Tag Archives: Leon Hale

Perfect Oatmeal

I never liked oatmeal as a kid. It was the texture I think. Cooked in water it became kind of slimy. Adding milk to cooked oatmeal made it too watery and slimy.

Then one day I read a column by Houston newspaper writer Leon Hale explaining how his breakfast year was divided into two seasons: cold cereal and hot cereal. He had some arbitrary low temperature that marked the move from hot to cold. He offered his recipe for oatmeal. For some reason I gave it a try and it has become one of my favorite things, even in the summer.

Use Old Fashioned Oats, not Quick Oats, One-Minute Oats, or Instant Oats. These have texture. They are not all chopped up. (Steel cut or Irish oats are even more coarse, but require a lot of cooking.)

Mix one part oats (1/3 cup or 1/2 cup per serving), one part milk, and one part water in a large microwave safe bowl. Cooking the oats in the milk rather than in water alone makes them creamy, not slimy.

Add a capful of vanilla. This is the secret ingredient.

Cook on half power for five minutes. If the bowl is not large enough it will boil over. For larger quantities you can cook the same mixture over low heat uncovered on the stove top until they are the right consistency. It still takes only about five minutes.

Add whatever toppings you like — fresh fruit, dried fruit, cinnamon, brown sugar, honey.

R. Robert Creech