Key Takeaways
- The easy trick of toasting oats earlier than making oatmeal provides a wealthy, nutty taste.
- This straightforward improve takes solely 5 minutes.
Oats are certainly one of my pantry must-haves. Satisfying and tremendous fast to make, oatmeal is a reliable breakfast, and typically even a lunch or dinner. I really like a savory bowl of oatmeal with sautéed greens, a soft-boiled egg, and plenty of sizzling sauce. But my absolute favourite technique to eat them hasn’t modified since I used to be a child: with a beneficiant sprinkle of brown sugar and a splash of milk. I’d eat that any time, any day.
You’d suppose one thing as simple as making oatmeal couldn’t be improved upon, however there’s one step I by no means skip that provides it a lift of taste with none extra substances: toast the oats.
How to Toast Oats for Oatmeal
Much like English muffins or Pop-Tarts, oats are simply higher toasted, which supplies them an extremely wealthy, nutty taste. This method is not any completely different than toasting rice for arroz con pollo, which brings out the pure nuttiness of the grains.
This tip works greatest with steel-cut or rolled oats. To toast your oats, add them to a pan over medium-high warmth. Stir them steadily till they’re golden in locations and odor nutty. You needn’t add the rest, like butter or oil, to the pan.
Stay close to the range to keep away from burning them—a half cup of oats ought to take solely about 5 minutes. As quickly as that toasty aroma begins wafting up from the pan, you possibly can proceed getting ready the oatmeal as you usually would.
Compared to plain oatmeal, toasted oatmeal tastes and smells nuttier, and its scrumptious earthiness contrasts superbly with sweeteners you add, like brown sugar or maple syrup. Toasting additionally has a delicate savoriness that makes it a main candidate for savory oatmeal.
This little step provides a complete new dimension to a easy bowl of oatmeal, and it is nice for extra than simply oatmeal. You can use toasted rolled oats in smoothies, parfaits, and even baked items like oatmeal raisin cookies.
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2 More Tips for Boosting the Flavor of Your Oatmeal
Toasting your oats is a simple technique to give your oatmeal extra taste. Here are two extra methods that I exploit:
- Add a pinch of salt. There’s probability you’re already seasoning your oats with salt, but when not, I extremely suggest it. Salt helps emphasize that toasted grain taste, and may stability out any candy mix-ins.
- Toast your oats with butter. I realized this tip from my good friend Lauren Miyashiro and it’s a keeper. Adding a pat of butter—about one tablespoon per cup of oats—to your pan makes for a good richer, silkier bowl of oatmeal with a contact of creamy sweetness. Give it a attempt to you’ll by no means return.
