This is a collaborative post.
Ours is a fairly low budget model and I’d love to upgrade to
something better, these Panasonic Combination Microwaves would be ideal. Something to
think about when I’m fitting out our new kitchen in the extension as I want to only fit quality items that won’t need replacing every
five minutes.
The main thing I use my microwave for, besides
heating up milk for my children (they drink 26 pints a week!) is to cook
porridge in the mornings.
Now it’s colder the children want either porridge or toast
for breakfast, and as I normally bake rolls most days (far less waste), porridge
seems to happen more and more.
It’s painfully simple to make it in the microwave, that’s
why mine never sees a saucepan.
One part rolled oats, one part water and one part milk,
mixed together then cooked on full for 3 minutes, stirred and then cooked again
for a further 3 minutes. This length of
time is to cook for my three kids and me so adjust if it’s just for one of you, if you cook too much you could always try my leftover porridge cake!
Also a tip for the top – porridge gets bigger as it cooks
and boils up, you’ll soon learn that a larger dish is your friend when cooking
porridge, unless you like cleaning out the microwave.
Our choices are either homemade jam (raspberry or damson are
a favourite on porridge here and homemade is the only option!), brown sugar
(one of my favourites), golden syrup or honey (only my eldest does this as the
rest of us hate it), we also add a few 'yeah yeahs' (raisins to you and me) just to alter the texture a bit as we eat it.
If my mum is over then she always brings over a pot of
stewed damsons that she keeps in the freezer, tastes amazing and far less sugar than any of the others!
 |
| Old picture but I love it! Pink porridge from grandma! |
So do you have a microwave?
What do you use it for mainly?
What’s your favourite Porridge topping? And please, no one
say salt or it’ll make me feel ill…
Golden syrup or brown sugar for me. Love the look of the pink porridge!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a microwave (I've just never got on with them) and as my children are older and getting up at different times, and to encourage them and my husband (who isn't great at getting up in time to have breakfast before he goes to work) to eat in the morning I make a homemade instant porridge with half blitzed oats, half rolled oats, some brown sugar and some milk powder. Not perfect, but better than many alternatives and fast! We often add cubed dried apple or raisins. This morning the girls and I have got flaked rice porridge because it's quick to make on the hob.
I love the sound of that instant porridge. I do on a rare occasion buy the ones from the supermarket if we're going camping or something, but they're so expensive! How much milk powder do you add? And do you blitz the oats for very long?
DeleteSounds perfect to make for my wife so she could take it to work with her!
I use this recipe http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-instant-oatmeal-112959
Deleteso 6 cups of oats (cheapest supermarket!), 3 of which are blitzed to Ready Brek type powder) with 1/4 cup skimmed milk and 1/4 cup brown sugar and some salt. Husband didn't like it when I added cinnamon to it so haven't got more adventurous than that :-)
Thank you! I'll have to try this at some point! Be great for camping as well! I love cinnamon!
DeletePorridge for DB, custard, hot drinks, scrambled eggs, peas, sweetcorn, baked beans, stewed fruit warming.
ReplyDeleteI'm so lazy when it comes to custard! Out of a tin for me! My wife makes it though!
DeleteAs for baked beans I've got soem smoked pepper fakes that I add to mine - makes them taste almost posh!
I have microwave porridge every morning, but no topping as I am watching my weight. Like you we do not use ours too much, just heating a few things, it no saucepan porridge is great.
ReplyDeleteMy wife has memories of soaking that porridge saucepan for hours to get it clean! I couldn't have porridge without a topping though!
DeleteUse a heavy-based saucepan (or non-stick if you must), soak it while you eat, then put in the dishwasher (even on a delay wash). Comes clean every time.
DeleteI do the same witht he bowls, straight in the sink once everyone has finished, otherwise it's like someone has welded it on!
