Oatmeal Revelation

I have my usual way of making oatmeal, but I never realized that it was the best way (for the Walkers, anyway). My husband likes my oatmeal although he kind of hates oatmeal in general. The way I discovered this is that I made our morning oatmeal a different way this morning and Todd could hardly hide his disgust; it was sticky, mushy stuff.

My usual technique, which I picked up from Todd's aunt, results in pleasantly chewy oatmeal with firm, loose oats. You can taste the toastiness of them. And I just use regular (not 1-minute) Quaker Oats. You bring the water to a boil, add the oats (amounts according to the box), boil for 1 minute, then turn it off. Then you let it sit for about 5 minutes. I usually have to use a slotted spoon to remove the oats from a slight excess of cooking liquid (which is probably why they stay so firm; they haven't absorbed all the water), so I guess it's a little like cooking pasta (although not that much excess water is involved).

Chopped walnuts add even more texture, and my son usually likes raisins in his. Maple syrup, honey or brown sugar.