# Porridge: Do You Like It? How?



## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Do you like porridge? How do you have it?

I like having it pretty much every morning. It's a hearty breakfast that gets me going (pun not intended: see next sentence ). If I miss it, my body seems to not work for the whole day, if you know what I mean 

Mostly, I cook the pure (quick cooking) rolled oats in water, but in milk is very nice, too. In milk is how my Mom used to cook it when I was little. I think she even used to let it soak in the milk overnight. Boy, was it creamy! Anyway, back to my version. Sometimes, I will use two thirds rolled oats and one third cream of wheat. I like to chop an apple in at the start, so that it gets a bit mushy and warm, but a mashed banana or other sliced or chopped fruits added at the end is great, too. I also put some cashews or tree nuts in, for some bite—and protein. It's cooked in five minutes or less. Sometimes, I stir in a glob of peanut butter or tahini (sesame paste) after I take the finished gruel off the heat to make it very rich and creamy  I like to sprinkle—or dump—a mixture of cinnamon and cardamom on at this point. It's now ready to eat, but some milk poured over or yogurt spooned on is excellent—more protein!

Do you have variations that you like?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

A few times a month, it´s more substantial and better for one´s stomach than just ordinary, cold oat cereals, which I eat almost every morning.

From what I´ve heard, the boiling process makes the oat cereals extra healthy, since some ingredients are enforced.

BTW, in Danish it´s called "Havregrød".

I like it boiled with water or milk, salt and sugar, always adding at least some cold milk afterwards - maybe also with a bit of cold butter, cinnamon, plus berries and fruits - especially apples and blueberries.

These are two of the most classic labels here, with a long history: Ota and Davre.


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

Being a vegan, I eat oats roughly 3-4 times a week. I prefer steel cut oats, but takes some overnight prep. My preferred style is frozen blueberries, raisins, crushed/chopped walnuts and almonds, bananas, and a bagel with jam on the side. All out, yo.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Porridge = yuck because it reminds of when I was a child and mother would make porridge to nurse me when sick.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Quaker Oat So Simple.

2 minutes in the microwave.

That's my kind of cooking.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Dr Johnson said:


> Quaker Oat So Simple.
> 
> 2 minutes in the microwave.
> 
> That's my kind of cooking.


I don´t have a microwave owen.
I eat porridge everyday I cook it with water and salt. It tastes horrible without salt. I eat it with milk sometimes also with jam.


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

I have brought shame upon my family tradition by using porridge oats (rather than pin-head oatmeal soaked overnight) and sweetening it. 

Oats, salt, water. Cook. Fruit sugar, salt, milk to taste. Eat. Joy.

Grandpa will be rolling in his grave.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I eat porridge most mornings as my body doesn't like wheat gluten very much. (But I love my oats!) 

I pour soya milk on my porridge, and salt it & have about half a tablespoonful of brown sugar or honey also. I mix it all up, and prefer it very thick, even after I've mixed in the soya milk. 

I have a sturdy old porridge-maker in the kitchen - a handsome model which usually produces just-right porridge, but occasionally gets it too thin or too lumpy, and then I give Taggart an earful.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

I too use porridge oats. No salt in the water. Soak them in boiling water until Ingélou is ready and then cook until suitably thick.

Once on holiday in Scotland staying at an excellent B&B, the landlady made some proper old fashioned porridge - soaked pin head oats overnight and then cooked slowly to a fine gruel - for a young child who wanted to try porridge. The child was expecting something along the lines of Scotts Porridge oats and was most disappointed. I had a proper breakfast - square slice, round slice, black pudding, bacon, egg, dumpling, pancake, potato scone and bread - *all* fried. Much better than that porridge lark.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Ingélou said:


> I eat porridge most mornings as my body doesn't like wheat gluten very much. (But I love my oats!)
> 
> I pour soya milk on my porridge, and also salt it & have about half a tablespoonful of brown sugar or honey also. I mix it all up, and prefer it very thick, even after I've mixed in the soya milk.
> 
> I have a sturdy old porridge-maker in the kitchen - a handsome model which usually produces just-right porridge, but occasionally gets it too thin or too lumpy, *and then I give Taggart an earful.*


Would he not prefer it by mouth?


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Taggart said:


> I too use porridge oats. No salt in the water. Soak them in boiling water until Ingélou is ready and then cook until suitably thick.





Ingélou said:


> *I have a sturdy old porridge-maker in the kitchen - a handsome model which usually produces just-right porridge*, but occasionally gets it too thin or too lumpy, and then I give Taggart an earful.


Taggart, I presume?


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## Guest (Aug 29, 2015)

Tis the breakfast of champions.

I use:
Skimmed milk
Medium oats (not the stuff that is still too assertive even after soaking overnight, but neither the stuff that is practically oat dust)
Milled flaxseed, almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts (Linwoods)
Dark agave syrup.


