# Your porridge, farina or oatmeal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134 "2013-11-30T13:45:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/21 "2013-12-01T01:15:13Z")
All of the above. Or better yet, ten grain mix: [http://www.vitacost.com/bobs-red-mill-10-grain-hot-cereal-50-oz](http://www.vitacost.com/bobs-red-mill-10-grain-hot-cereal-50-oz) I usually cook this with one part 10-grain to one part whole rolled oats. The rolled oats provide a better chew that is much more satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/22 "2013-12-01T02:05:46Z")
So, did any of the oatmeal fans come to oatmeal as an adult, vs. being raised with it? As I said in the OP, I was a farina girl, and I have always found rolled oatmeal porridge to be among the most disgusting non-animal based foods on planet earth, completely because of the texture, which is stunningly unappetizing to me. I can’t say that being raised with it would have overcome this, since the first time I had it was in childhood, when even then I found it vile. But I know I like some things that I like ONLY because I was raised eating them, if I had not been and tried later in life, it would never have happened. (Tuna salad tops that list.) So did anyone come to rolled oatmeal porridge first long after childhood and loves it anyway? For those who wonder: as I’ve said, this is essentially a texture thing with me, since I like pretty much all grains in terms of flavors. Hence I can easily lump corn grits and meal, cream of wheat, cream of rice - they all have very similar textures, very gritty, just a matter of degree. Steel cut oats the same, only the grind is more like bulger wheat. And speaking of grains: Buckwheat! I always thought it was strongly flavored. Nope. Not. Very tasty stuff. I like it in a Jewish dish that is buckwheat and pasta. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/23 "2013-12-01T02:37:37Z")
Oatmeal. With a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses (good luck finding it), some sugar, and if you’re daring some hot cocoa mix. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/24 "2013-12-01T02:46:51Z")
I prefer farina. I usually make oatmeal. At home, it’s steel-cut oats, often with dried cranberries cooked into it. On commuting days, it’s gruel made with instant oats, flavoured with imitation sugar-free maple syrup. (Gruel can be drunk, whereas you need a spoon for a regular porridge. Gruel doesn’t rate real maple syrup.) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/25 "2013-12-01T03:22:18Z")
Cream of Rice is my favorite, but I enjoy oatmeal as well. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/26 "2013-12-01T03:23:12Z")
Oatmeal – made out of steel-cut oat instead of rolled oats – is my choice. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/27 "2013-12-01T04:25:36Z")
I’ve never thought oatmeal was all that great. My favorite was Malt-O-Meal, but even now that I have to eat grits and rice grits (or the finer ground cream of rice), I don’t really miss oatmeal. And I miss quite a lot of stuff that I didn’t really like before. I do miss anything with malt in it, though. Malt was the best tasting stuff, and I never see anything made with corn malt (or rice malt, if that even exists). ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/28 "2013-12-01T05:39:15Z")
Malt is apparently the key to fantastic pancakes. America’s Test Kitchen or Cook’s country recipe, can’t remember which… ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/29 "2013-12-01T10:55:00Z")
Large flake rolled oats, with milk and salt. Not interested in the relatively tasteless rabbit food. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/30 "2013-12-03T16:14:52Z")
I love all porridge, although my particular favourite is [malted sorghum](http://www.pronutro.co.za/products/porridges/brand/maltabella), which I believe is a South African thing. Sucks to be the rest of you. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/31 "2013-12-03T18:02:42Z")
I love corn mush, both before and after frying. Best sweetened with molasses, or at least brown sugar. And I love oatmeal, preferably rolled, flavored only with honey. I tend to make it very soupy. Didn’t vote in the poll, none of the options represents my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/32 "2013-12-03T18:39:05Z")
I like brown sugar. I frequently use either Cream of Wheat or oatmeal as the delivery system, with a slight preference for Cream of Wheat. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/33 "2013-12-03T18:46:44Z")
