# Making Cooked Oatmeal Taste Better **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383 "2010-02-10T04:53:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/21 "2010-02-10T15:41:49Z")
All this talk of oatmeal reminds me that it’s time to read on the toilet for awhile. Oatmeals rips my colon a new one. 😛 Good thing the glue on the wallpaper is strong. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/22 "2010-02-10T15:43:18Z")
I shave an apple into the oatmeal, then add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and if I get a wild hair, ground cloves. Oh, and butter. Mmm. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/23 "2010-02-10T15:50:52Z")
Fry up some bacon and an over easy egg. Crumble the bacon onto the oatmeal, top with the egg and add some salt and pepper. Mix well. Add herbs, if you like. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/24 "2010-02-10T16:23:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > You need the real thing. The Amish still farm oats and sell steel cut oats. They have a lot more flavor than the stuff Wilford Brimley shills. Only because I used to work for Quaker Oats… Ol’ Wilford hasn’t shilled for Quaker for well over a decade now – he’s too busy selling mail-order diabeetus testing supplies on direct-response TV ads these days. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/25 "2010-02-10T17:30:13Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > Add a little bit of salt with whatever else you flavor it with, even if you’re making it sweet. The instant kind usually has a bit added, and it makes a big different in flavor. Agree. The salty/sweet interplay is important. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/26 "2010-02-10T17:50:17Z")
By far, the best use of oats is oatmeal cookies. 😉 These are the **Best cookies** in the world… 😉 CAPE COD OATMEAL COOKIES Ingredients : 1 1/2 c. flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. salt 1 egg 1 c. sugar 1/2 c. melted shortening 1/2 c. melted butter 1 tsp. molasses 1/4 c. milk 1 3/4 c. uncooked oats 1/2 c. raisins 1/2 c. chopped nuts 1/2 c. chocolate chips Preparation : Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, together in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Arrange by teaspoonful on buttered cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes. A Great Pie with Oatmeal Peanut Butter Oatmeal Pie 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup corn syrup – light or dark 1 1/4 cups oatmeal 1 stick butter or margarine – melted 1 tsp Wonder brand flavoring — or vanilla extract 2 eggs – beaten 3/4 cup peanut butter – creamy 1 9" pie crust Mix sugar through eggs together. Stir in peanut butter. Let sit about 15 minutes to allow the oatmeal to soak up the filling a bit. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool a bit before cutting. Use any pie crust you like (or none at all; the pie sets up quite firm once it cools). I like the peanut butter pie crust for this pie. Peanut Butter Pie Crust: 1-1/2 cups pulverized peanut butter cookies (including the filling). Add 5 TBSP melted butter, mix together. Pat into pie shell & pre-bake for about 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees F. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/27 "2010-02-10T18:21:32Z")
Soy sauce over steel-cut oats = win. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/28 "2010-02-10T23:13:35Z")
Thanks I’ll try some of the suggestions, especially the salt. I mean if you just cook oatmeal in a pot it really doesn’t taste like anything. Kind of like rice to me. Plain rice to me, doesn’t taste like anything. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/29 "2010-02-11T01:17:23Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Soy sauce over steel-cut oats = win. Yes! I know I’ve mentioned this to death, but I LOVE my oats savory and have been known to mix any of the following (alone or combined) in with my oatmeal: veggie burgers, onions, potatoes, eggs, curry powder, salsa, mushrooms, garlic, veggie broth, Laughing Cow Cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper. Mmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/30 "2010-02-11T02:14:51Z")
I brown my steel-cut oats (or whole oat groats) in butter, then cook 'em up. It does seem to bring out the oaty flavor I associate with decent oatmeal cookies. Yum! ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/31 "2010-02-12T13:59:05Z")
An easy flavour-inducing trick: add a **cinnamon stick** at the very beginning, then add sugar once the oats have started cooking (rather than after). ---
**Author:** ![Spectralist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Spectralist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectralist)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/32 "2010-02-12T14:22:15Z")
Some of my favourites are Dried cranberry, sliced almonds, & banana. And maybe some shredded coconut. and Brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, & allspice. Maybe with some fried apples or a bit of maple extract. I usually cook it with the flavourings. But I add the spices just as I take it off the heat so that I don’t risk burning the cinnamon or the like. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383/33 "2010-02-12T14:44:42Z")
I tried a few suggestiongs, thanks, and it does make a difference, you need to cook the flavouring WITH the oatmeal instead of adding it afterwords. I still haven’t got the taste right, but it’s getting there [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-cooked-oatmeal-taste-better/528383.md?page=1)