Am I doing it wrong? (oatmeal)

Instructions say .5 cup dry oatmeal makes 1 cup cooked oatmeal. Here's the thing though: .5 cup dry oatmeal can make up to a huge bowl's worth of oatmeal for me. Am I eating more than I think I am?

1 cup of cooked oatmeal is alot.. but it's still possible that you've measured wrong somehow. do you own a food scale? you could possibly measure out the exact grams of dry oats (half a cup is around 40-50g) and then you could be 100% sure that you weren't underestimating your oatmeal calories.

I use a measuring cup and I always make sure that it's not overflowing or anything like that.

I would recommend investing in food scales.

P.S. One cup of cooked oatmeal is not a lot.

it could also have to do with the amount of water you are adding i would think, that would bulk it up for sure.

I agree with jules. I find that the more water you add, the more it "expands", so it appears bulkier. I like adding more water because then it feels like I get to eat more! :)

Oh yeah, I completely forgot to mention that I do indeed pile on the water...way more than the recommended amount. But it still makes me wonder 'cause that son of gun expands to a full, giant bowl!!

Has anybody mixed water and milk before?  How does it taste like?

I have the opposite question- when i make the packets of oatmeal, I have like 2 bites and then thats it. not enough to fill me up. How is it that people have entire bowl fulls?

Original Post by frustrated11:

I have the opposite question- when i make the packets of oatmeal, I have like 2 bites and then thats it. not enough to fill me up. How is it that people have entire bowl fulls?

I get the samething thing when I eat the flavoured packaged oatmeal, it doesn't expand very much, but when I make the regular oatmeal it expands to twice the size.

when making packaged oatmeal, use 1 whole cup of water/milk instead of 2.3 and always use at LEAST 1/3 cup of milk in that, makes it expand more :)

Original Post by white_sakura:

Has anybody mixed water and milk before?  How does it taste like?

 In a nutshell, better than just water, not as good as just milk.   When I make oatmeal for myself I only use skim milk.  When I make it for my husband, who grew up with water-only oatmeal, I use half milk, half water.  I guess it's just a matter of what you're used to.  I can't imagine making it with just water. 

I use old-fashioned oats and nuke it (very carefully, because it overflows really easily).

As a side note, FWIW, I was probably 25 by the time I found out that most people make rice with water.  I thought rice with water was only for Chinese food, and thought that aside from that application, rice was only for breakfast and only made with milk and sugar.

Becky

Original Post by mjjrules:

Original Post by frustrated11:

I have the opposite question- when i make the packets of oatmeal, I have like 2 bites and then thats it. not enough to fill me up. How is it that people have entire bowl fulls?

I get the samething thing when I eat the flavoured packaged oatmeal, it doesn't expand very much, but when I make the regular oatmeal it expands to twice the size.

 I usually eat two packets at one time, but I also add LOTS of water, even too the point that there is water sitting on top.

maybe I'm weird - okay, I AM weird - I use a 1/2 cup measuring cup for the oatmeal, and I use just under 1 cup of water and a dash of salt - zap that in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.  I also have a mixture of wheat germ, oat bran, milled flax seed and coconut flakes that I mix in equal proportions and toss in about a tablespoon of that before cooking.   When the oatmeal is done, it is very very thick and very very hot.  I throw in 3 packets of sweet n low and some cinnamon, and stir that up.  Then, to thin it out and cool it off, I simply add cold water from the tap until it's the consistency I like and then it doesn't burn my mouth when I eat it.  I purchase a big container of "quick oats" from Aldi and that is only $1.79 and makes 30 servings - I'm sure that's a lot less expensive than those packets.  No butter.  No milk.  I'm supposedly eating about 150 calories there.  The only problem is that really doesn't "fill me up" and within a couple of hours, I'm hungry again. 

Original Post by ronna:

The only problem is that really doesn't "fill me up" and within a couple of hours, I'm hungry again. 

first of all, if you're only eating 150 calories in a "meal" then it's no wonder you're hungry in a few hours. i'd call that a snack.

secondly, try steel cut oats. not only does it fill me up, but i like the consistency better than the "quick" oats.

Original Post by frustrated11:

I have the opposite question- when i make the packets of oatmeal, I have like 2 bites and then thats it. not enough to fill me up. How is it that people have entire bowl fulls?

When I was making instant oatmeal with hot water, I had this problem. You really have to make it in the microwave or it doesn't expand, even though the packaging says hot water is OK.

I weighed out the actual grams of a serving of oatmeal (40 grams for Quaker Old Fashioned) rather than measuring a half cups worth, and it turns out that the serving was WAY less than the 1/2 cup it says it should be.  It was more around 1/3 cup.

Quick Oats are the greatets thing on earth. If i could eat it 6 times a day.. i would. With Blueberries and Vanilla Soy.

I either get the sachet.
Or measure our 1/3 of a cup of dry.

Put in bowl.
Add water.
Let it soak in.
Add more water.
Zap for 90.
Remove.
Add 1/3 Vanilla Soy.
Let it sit a bit.
Add Blueberries.
Let it sit.
Zap for 42...

Thats noo how ye make porridge

x

'Instant' oatmeal sucks... it has all the calories of regular, but half the volume and about a quarter the flavour, so it's really not very satisfying. Use real oats ('quick cook' works fine) and real milk (even skim!) and it tastes much yummier...

The last time I tried making oatmeal, I added in milk, grated apple, cinnamon, maple syrup, raisins, animal crackers and brown sugar, and still I couldn't choke the stuff down :(

The only way I'll eat it is dropped by spoonful and baked in a 350F oven I guess.

qmwillcand:
I don't put anything in mine except some sweet n low and some cinnamon.  nothing else. 

I dont' think I could have eaten the oatmeal the way you described it!!!

The last time I tried making oatmeal, I added in milk, grated apple, cinnamon, maple syrup, raisins, animal crackers and brown sugar, and still I couldn't choke the stuff down :(