I like oatmeal and Cream of Wheat equally. I also like polenta, but it’s not a breakfast dish in my mind. So I eat them both about equally. One of the important things about these is SALT. Use twice as much salt as the recipe recommends. Seriously, I don’t understand all the haters of “bland” oatmeal who don’t put salt in it. Imagine bacon and eggs with no salt in either one… yeah, bland. Even if you want to add brown sugar and make the end result sweet, the salt is still essential. Also, a dash of cinnamon in oatmeal elevates it to a new level. Think cookies, not porridge. I’m someone who can appreciate that quick-cook rolled oats are a very low quality product… but I still use them because when I want oatmeal, I want it fast. Until I have a maid to get breakfast started before I wake up, steel cut oats are a luxury I’ll do without. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/34 "2013-12-03T19:43:39Z")
> [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](#): > > I prefer mine fried. Another trick along these lines, for the savory crowd, is to coat a filet of fish in raw oats and then pan-fry it. It makes a crunchy crust that also gives an earthy element to the fish. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/35 "2013-12-03T21:33:31Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I’m someone who can appreciate that quick-cook rolled oats are a very low quality product… but I still use them because when I want oatmeal, I want it fast. Until I have a maid to get breakfast started before I wake up, steel cut oats are a luxury I’ll do without. I have steel cut oats every morning, and it only takes me 45 minutes from bed to out the door, including breakfast and a shower. The trick is to do most of the work the evening before: Put your oats and water (do NOT add salt at this point) in a small pot (4:1 water to oat ratio), put on lid, and let soak for an hour or three. Then put on high heat and bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for a few minutes, swirling the pot around occasionally. Then kill the heat and leave the pot overnight. In the morning, all you have to do is warm the oats and transfer to a bowl; all the cooking’s done already. Add your salt and mix-ins (I go for strawberries, flaxseed, cinnamon, and a dash of soymilk) and you’re good to go. Might take a little trial and error to get your habit down. If it’s too watery, you either need to simmer longer or use less water. But this is a helluva lot tastier than rolled oats and not any more work in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/36 "2013-12-03T21:53:03Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I’m someone who can appreciate that quick-cook rolled oats are a very low quality product… but I still use them because when I want oatmeal, I want it fast. Until I have a maid to get breakfast started before I wake up, steel cut oats are a luxury I’ll do without. Two words: Rice Cooker. Mine cook while I’m getting ready. Takes about half an hour but it requires no babysitting. Just throw in the ingredients (steel cut oats, water, cinnamon, dried dates, stevia, press cook and go take a shower, shave, etc. Thanks to Roger Ebert (RIP) for [expanding my mind regarding rice cookers](http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/the-pot-and-how-to-use-it). Mine even has a clock function so I could program it to start a half hour before I get up if I wanted to. I don’t see anything wrong with letting the oats soak overnight. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/37 "2013-12-03T22:17:46Z")
I may have to try those out. The problem with doing anything before I shower, shave, etc. is that I’m simply not awake enough to do it until I get those basics down. It’s why I don’t even drink coffee most mornings - by the time I’m awake enough to brew it, I really don’t need it and then I can take it or leave it. But something with a timer that I could set up at night definitely has potential… ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/38 "2013-12-03T23:31:17Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I may have to try those out. The problem with doing anything before I shower, shave, etc. is that I’m simply not awake enough to do it until I get those basics down. It’s why I don’t even drink coffee most mornings - by the time I’m awake enough to brew it, I really don’t need it and then I can take it or leave it. > > But something with a timer that I could set up at night definitely has potential… That’s definitely a Catch 22: If you need coffee, you are incapable of making coffee and vice versa. My only response is to note that timer programmable coffee makers do exist. The down side is that leaving ground coffee sitting out overnight—unlike oatmeal—will impair its flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/39 "2013-12-03T23:34:53Z")
What category does the Quaker Fruit & Cream variety box fall into? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134/40 "2013-12-04T01:15:10Z")
Oats. I remember eating Cream of Wheat as a child but I haven’t seen it for years. Well, I haven’t actually seen it for decades, now that I think about it. Not sure if it’s even available in Australia anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-porridge-farina-or-oatmeal/675134.md?page=3)