Love it.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

dogen said:


> Tis the breakfast of champions.


Grand National Winners?

As Dr Johnson said:



> Oats: a grain which in England is generally given to a horse, but in Scotland it supports the people


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

TurnaboutVox said:


> Taggart, I presume?


You got it! 
He does a lot of the cooking, and all of the shopping; in short, he is a very handy gudeman indeed.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I like it with salt and sometimes with sugar instead but in either case I have to have it with half-milk/half-water rather than with just water.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Dr Johnson said:


> Ingélou said:
> 
> 
> > I have a sturdy old porridge-maker in the kitchen - a handsome model which usually produces just-right porridge, but occasionally gets it too thin or too lumpy,* and then I give Taggart an earful. *
> ...


And then she wonders why I'm a little deaf.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Water and sliced banana for me. Occasionally with honey, nutmeg or cinnamon too, but never salt or sugar.

It isn't bad with grated carrot.

Recently I've branched out to Peasemeal Brose.










I enjoy this with boiling water, mashed banana and butter, though Figleaf tells me that it makes my breath smell like baby poo.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

I believe I've eaten it once. On holiday touring England in one of the B&B's we stayed at. At first I thought that the good woman who made us breakfast was preparing a mixture for the foundation of a rather large building, but I soon found out we were supposed to eat it. Lets say it was an interesting experience.
The rest of the holiday it was "full English", thank goodness.


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## Balthazar (Aug 30, 2014)

In the cold months, I have oatmeal almost every day, prepared lazy style.

In the evening I mix together some steel cut oats, dried fruit, cinnamon, and either water or almond milk, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, I pop it into the microwave for 45 seconds and add some walnuts or pecans -- done! If I'm heading out for a run and need extra energy, I may throw in some chocolate chips and maple syrup.



N.B. I wonder if the paucity of responses from Americans is due to the fact that, in my neck of the woods at least, the terms "porridge" and "gruel" conjure up images of unappetizing food eaten by unfortunate children in fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and grim Dickensian orphanages.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I much prefer my pease porridge hot; and no more than one day old.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Wood said:


> Recently I've branched out to Peasemeal Brose. I enjoy this with boiling water, mashed banana and butter, though Figleaf tells me that it makes my breath smell like baby poo.


... and cooked brose also has a colour and consistency that wouldn't look out of place in a diaper!


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## GhenghisKhan (Dec 25, 2014)

porridge = oatmeal? 

If so yes.


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## GhenghisKhan (Dec 25, 2014)

Balthazar said:


> In the cold months, I have oatmeal almost every day, prepared lazy style.
> 
> In the evening I mix together some steel cut oats, dried fruit, cinnamon, and either water or almond milk, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, I pop it into the microwave for 45 seconds and add some walnuts or pecans -- done! If I'm heading out for a run and need extra energy, I may throw in some chocolate chips and maple syrup.
> 
> N.B. I wonder if the paucity of responses from Americans is due to the fact that, in my neck of the woods at least, the terms "porridge" and "gruel" conjure up images of unappetizing food eaten by unfortunate children in fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and grim Dickensian orphanages.


I throw in oatmeal with chocolate protein powder.

Yummy!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Here we call it "oatmeal". My breakfast routine calls for Quaker slow cooked oatmeal alternating with Cheerios; every second day; never varying; quite dull, but I've always been a creature of habit, following a predictable schedule.

When I go away on a tour, I bypass the usual breakfast buffet suspects and head straight to the hot, steaming cereal, most of the time, oatmeal.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Hpowders !! Delighted to see you back here. And cheers on the oatmeal, I'd say.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Jos said:


> Hpowders !! Delighted to see you back here. And cheers on the oatmeal, I'd say.


Thank you, Jos! Nothing like a hot, steamy bowl of oatmeal on a cold winter's morning; although I eat it around 182 days a year irrespective of the season.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

I'm another porridge fan - but porridge is not limited to oatmeal (at least not in my part of the world). I enjoy oat porridge, but I prefer barley or buckwheat.


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## Guest (Aug 30, 2015)

hpowders said:


> Thank you, Jos! Nothing like a hot, steamy bowl of oatmeal on a cold winter's morning; although I eat it around 182 days a year irrespective of the season.


We knew there'd have to be a topic to tempt you back. We were going to do condiments next.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I adore porridge.

Rolled oats (not instant), skimmed milk, raisins or sultanas, sunflower seeds and a smidgeon of sugar. No salt.

Mix together, microwave for 2 minutes, stir, cook for a few seconds more if needed.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

dogen said:


> We knew there'd have to be a topic to tempt you back. We were going to do condiments next.


Thanks, but all the women I know, alas, are menopausal. I no longer need condiments.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Thanks, but all the women I know, alas, are menopausal. I no longer need condiments.


