Most people’s experience with oatmeal has been from one of:
packets of instant oatmeal that have low-quality cheap flavoring and might have gone stale
quick-cooking rolled oats without any flavoring
Those are my only experiences with oats, but I like both of those experiences. I love instant oatmeal, and I love quick oats boiled on the stove, though of course in the latter case I have to supply my own flavouring. Even just sugar is enough to make it great. But adding raisins takes it to another level; especially adding them while the oats are still boiling so that they rehydrate a little. Dried cranberries are also great. Sometimes I like to add some apple juice to the pot while the oats are boiling. This narrow range of possibilities is already plenty of variety for my narrow palate; and if I’m already making oatmeal, those additions are basically zero added effort. If I didn’t have crippling executive dysfunction, I’d eat quick oats much more often than I actually do. (Unfortunately, the activation energy required to make anything on the stove is more than I usually reach; and I find the microwave to be a poor substitute, not to mention that it doesn’t even solve the part that I find aversive, which is measuring out the oats and water. Also, raisins and dried cranberries are expensive.)
The other day I bought some quick oats and raisins and dried cranberries, and have been serving myself some very delicious bowls of oatmeal. Thanks, bhauth, for reminding me this exists.
Those are my only experiences with oats, but I like both of those experiences. I love instant oatmeal, and I love quick oats boiled on the stove, though of course in the latter case I have to supply my own flavouring. Even just sugar is enough to make it great. But adding raisins takes it to another level; especially adding them while the oats are still boiling so that they rehydrate a little. Dried cranberries are also great. Sometimes I like to add some apple juice to the pot while the oats are boiling. This narrow range of possibilities is already plenty of variety for my narrow palate; and if I’m already making oatmeal, those additions are basically zero added effort. If I didn’t have crippling executive dysfunction, I’d eat quick oats much more often than I actually do. (Unfortunately, the activation energy required to make anything on the stove is more than I usually reach; and I find the microwave to be a poor substitute, not to mention that it doesn’t even solve the part that I find aversive, which is measuring out the oats and water. Also, raisins and dried cranberries are expensive.)
The other day I bought some quick oats and raisins and dried cranberries, and have been serving myself some very delicious bowls of oatmeal. Thanks, bhauth, for reminding me this exists.