk (measured carefully), then put it into the microwave for the specified amount of time at the correct power settting (2:00 @ 800W).

About 50% of the time, the porridge comes out nice and thick and consistnet.

Other times, it comes out as a load of milky slop.

I have no idea what is changing between the succesful and unsuccesful attempts.

What the hell am I doing wrong? Perhaps I'm Economy Gastronomy's target audience.

Is there another person in your house adjusting the microwave power level?

what the packets don't tell you is that although it takes two minutes in the microwave, it then takes 15 minutes to cool down to a temperature which one can work with. i now do one minute 40, and its still the temperature of molten metal. so i pop it in the fridge (naughty i know), have a shower, and then shovel it down my neck.

on other days i can't be arsed and make do with a bourbon.

I love porridge, but I never use the microwave stuff - Scott's Porridge Oats for me, naturally.

I've got a little coffee cup I use as a measure (2:1, milk:oats) and a pinch of salt to bring out the flavour of the oats.

If you use the hob at just under full heat and stir vigorously and constantly (don't stop for a second, by the way), it comes out smooth and perfect. Takes about 3 minutes.

I use the cooling time in the bowl to wash the pot, and if you sprinkle sugar on as soon as its in the bowl, the sugar will dissolve over the surface. I put a splash of cold milk on once its set.

Sounds like a lot of work, and it is. So I don't make it often.

Probably not much help there in the context of this thread, but if you fancy making it properly, that's how you do it.

Oats have flavour?

My gosh, Gavin: just tried the Hob instructions and it worked like an absolute charm. But it certainly is a lot of work!

I'll probably stick to the sloppy microwaved stuff, but it's nice to know I can make proper porridge if the fancy takes me

Sput wrote:Oats have flavour?

Oh yes - but only if you give them a pinch of salt. If you want to enhance the flavour, put the oats into a dry saucepan on the heat, and toast them ever so slightly first. Toasted oats are lush.

cdd wrote:My gosh, Gavin: just tried the Hob instructions and it worked like an absolute charm. But it certainly is a lot of work!

Yay!

Its not called "Scott's" for nothing

Gavin Scott wrote:

Sput wrote:Oats have flavour?

Oh yes - but only if you give them a pinch of salt. If you want to enhance the flavour, put the oats into a dry saucepan on the heat, and toast them ever so slightly first. Toasted oats are lush.

So salt has a taste and oats don't.

I find the same thing with the Oat So Simple packets, it's very had to get them to the right consistency each time. They're nice though, I keep a stash in my locker in work as an emergency snack for late at night if I get hungry. Oh and the golden syrup flavour is particularly good if you add a little extra real golden syrup as a treat.

Technically Gavin is right I think since salt is a flavour enhancer, like MSG except less cancer inducing.

meanwhile, i have got one step closer to solving the mystery. Just now I stuck a bowl in the microwave and insetad of setting it to 800W and doing it for 2M, I set it to its max (1000W) and did it for 1 min 45.

The porridge came out perfectly.

I have now devised a theory that goes:

1. a 1000W microwave in order to emulate 800W turns the energizer on and off occasionally
2. Turning the energizer off stops energy from being inputted into the porridge which gives the mixture a chance to settle (bad)
3. it is the constantness of the input of energy which results in the porridgisation, not the total amount of energy inserted

Heck, that theory looks terribly scientific on the face of it.

But why can I hear Sput's voice ringing in my ears, saying "You're wrong cdd"?