Favorite hot cereals

[rosarugosa]

Has hot cereal has surpassed salad spinners as the inflammatory topic on the forums?

[IshbelRobertson]

PORRIDGE. stop talking about cereal.... Porridge, with a wee bit milk and salt. No fruit, no cream, no rubbish!

[bae]

Bacon.

Bacon is made of pigs. Pigs eat grains/cereal. Therefore bacon is cereal.

QED.

[sweetana3]

I make my own granola but love Cream of Wheat. Only if it is cooked and cooked and then thickens to a polenta type hardness where the spoon can stand up in it. Then milk and sugar and lumpy CofW. Yummy. Need the texture.

[JaneV2.0]

Weetabix with butter and cream. In the microwave!
Oh wait--I don't eat wheat and I don't have a microwave. Nevermind.

[pony mom]

I make my own granola but love Cream of Wheat. Only if it is cooked and cooked and then thickens to a polenta type hardness where the spoon can stand up in it. Then milk and sugar and lumpy CofW. Yummy. Need the texture.

When I was young my great aunt made my Farina like this. Adding milk to it resembled a river rushing through mountains. When my mom made it, it was nice a creamy but thick, and I thought there was something wrong with it. I now make it creamy but haven't cooked it long enough to make mountains. I add cinnamon and sugar (now xylitol).

[Sulevia]

PORRIDGE. stop talking about cereal.... Porridge, with a wee bit milk and salt. No fruit, no cream, no rubbish!

I'll second porridge, plain and simple, though my work colleagues make fun of me calling me 'hardcore' (I never know if it really is simply a joke...) I had a loooooong period of time when I just could not eat it for fear of having excruciating heartburn for the rest of the day.... I've solved this problem by soaking the oats in whey overnight instead of water, probably anatema to scottish ears? Is there some other secret to it that I don't know about?

When I could not have oats porridge, I would make something I picked up in China when I was teaching there a long time ago, a rice porridge they call 'Labazhou' or 'congee' in cantonese, where you simmer rice forever until it becomes mushy, they add other things (savoury or sweet) to it depending on taste, region, preference, whether there is a festival or celebration.... It is absolutely gorgeous.

[Davidwd]

MAKE YOUR OWN….. Commercial cereal products are the biggest rip-off in the grocery store! There is approximately 16-cents worth of grain in a box of “cereal”. Make your own for the biggest bang for the buck, as well as improved nutrition. I make both hot and cold cereal products from whole grains/seeds/beans, and pulp from making nut milk. Before going gluten-free I made a high-protein “cereal” with wheat gluten.

I have a Marga Mulino Flaker Mill (http://margamulino.com/) and make my own flakes from a large assortment of whole grains, as well as make coarsely chopped grains (similar to steel-cut). Make your own multi-grain mixtures similar to 5-grain, 7-grain, etc. With my Corona Corn Mill I make cornmeal and corn flour, as well as making “Cream Of” rice, barley, wheat, rye, buckwheat….. cooked cereal products.

Tip: Once you coarsely mill whole grain for cooked cereal or cereal blends, be sure to sift out the small particles/flour before using it. If you leave the flour in you will end up with cooked paste, instead of cereal.

Using whole wheat berries, you can make your own bulgur and cracked wheat. You can also use other grains for bulgur and cracked grain. Be sure to sift out the small particles/flour when making those as well

Flakes cook quicker than whole grains, but you can also cook whole grains for cereal. You can cook wheat berries in a slow-cooker, or passive methods like a Thermos bottle or a non-electric Thermal Cooker, or another passive method is in a Wonder Oven (http://prepared-housewives.com/alter...wonder-oven-2/ - I’ve made 20 of these and gave most of them away as Christmas gifts). I try to use sprouted and dried grains for improved nutrition for flakes, and sprouted grain is easier to digest. If I don't sprout first, then I soak before using whole grains as much as possible. I try to follow the “Nourishing Traditions” methods for preparing grains/nuts/seeds to avoid difficult to digest phytic acid. Soaking or sprouting neutralize phytic acid.

Years ago the oatmeal box included instructions for soaking the oats overnight. It not only cuts cooking time down, but it also makes it easier to digest. Oats contain more phytates than almost any other grain, so proper preparation is important, especially if you eat oats frequently. Any grain you can soak or ferment will be beneficial, and these are the traditional methods used.

I like this recipe, which can be eaten cold (nice in the summer) or you can heat it for hot oatmeal. The nice thing about this method, you don't have a pan to wash! You will also find any number of variations of this recipe on-line.

OVERNIGHT OATMEAL
(source: Secrets of Salt-Free Cooking - Jeanne Jones)

Makes 5-cups [Mix it in a 1/2-gallon canning jar.]

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1 c. chopped raisins (can use other dried fruit)
1 t. ground cinnamon
3 c. water

Combine all ingredients, except water, in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the water, mix again, cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. It is even better if you wait 2-3 days before serving. [Microwave it if you want hot oatmeal.]

[lessisbest mini-version:]
¼ c. Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats (Aldi) – OR ¼ c. Old-Fashioned Oats
1 T. buckwheat cereal (optional)
¼ c. dried cranberries, OR dried cherries or dried blueberries
¾ t. chia seeds
¼ c. coarsely chopped almonds
¾ t. cinnamon
1 oz. kefir, whey or yogurt in a ½ cup measure and fill the remaining ½ c. with water.

Mix together in a pint canning jar and let soak overnight, or up to several days (refrigerated). You can heat it in a microwave or eat it cold.

I have the waldner grain roller, I roll my own Rye for breakfast porridge and sometimes oat groats. Takes slightly longer to cook, sometimes I put it in the slow cooker then take the dog out for a couple of hours and then it is ready when I get back. I buy a 25kg sack of Rye at a time that saves so much money!

[Sonora Shepherd]

Luxury wheat Germade from Cortez Milling in Cortez, CO. I cook it 1/2 germade and 1/2 wheat germ. (Close as I can get to the old General Mills Wheat Hearts.) Then some cream or canned milk and a little sugar. Heaven!

[Initable]

I tend to vary my cereal so I don't get bored with one flavor. The ones that top my list are Strawberry Mini Wheats, Blueberry Muffin Tops (oh so good), Frosted Cheerios, and Fruity Pebbles. As far as hot, I like my Malt-o-Meal ..... with cinn/sugar/butter. Or instant maple/brown sugar oatmeal.