DeleteYes we have a microwave and use it for porridge sometimes. However I would love to NOT replace it when the current one gives up the ghost. You might not have seen on my blog that I swapped round the microwave and coffee/tea making things as I only use the electric kettle for the first and last hot drinks of the day. I try to warm baked beans and other smalls things, butter when baking etc on the Rayburn. As we don't light the Rayburn from April to October I probably will always have to have one.
ReplyDeleteI'll add your blog to my blog list on the side - not sure why I hadn't before to be honest, I'm terrible at doing things like that!
DeleteI don;t have hot drinks so could happily survive without a kettle, my wife might argue otherwise though!
Thanks for that Kev.
Deleteaccording to my profile it should be on there but for some reason tells me it won't update! I've looked it's right at the bottom but with no picture or your latest post! No idea why this is. I'll have to try and put it on there again when I get chance. Sorry!
DeleteHedgerow jam that we made back in August - it's like having pudding for breakfast :)
ReplyDeleteSounds good! What was on the hedgerow when you made it! I love anything with blackberries in!
DeleteFor years I've had microwaved porridge for breakfast without deviation (I like routine). As you say it is easy and quick so when I used to have to commute to work it was ideal. I add sultanas. I don't cover it for the 90 seconds one bowl needs or otherwise it boils over.
ReplyDeleteI'm a creature of habit as well! muesli for me since i was 6, it's just so easy but it's also full of sugar so it's better if I have porridge or overnight oats.
DeleteIt's really easy to assemble muesli free of sugar (also salt, milk powder & artificial flavours) - get a plain base mix from a 'health food' shop or, even better, mix your own base (with oats, barley flakes etc) & add dried fruit/nuts of choice.
DeleteIt's another thing I should do, I have to admit to loving overnight oats, if I could just remember to do them each night!
DeleteMostly, I have been using my sister's microwave, which I have borrowed, to warm heat packs for my hand, post surgery. I have, though, learned the pleasure of a quick sachet of microwaveable rice which I have never previously used. You use the short cuts when you only have one functioning hand :-)
ReplyDeleteThat microwave rice is so easy isn't it! On the very rare occation we buy a takeaway (normally one of those cook at home ones from Waitrose) then we buy the microwave rice as it's cheaper and just as nice as what they sell with it!
DeleteIO'm crap at cooking rice - always goes sticky!
Really sorry to keep on commenting on your comments - but for a family, electric rice cookers are fantastic (very simple to use & perfect results). I always make a double quantity & keep it for stir fry the next day. Rice also freezes really well (cool & freeze it very quickly after cooking for safety) & is much cheaper than bought sachets.
DeleteA rice cooker would be good, in fact I cooked rice last night and didn't mess it up! It's just getting enough water in it to start with that counts! We don't buy the sachets very often, but handy for an emergency or lazy evening!
DeleteHello there, I usually put diabetic type sugar on mine as I have diabetes. I also like prunes ( take out the stones for the children) and, like your daughter a very little golden syrup. A banana if I have one or any stewed fruit hanging about. I use my Panasonic microwave (on my second) for bolognaise sauce, porage, warming the margarine when baking, on defrost for a minute. Heating up most vegetables, soup, custard, and if you buy the Panasonic Combi it comes with a superb recipe book. I am sure I have missed something out but good luck and I know what you mean about cleaning out a porage filled microwave we all have failures. The best failure I have ever seen was my lovely daughter in law making two pints of custard. It took us hours to clean it up. Love Andie xxx
ReplyDeleteYou'd like my yacon that I've got growing - sweet but with no sugar. Apparently it boils down to make a great syrup that is loved by diabetics!
DeleteI can't have bananas or I get terrible intergestion, rubbish because I think they taste great!
I really like the idea of having a better microwave when I kit out he extension, a huge oven would be good as well, either that or two small ones!
That moment when you open the microwave door and it's all cooked to the sides and the roof of it! Not good!
Double-oven ordinary cookers are quite hard to find & a bit more expensive (I've not long had to renew mine), but absolutely essential for a family that cooks.
