I have switched from cold cereal to oatmeal in this cold weather; but the instructions on the individual packets seem to be for baby portions (one packet in a microwaveable bowl; add 2/3 cup of water; heat for up to 2 minutes on high in microwave oven). So I want an adult-size portion, with three packetsful, plus about 1 1/2 cups of water, or a little less; heated for 2 minutes or more. Is this about right? Whoever wrote the recipe that was printed on the packets did not seem to contemplate an adult eating instant oatmeal… :rolleyes:
Maybe they’ve been shrinking the packets rather than increasing the price. Lots of food manufacturers do that.
I eat oatmeal every morning but never the kind that comes in packets. I buy 10-lb boxes of plain instant oatmeal at Sam’s Club. I think I use about 1/3 cup + ~1 cup water, microwave for 2:20 or so. Usually with some dried cranberries for flavor (added before microwaving).
It’s instant oatmeal so really you just need to get it hot enough and let it soak long enough to suit your tastes. With stuff like that I heat the water in a bowl first then stir in the cereal and let it sit long enough to soften. There’s really no right or wrong way if you like the result, and timing for microwaves isn’t very reliable from one machine to the next.
I guess not…our machine is 1000 watts, slightly less powerful than most; perhaps the people who write recipes for microwaving don’t take this into account. (Marie Callender’s pot pies come in packaging with recipes that instruct one not to use a machine with less than 1100 watts, but I disregard that and our pies have come out just fine anyhow.)
Instant oatmeal works great with an electric kettle. Just boil some water and mix with oats to taste. Up to you if you like it thick or watery.
But if you ever want real oats for a change, steel cut or whole groats is the way to go, FYI. 
In the late 1990s, I was, in fact, the market research manager on Quaker Instant Oatmeal. 
The serving size in the packets was initially developed with child-sized appetites in mind – the product was initially developed in the 1960s to let busy parents make hot cereal for their children. And, TBH, it’s easier for an adult to make a bowl for themselves using multiple packets, than it would be for a parent to have to eyeball half of a larger packet when they make oatmeal for their child, and then try to re-close the envelope with the remaining oatmeal for next time.
The amount of water and cook time listed on the pack aren’t hard-and-fast rules; for one thing, some people like their oatmeal thicker, and some thinner. I’d suggest fiddling with the amount of liquid you add, and the microwave time, until you find a consistency that you like.
You might also want to try microwaving it with milk instead of water, which’ll give a creamier consistency. And, as DrCube notes, you can also just add boiling water directly to the oats in the bowl.
Hey, I do this too, but with regular oatmeal because I like it chewy and not pasty. Here’s what I do. Put these in a bowl:
1 packet of flavored instant oatmeal, preferably the apples and cinnamon flavor
1 cup of regular oatmeal, NOT instant
1 teaspoon butter
boiling water to cover, stir it a couple times
(Also stir the dry oatmeal before adding the water or the instant will turn to a blob of paste under the chewy regular oatmeal. I HATE pasty oatmeal!)
I also love to add about an ounce of zante currants.
Pour a couple ounces of milk (or when luxury permits, cream) over the top and snarf it right down. Yum!
My brother and sister and I grew up as latch-key kids–both our parents worked, and we made our own breakfasts for years (I was in junior high when I started making pancakes and other stuff for breakfast, and doing other cooking as well). So I had an early start at preparing my own breakfast, and I still do it much the same way as I did at the age of twelve, with the same foods and the same results (and appetite).
And I prefer oatmeal with a more solid consistency, not creamier. I’ve tried steel-cut oats, and I was not thrilled by the long preparation time. We grew up with Quick Quaker Oats, in the round box. I regret that there aren’t as many varieties of hot cereal as there were when I was a kid (no more Zoom, or Instant Ralston, for example).
A man after my own heart!
I am a large-sized adult, but I find that a single-packet serving with a cup of coffee is usually plenty to keep me going until lunch. (I don’t often eat a big breakfast.)
I tend to use about half milk and half water, and slightly more than the package recommends.
I also have oatmeal for breakfast every day. Old Fashioned oats because it takes only thirty seconds longer in my microwave than Instant but has a better texture. Half cup oats, one cup water, two minutes. Plain, no fruit honey or sugar.