Argument with DH over oats

[SummerInSun]

To save time (maybe 30 seconds?!) tomorrow morning, I've just measured out the oats for tomorrow's porridge into a saucepan and left them ready on the stove. In the morning I'll get the milk out of the fridge, add it, and cook the porridge.

DH has just come into the kitchen and said that the oats will go stale overnight and put a lid on the saucepan. I think he is insane and oats can't possibly go stale in ten hours. He thinks it's obvious that oats left not in an airtight container will suffer a major quality deterioration and doesn't see why I wouldn't have automatically put a lid on.

What's the Mumsnet verdict?!

I wouldn't leave anything out uncovered

I would have put them in a milk/water mix overnight, but covered and in the fridge. Creamiest, fastest-cooking porridge ever!

Yep lid. This guy is in my house right now. Tbh I always make porridge in the microwave. Tastes great; no porridge pan to wash

Go stale? As in soft? You're going to douse them in milk to intentionally make them soft in eight hours. Plus most oats come in non airtight cardboard boxes. He's not thinking very scientifically is he?
I might however cover them just to stop anything falling or crawling in - but unless you've got a mouse or fly problem that's not hugely rational.
As the poster above said, why not leave the oats soaking overnight and they'll cook faster in the morning? I do that and leave them in the microwave.

I would have put them in a milk/water mix overnight, but covered and in the fridge. Creamiest, fastest-cooking porridge ever!

Me too.

i mae my oats by putting the milk on and then leaving in the fridge overnight. Then eating them cold with some yogurt or maple syrup.

Lid!

I'd cover with a lid tbh, or just not pour out at all, to save worrying about spiders and insects all night long. Also any uncovered food is likely to attract mice. How about putting it in a dish or pot with milk overnight in the fridge to soften and keep fresh?

Soak!

I agree with PP I would have put a lid, purely because my housespider (named bob) turned out to be a girl and had babies.

I have no idea where any of those three billion babies have now gone.

Lid here too to avoid any cross contamination with unseen insects.
However, his argument doesn’t hold because even if the oats go stale as in less crispy over night, they’re meant to go soft when cooked anyway.
Regardless, the man did the sensible thing even if his logic was perhaps flawed.
I can see your logic also because Tomorrow morning you’ll loose 5 seconds and make extra noise by having to put the lid away.
You could cover the pan with the cereal bowl your tend to use for breakfast, but whose to say what will crawl over that bowl during the night.

Whilst we’re here, may I ask, is there a magic way of cleaning a pot after using it for cooking porridge? One of these housekeeping mysteries that I am yet to solve.

Oats (can) come in a paper bag so not airtight, who knew they were stale all this time! 🤣

We still have black flies around, so I'd cover the pan to keep them from their vomit-eat-poo fest!

As the song says - If you like it you shoulda put a lid on it 🤣🤣🤣

I couldn't be arsed to put oats in a pan overnight for the sake of saving 30 seconds in the morning and I put mine in a slow cooker with milk so they're ready to eat when I get up.

I put in pan add half the required fluid with water to soak overnight (with lid on). In the morning add some milk and it cooks really quickly. That will really save you time in the morning.

Well even if they were going to go stale, a saucepan lid isnt going to stop the process, there is enough air in the saucepan to finish off and stale-ing that is going to happen. So he is wrong on two fronts (because they wont go stale as they dont have any water in them to dry out thus allows the stale-ing process to start)

Btw. How do you spell stale-ing. It seems like it should be a word

This is seriously an argument? LOLLLL

Your DH is bonkers, and coming from me who has spent many years married to my own DH, that is saying something

I also put water in with mine - they cook quicker in if they have soaked. Id put a lid on for the same reasons as others. Dont want things landing in it.

Wait... so you’re leaving your oats out to get darked on? If so, then yes, spiders are rubbing their willies on said oats, unless you put a lid on. Just common sense.

always soak dirty porridge saucepan in COLD water (change in subject about cleaning & good for spider removal) & regarding the spiders progeny they are grown up& migrated to my house & our living in either my bathroom or under my settee (pleas god not under my bed) & what is it about this midnight race around the lounge room?

I’d put the milk in and leave it to soak overnight

That's what I do. I put them in the fridge though.

Why would you even bother to do this? It takes mere seconds to pour some oats. I would never leave food uncovered, especially to "save" 10 seconds.

@Branster just leave the pan to soak for a bit, oats just wipe off then.

I do this but also cover the oats with a shallow layer of water. Then just add milk in the morning and heat. It makes really nice porridge this way.

But, back to the point, yes - must have a lid!

I wouldn't leave any food uncovered in the kitchen.