Hate Mushy Oatmeal? Try This Easy Tip for Perfect Texture Every Time

published Mar 3, 2014
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(Image credit: Anjali Prasertong)

Making morning oatmeal often feels like a tradeoff between texture and time. Rolled oats cook up in a couple minutes, but can quickly turn gluey and mushy. And while steel-cut oats are chewier and more satisfying, their 20- to 30-minute cooking time isn’t always convenient in the morning. Here’s a quick tip for making a bowl of oatmeal with a texture that’s just right, in about 10 minutes.

It’s simple — just cook a mixture of half rolled oats, half steel-cut oats. This tip originally comes from April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Pig, but I spotted it on YumSugar, in a post singing the praises of this method’s superior texture and convenience:

Check out the tip: The Secret to Perfectly Textured Oatmeal – YumSugar

The post doesn’t give any details on timing and measurements, so I did a little experimenting and found a combination that makes oatmeal with the toothsome texture of steel-cut in about half the usual time. Use half rolled oats, half steel-cut oats and 3 times the amount of water to total oats. (So if you’re cooking 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1/2 cup steel-cut oats, you would use 3 cups of water.) Cook the oats as usual, simmering them for about 8-10 minutes, or until the steel-cut oats are cooked to your liking.

(Image credit: Anjali Prasertong)

And there you have it: oatmeal that combines the great texture of steel-cut oats with the last-minute convenience of rolled oats. Give it a try!

More Oatmeal Tips & Tutorials on The Kitchn

Do you have any tips for better oatmeal?