^ vintage hp sauce! Welcome back, hpowders!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Figleaf said:


> ^ vintage hp sauce! Welcome back, hpowders!


Thanks, but the truth did hurt....until.... "then the Lord invented KY....and then he took Sunday off to rest.":angel:

It's the menopausal truth.

Put that in your porridge and slurp it!


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

We were served this as kids at home ... all the time ... too many times ... granted it was a tummy filler and pretty healthy for us growing kids. But, meh, as an adult ... wife fixes it for herself several times a week though.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I love oatmeal and have it almost every morning (oatmeal is considered a type of porridge, right?) 

Now, part of the reason I have it is it's the only thing my stomach can take in the early morning, but I do legitimately like it.


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## Russell (Sep 2, 2015)

I'm not crazy about it but, given its supposed health benefits, I try to eat it 4 or 5 times a week. That said, it can't simply be oatmeal with some milk or water added. I mean I already make a daily concession to good health by swallowing a couple of heaping tablespoonfuls of no-fat cottage cheese before eating the oatmeal. I say "swallowing" because that stuff is so disgusting (like a big salty glop of wallpaper paste) that trying to savor it by leaving it one's mouth for more that a second is just out of the question. So, if I'm going to go the extra healthy mile by also eating oatmeal, it's got to have some gustatorial bells and whistles to compensate for the white glop sacrifice. So I typically have a pound or two of ground walnuts on hand and throw in a tablespoon of those along with a sliced up peach or apple and a handful of raisins. It's not delicious but it's palatable!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I don't recall the word porridge ever being used in the U.S. except in reciting an old English nursery rhyme about nine-day-old porridge. If porridge is simply any watered hot cereal mix ... well, then, I used to eat a big bowl of oatmeal every morning smothered in half a bottle (probably an 8 or 10 oz bottle) of real maple syrup. But any more I just eat Cheerios smothered in fruit juice.


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

Not too hot...not too cold...just right!


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## omega (Mar 13, 2014)

Yes, with a heap spoon of honey and a splash of double cream.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Florestan said:


> I don't recall the word porridge ever being used in the U.S. except in reciting an old English nursery rhyme about nine-day-old porridge.


Because in America they eat hamburgers.


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## GhenghisKhan (Dec 25, 2014)

Krummhorn said:


> We were served this as kids at home ... all the time ... too many times ... granted it was a tummy filler and pretty healthy for us growing kids. But, meh, as an adult ... wife fixes it for herself several times a week though.


You kidding?

OPEN. PUT IN WATER. NUKE IN MICROWAVE.

TA DA!!!!

INSTA-MEAL READY TO EAT. PERFECT FOR THE LAZY YUPPIE.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Is "porridge" oatmeal? If so, I detest it. I can choke it down with cream and brown sugar if absolutely required. Aside from carbs and fiber, it seems to have little nutritional value.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

KenOC said:


> Is "porridge" oatmeal? If so, I detest it. I can choke it down with cream and brown sugar if absolutely required. Aside from carbs and fiber, it seems to have little nutritional value.


What about rise porridge? or semoline porridge?


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I disagree about the lack of nutritional value. From the side panel of the Quaker Oats bag, 30 g contains:

2 g Fat
20 g Carbohydrate, of which 3 g Fibre
4 g Protein

While I think it tastes great plain, with that oat flavour, few have it plain, but with fruit, nuts, milk, yogurt, spices etc.

Oat fibre has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol.

+Sloe Rice porridge is known as congee. I think it is delicious! Semolina porridge is known as cream of wheat cereal (Griesbrei in German, a popular breakfast dish for children and healthy adults). I love it!


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2015)

The health benefits of porridge are legendary!

https://porridgeclub.wordpress.com/dr-oats/


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

dogen said:


> The health benefits of porridge are legendary!


That's a very accurate way of putting it. In the same class as Paul Bunyan and Zelda.


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2015)

KenOC said:


> That's a very accurate way of putting it. In the same class as Paul Bunyan and Zelda.


Well I could have been boring and simply said It's well established that porridge is a very healthy meal, both in terms of its constituents and long term benefits. But who wants to read that?!


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

brotagonist said:


> +Sloe Rice porridge is known as congee. I think it is delicious!


I meant rice pudding.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I love porridge and eat it every day, normally just microwaved oatmeal, eaten with banana, berries, muesli. But on luxury days I make oven porridge overnight. I put 2 dl whole barley seeds to an oiled ceramic bowl, add 1.4 litres of milk and half a teaspoon of salt, 100 degrees C overnight (or 125 for 6 hours, 150 for 3 hours). It's so delicious it doesn't need anything else to go with it.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

brotagonist said:


> +Sloe Rice porridge is known as congee. I think it is delicious!


I was going to eat congee today until I discovered it had hazel nuts and I am allergic to hazel nuts.


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2015)

I like it like this!!!


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