This One Simple Trick Instantly Upgrades Your Oatmeal (It Costs Zero Dollars)

Simply Recipes / Getty Images

Oats are one of my pantry must-haves. Satisfying and super quick to make, oatmeal is always a dependable breakfast, and sometimes even a lunch or dinner. Though I love a savory bowl with sautéed greens, a soft-boiled egg, and lots of hot sauce, my favorite way to eat them hasn’t changed since I was a kid: with a generous sprinkling of brown sugar and a splash of milk.

You’d think something so simple couldn’t be improved upon, but there’s one step I take when making oatmeal that gives it a boost of flavor without any additional ingredients: toast the oats.

How to Toast Oats for Oatmeal

Much like English muffins or Pop-Tarts, oats are just better toasted. This tip works best with rolled or steel-cut oats. To do it, add your oats to a pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden in places and smell nutty and toasted. A half cup of rolled oats should take about five minutes. You don't need to add anything else, like butter or oil, to the pan.

Stir them frequently and stay near the stove to avoid burning them. As soon as that toasty aroma starts wafting up from the pan, you can continue preparing the oatmeal as you normally would.

Compared to a regular bowl of oatmeal, a toasted bowl of oatmeal has a much richer, nuttier flavor. Its delicious earthiness contrasts beautifully with sweeteners like brown sugar or maple syrup, but it also has a subtle savoriness that makes it a prime candidate for a savory bowl.

This technique is no different than toasting rice for arroz con pollo—it gives the rice a rich and nutty flavor. It's an easy extra step that adds a whole new dimension to a simple bowl of oatmeal, and it's great for more than just oatmeal. You can use toasted rolled oats in smoothies, parfaits, and even baked goods like oatmeal raisin cookies.

Simply Recipes / Getty Images

2 More Tips for Boosting the Flavor of Your Oatmeal

Toasting your oats is an easy way to give your oatmeal more flavor. Here are two more tricks that I use:

1. Add a pinch of salt. There’s a good chance you’re already seasoning your oats with salt, but if not, I highly recommend it. Salt helps to further emphasize that toasted grain flavor, and can also balance out any sweet mix-ins.
2. Use butter while toasting your oats. Years ago I learned this tip from my friend Lauren Miyashiro and it’s a keeper. Adding a pat of butter—about one tablespoon per cup of oats—to your pan before toasting them makes for an even richer, silkier bowl of oatmeal with a touch of natural sweetness. Give it a try and you will never go back.

https://ift.tt/CI6LVru https://ift.tt/ACFtvOf