DeleteKev - have you ever heard of overnight oats? they are cold an require no heating in the mornings and are delicious! most people use milk and/or yoghurt but jambaloney and i use coconut cream and coconut milk in ours. you can put the fruit/honey/whatever in them at night when you make the oats and it makes them taste so good! and guess what? no cooking required. look them up and if you want my recipe just yell.
ReplyDeletesending lots of love to you all! your friend,
kymber
Yeah, I quite often do overnight oats and I've been meaning to do a post on them and what I do. I tend to use water, chia seeds, soya milk and a huge spoonful of yogurt, but vary it depending on what I have to hand. Then in the morning add loads of dried fruit and nuts. But the kids do love hot porridge on a cold day, it's rare we have the heating on in the morning (what am I saying, it's rare we have the heating on full stop!) so I guess the kids will warm up anyway they can!
DeleteI am not sure, but I think what you call porridge we call oatmeal. My wife eats a lot of it. It comes in round cardboard cans, and we buy "English Oatmeal" a case at a time. I am not sure what the difference is between the "English Oatmeal" we drive 64 miles round trip to buy and regular oatmeal, but my wife says there is a difference.
ReplyDeleteI have two very old, very heavy and indestructible microwaves. One in the house, one in the apartment kitchen over my shop. We have had more modern microwaves, but the power here is very unreliable, and flucuates from high to low amperage. The newer, small microwaves have all been destroyed by this.
Sometimes newer is not better.
I've banned my mum from bringing her oats when she comes as they are far better quality than what I buy and I don't want the kids getting used to the finer things! She'd probably drive for them as well!
DeletePower in the UK is constant so no worries with fluctuation here at the moment!
Unfortunately, we accidentally got into using better (more expensive!) oats while on holiday, buying some grown organically on a local farm - now we find they stick much less during cooking, are much more filling & really taste more oaty so we've given up all toppings except fresh fruit.
DeleteI like the sound of locally grown but no nowhere round here that does it. Even with the better quality stuff it's still a cheap breakfast!
DeletePimhill Farm is an organic grower & supplier in Shropshire that sells in local stores & also sells 5kg bags online.
DeleteOne of my major memories of my childhood is the arguments my brothers and I had over whose turn it was to wash out the porridge pan. I always cook ours in the microwave but don't use milk as we're both trying to loose weight. I put fat free Greek yoghurt and fresh fruit on mine.
ReplyDeleteI guess you weren't arguing because you both wanted to do it! I do use half and half water and milk which I never used to, but then we get through a lot of milk each day so it saves cost and I don't notice the taste chagne at all.
DeleteWay back when my mum used to make porridge, soaked overnight and cooked in a double boiler. Not a lump in sight, smooth as custard with golden syrup. I have tried numerous times to make it but always end up with lumps which make me gag! Consequently I haven't had porridge for many years, I stick with weetabix with hot milk-heated in the microwave. I use my microwave probably every day, mainly for heating leftovers.
ReplyDeleteWell I had to just look up what a double boiler was! I feel like a fool now!
DeleteI never get lumps in the microwave, the key is to give it a stir half way through. Wheatabix is something I can only eat if I cover it with sugar!
I tend to make mine on the stove and put banana or dried berries in the liquid as it cooks so I don't need to add extra sweetener. I like using cinnamon or GaramMasala to spice it up but I also enjoy pumpkin purée with pumpkin spice and cacao powder with mint essence. A splash of coconut cream adds richness.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could eat bananas but they do bad things to me!
DeleteI'm willing to try most things but GaramMasala is one I might leave just for you! Does this make it savory? Is it the same as you put on curry? I'm very curious! The mint would make it interesting as well. You sound very adventurous with your porridge, I thought I was by adding some rasins!
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ReplyDeleteNever thought to cook porridge in a microwave! It's obvious now you've mentioned it. This will save me loads of washing up!
ReplyDeleteOh and Golden syrup all the way!