Porridge. AIBU

[anotherchangetomyname]

I like porridge and after reading several threads on here, have swapped my usual bread based breakfast for porridge. Every fucking time without fail it boils over. I make it in the microwave at work (and yes, I clean it up). This morning, I watched it like a hawk, stirring every 30 seconds. It STILL boiled over! There's a reason people use Oats so Simple.

At the weekend I use a pan on the hob, low and slow, but can't do that week days. I think I've found my reason why I stopped having it!

I love porridge and have it every morning. My breakfast bowls are relatively large in terms of circumference rather than being narrow but taller, if that makes any sense at all. I can put my porridge in the microwave for 2.5mins before I need to stir it so I wonder if it having a bigger surface area helps?

DH makes his porridge in the microwave, but stands there peering through the glass, watching it get to bubble point, opens the door, stirs, adds more milk/water, closes the door, more peering. Honestly he wins the gold star for patience. I prefer to simmer-cook mine on the nob so I can give it a stir, do other things and multitask.

OMG, on the hob, the hob, not the nob eeek

Less heat. Microwave on lower temp

Agree with previous posters that 3 mins too long for one portion of porridge. I find 2 min 20 seconds is perfect. I don't stop and stir during that time.

It will look a little 'wet' when it comes out, but after 30 seconds standing time it will thicken up.

Other posters have suggested reducing the power, which I've never thought of, so with a bit of experimentation with time to power ratio, you'll get it!

daisychain keep that to the bedroom eh!

Mongertruffle are they even cooked after 80 seconds? It's why I can't do overnight oats or the pouring hot water thing over them. I don't just want soaked warm oats, I want cooked oats! Takes about 9/10 minutes on the hob when I do it. 20 if I'm being decadent (loooow and slooooow).

Also, porridge keeps and reheats really well. So you could make a couple of portions at a time at home and reheat at work. Less faff!

40g oats, 200ml milk, into a Pyrex glass jug, into the microwave for three minutes, done. Never boils over, if you're using a wide bowl, the biggest you can fit in the microwave, and it boils over then you must have porridge in there for about ten people!!

I have one of these: www.chillysbottles.com/food-tubs/

If you have time, make it at home on the hob in the morning, put in pot and eat when you get to work. Will keep nice and warm for a few hours.

Otherwise - put a piece of kitchen roll under the bowl to minimize cleanup.

I don't think I could eat reheated porridge, it's not quite the same...

are they even cooked after 80 seconds?
They are cooked to my liking (and I use jumbo rolled oats), although I suppose some people would prefer a softer consistency.

Overnight oats and warm them in the microwave for a minute in the morning.

Are you using cold or boiling water /milk. If I use boiling water to pour over the oats and put in the microwave the porridge boils over. If I start with cold water it is fine.

I make porridge every morning on the hob. I've been doing if for years and tried many, many varieties of oats.

I get up at 7.40 and the porridge is on the table by 7.50/7.55 - no soaking.

I use Mornflake Superfast Oats - by far the best product in the trade off between speed and quality .

I even made two batches in the same time this morning, on the hob, in separate pans because I was indulging some great fanny in the house who decided they want almond milk porridge and not cow milk. The cow milk cooked quicker than the almond milk if that is of any interest/use to anybody.

I stick the porridge oats in just enough semi skimmed milk to soften them, in my cereal bowl, microwave on full power for 2 mins, add fresh bilberries and blackberries and top up the bowl with more milk and give it another 1 minute 20 secs. Perfect porridge, ready to eat.
Have done that every morning for the last ten years (sad boring person...!) It’s never boiled over yet.

anothernamechangetomyname

Dear OP, I am Scottish born and bred and an expert porridge maker. Here is the easiest way to make perfect porridge. I'm not saying it's the proper way - as a child I did boil my porridge - but it's just as good and perfect for doing at work or anywhere there is hot water. Proper porridge was never made with milk. As a child cold milk was added after my porridge was in the bowl, just enough so the porridge floated. That was perfect porridge. Nowadays I don't add milk at all and it's as perfect as it always was.

Put the kettle on.
Tip some plain old fashioned rolled oats into a bowl.
Add boiling water.
Stir.
Wait 3 or 4 minutes.
Stir again.
Eat.

If you want you can add a sprinkling of healthy stuff before the water, like linseeds, mixed dried fruit and seeds, dried prunes or apricots etc.
Please note fancified (posh) oats don't work half as well as plain old cheap rolled oats.

Enjoy.

FFS now I want a massive bowl of hot porridge sprinkled with a tablespoon of brown sugar like when I was in Girl Guide camp. That stuff was amazing to warm you right to the tips of your toes.

I live in the Caribbean though, and warm oats every morning aren't quite as necessary. Plus I don't eat grain. Or sugar for that matter.

I make mine in a big pyrex jug or big pyrex bowl and I just eat it straight from that (with a spoon, mind!) - might look a bit odd al desko but I am eating mine at home and I can't be faffed having two bowls to wash.

DM makes hers in a massive broad pasta bowl (still watches it like a hawk for the final minute).

Does the microwave have options for lower power? Try taking it down a to 80% if so. And leave it for 10 seconds before you start heating after the 30 secs. Stir stir stir in that time to thicken it.

I work in a boarding school. Every morning the kitchen makes a huge vat of porridge. It’s ace.

1000w microwave at work which means you have to watch like a hawk. But it's 2 minutes of my life to milk, porridge, shove in, store, shove in, done.

May i thoroughly recommend Flahavans real porridge oats. Tried and trusted recipe,, 40g of oats and just a tad under 200 mills of milk. Blip in microwave for 1 min 40 secs,job done.

I work in a boarding school. Every morning the kitchen makes a huge vat of porridge. It’s ace.

In my head you work in Mallory Towers

I make microwave porridge for my son. Sistema bowl with vented lid. Lots of frozen blueberries on top. The blueberries help stop the porridge boiling over, defrost and taste good. Very healthy and cheaper than fresh blueberries. 3 min 50s in the microwave.

We very rarely have a spill, and DS eats the porridge straight from the bowl, so not much washing up. Also good as he doesn't like many sorts of veg, so could do with the vitamins and minerals.

Don’t stir it every 30 seconds, just watch it. You’re not watching like a hawk because if you were you’d open the microwave when you see the porridge bubbling to the top, when this happens (few mm from top of bowl) you need to opens and stir. It’s a PITA and you could be opening that microwave every 10 seconds if you’re doing it right l, but it can be done and way better that a reheat.