How to cook oatmeal?

The most useful and nutritious breakfast is porridge, especially oatmeal, which the English like to eat.Most often, such porridge is cooked from flakes or crushed cereals, which have already undergone heat treatment. Such products are considered fast food, as they become ready within a few minutes upon contact with boiling water. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of convenience, most of the beneficial properties of the original cereal, rich in various vitamins and trace elements, are lost. And even in the store to buy wholegrain oatmeal is quite difficult, real oatmeal should be prepared from it.

Oatmeal is small, light grains that are made by collecting and processing oats. The culture that has come to almost every country from the Sino-Mongolian nomads, is growing in almost any climate and soil. The dish of oatmeal was known in the times of Ancient Russia and was called “jen”. It was a thick gruel mixed in milk or sour cream.

To date, on sale you can find two options for cereals, which are not subjected to heat treatment. The first is uncrushed cereal, which is a separate oat grain, taken out of the ears and peeled from the husk. The second option is rolled oatmeal. It looks like small petals of yellowish-gray color. Both that and other option comprises a set of useful substances:

• at least 18 different amino acids, among which are essential for humans;
• vitamins of groups B (B1, B2, B5, B6 and B9), as well as vitamins PP and E;
• micro- and macronutrients, such as magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, potassium, phosphorus and others.

The nutritional value of oatmeal is no more than 389 calories per 100 g of the finished dish, cooked in milk. It contains about 17 g of vegetable protein, 7 g of healthy fats and only 67 g of carbohydrates. If necessary, you can reduce the calorie content by cooking oatmeal in water.

The caloric content of the dry product is slightly lower and is only about 300 kcal per 100 g of dry cereals. Unlike sweets and baking, the carbohydrates contained in oatmeal are slow carbohydrates. Once in the body, they are processed into energy, and not just increase sugar in the blood. In addition, oatmeal, like any other cereal, contains fiber. It contributes to the removal of excess fats and slags from the human body, and also gives a feeling of satiety. All this makes porridge quite dietary, but at the same time a nutritious dish.

BJU and low calorie oatmeal with its high nutritional value is not the only advantage of cereals. The unique composition of amino acids and vitamins has many different therapeutic and prophylactic actions.

• Due to the release of gluten when cooking cereals porridge is soft and thick. Such a mass perfectly envelops the inner surface of the gastrointestinal tract and helps in the fight against diarrhea, flatulence, dysbacteriosis, pancreatitis, and even peptic ulcer diseases.
• Oats helps to normalize the activity of the nervous system and has a tonic effect. It is useful to eat with stress, chronic sleep deprivation and avitaminosis in the spring.
• From oatmeal, you can make a decoction, which is indicated for cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and problems with urinary systems. Oatmeal is used for making desserts and baking for people with type 2 diabetes, as it does not increase sugar levels.
• Oatmeal is indispensable for nutrition of athletes and for weight loss. Vegetable protein allows you to gain muscle mass, and carbohydrates, giving the necessary energy for this, are not deposited in the subcutaneous fat. One tablespoon of ready-made oatmeal contains only about 40 kcal, and it nourishes much better than any potato or pasta.

Despite the wealth of beneficial minerals and vitamins, oatmeal can be harmful if consumed excessively.

• Phytic acid contained in oats can accumulate in the body and wash out calcium from it.The benefit of porridge will turn into harm if you use it several times a day.
• People suffering from gastritis, need to slightly digest oatmeal. In case of gastritis of any form, food is worse digested and can cause disruptions in the work of the stomach and intestines, so you should not add fruit, butter or milk to cereal. It is best to limit the usual oatmeal in water, liquid consistency.
• In rare cases, a person may be an individual intolerance to the product. If, after eating oatmeal, an allergic reaction appears, it is necessary to exclude it from the diet and replace it with another useful cereal.

