[Sca-cooks] crockpot oatmeal

[Edouard de Bruyerecourt]

Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:

> Scottish and Irish porridge enthusiasts would probably suggest that 
> the secret of a good porridge is a certain amount of aeration; 
> probably the same rules for a good risotto apply, and I gather that 
> fine hotels in Scotland give the porridge a couple of good whips with 
> a balloon whisk immediately before serving. 

Constant stirring while cooking is a traditional method. But with a 
wooden _spirtle_ (wooden 'stick'), not a metal whisk. I imagine fine 
hotels in Scotland are resigned to feeding foreigners. They probably 
caved in and offer treacle and sugar for it, as well. [shudder]

I buy whole groats and give them a quick spin in a grain mill to make a 
coarse oat meal (works great in bread, too). Or you can buy it that way, 
labed as Scots oatmeal or porridge, or sometimes steel cut groats. Bring 
water to a rolling boil, turn down to a simmer, add salt, then drizzle 
in the meal while stirring. Keep stiring until it's cooked and thickens 
up. This is the 'short-cut' method I've used at events, and it usually 
takes longer to bring the water to a boil (for just me, a cup or so of 
water) than to cook the porridge, and the porridge is a bit past 'al 
dente' so to speak. If I let it cool, it's thick enough to slice.

I don't use, or like,  rolled oats except in my muesli or cookies. I 
also expect that the meal cooks fast than 'old-fashioned' rolled oats 
because there is greater surface area per volume than the rolled oats. 
The consistency is from near flour to really coarse corn meal/cut 
groats, akin to grits and Malt-o-meal.

Traditional Scots oat porridge: oat meal, salt, stirred with a spirtle, 
eaten standing up (nobody remembers why you stand, you just do). Those 
that put sugar in it deserve to have their cattle and sheep 'wander off.' :)

I tend to agree that cooking them in a stock pot overnight would not do. 
Probably make them mushy or gluey if you had enough water.

-- 
Edouard, Sire de Bruyerecourt
bruyere at jeffnet.org
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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, 
while bad people will find a way around the laws." 
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