Cooking whole oatmeal is not too complicated and tedious. You can add it to meat or lean soup, grind it into flour and make a healthy dough based on it, or you can make ordinary porridge on water or milk. It is best to use it in the morning, so that the body has time to digest a high-calorie meal and get more energy.

Kashi is a healthy and tasty breakfast. Fresh taste can be diluted with the sweetness of honey or fruit, cinnamon tartness or regular salt. For cooking you will need only a pan with a thick bottom, in which cereals are boiled, and plain water or milk.

To prepare the usual oatmeal without any additives will need:

• 100 g whole grain cereals;
• 0.5 liters of clean cold water;
• 25-30 g butter;
• salt or sugar to taste.

The grain is sifted and cleaned from various impurities and residues of the husk, washed. It is best to wash oatmeal with cold water, since the hot gluten from it will start to stand out, which is necessary during the cooking itself. The water is poured into the pan, porridge is poured and put on a slow fire. Appear when boiling a thin film and litter pop up remove with a spoon, reduce the fire, cover the pan with a lid. Porridge is cooked for a long time - at least 45-55 minutes. It must be periodically stirred and removed from her foam.

10 minutes before the readiness can add salt or sugar. There is practically no water left at this point, and the croup itself will increase almost three times in volume. In the finished porridge add a piece of butter, let it melt, at the end of cooking mix everything thoroughly.

If there is not an extra hour in the morning to prepare a healthy oatmeal breakfast, you can make a “quick” oatmeal. Helping the croup to soak up the moisture and become softer will help soak it in cool water overnight. A glass of cereal will require a glass of water: you should not fill it with a large amount of liquid so that it does not give all its useful substances into moisture. For such a quick breakfast you will need:

• 1 cup wholegrain cereal;
• 3 glasses of water (one soak the grain, and in two glasses to cook soft cereal);
• 2 tablespoons butter;
• salt or sugar to taste.

Put the swollen oatmeal into a saucepan, add water and put on a slow fire. From time to time, open and clean the skins and debris, as well as mix everything thoroughly, periodically. When ready to add oil and spices.

Waking up to a warm breakfast is much more pleasant than cooking it yourself. Cooking porridge from oatmeal in a slow cooker will help. The cooking process begins the day before and takes very little time. For porridge will need:

• 1 multi grain wholegrain cereal;
• 3 multi-glasses of fresh milk;
• 3 multi-cups of water;
• salt or sugar to taste.

The croup is removed, washed and filled with boiling water to make starch stand out. An hour later, the water is drained, and the grits are washed again - this will make the porridge less sticky. Pure grain is poured into the multicooker bowl, filled with water and milk, spices are added.Extinguish mode is set for 90 minutes. After cooking, the kitchen assistant will keep the finished porridge warm until the morning.

Children rarely love cereals, and getting them to eat oatmeal for breakfast, no matter how tasty it is, is rather difficult. In order for the child to get all the beneficial vitamins and microelements, while not being capricious, you can make various oatmeal desserts. For this, whole oat grains are ground into flour, or ready oat flour is purchased. You can make cookies, cupcakes, sweet pancakes and even puddings from it. It is best to replace sugar with more useful honey, and instead of chocolate add nuts and pieces of fruit.

Groats are stored for quite a long time: from 3 to 8 months - depending on the storage conditions. It is best to place it in the following conditions.

• The container should be glass or ceramic, but must be sealed. You can use plastic containers with tight lids to prevent insects from getting into the oatmeal. Porridge infected with beetles and worms is strictly prohibited to eat.
• Do not store cereal longer than the shelf life indicated on the package. It is necessary to distinguish the date of manufacture of cereals from the date of packaging.
• Best of all, oatmeal is stored in a dark place in closed cabinets and storerooms. You can put it in the refrigerator, but practically nothing depends on the temperature, if it is not abnormally low or high.
• High humidity will also damage gluten-producing croup. Care must be taken to ensure that no water enters the jar or box.

See below for a recipe for whole grain cereal.