Better oatmeal, made at home

For years the egg has ruled the breakfast table like a sun god worshipped aestheticized endlessly fiddled with by men in starched aprons and women with ring lights Everyone has their method Alton Brown swears by a dollop of mayonnaise Martha Stewart sometimes froths hers in a cappuccino maker There was a time not so long ago when the internet spoke in yolk Forks broke through liquid gold in slow motion brunch videos were scored to Let s Get It On I once posted one myself before my mother horrified sent a text that entirely read Take that down She wasn t wrong Eggs are hot But lately the heat has shifted In the soft glow of morning caf s I see it everywhere oatmeal ascendant Related To Gen Z Obama-era nostalgia tastes like froyo Oatmeal the once-humble slop of Puritans and heart-healthy dads now served in ribbed ceramic bowls under a snowfall of hemp hearts and bee pollen Starbucks has it McDonald s too Here in Chicago every coffee shop worth its salt now ladles out several steaming permutation of oat mush with a swirl of tahini or jam SQIRL-style There are oatfluencers Gen Z in its infinite ability to rehabilitate the uncool has decided that porridge is pleasure And honestly It s about time Temperatures are dropping grocery prices keep climbing and there s a small almost alchemical satisfaction in transforming the blandest cheapest grain in the aisle into a breakfast worth lingering over Maybe that s the quiet seduction of oatmeal it rewards attention A spoonful of brown sugar becomes caramel as it melts diced apples collapse into little pockets of warmth cinnamon laces the air with something almost nostalgic When life feels pared down this humble porridge feels like an invitation to make the bulk of less to stir to season to play And if even the simplest bowl can be a revelation imagine what happens when you go bespoke Here s how Prep toppings not just the oats Before we get to the overnight-oat debate and oh we will a small ritual suggestion if you re declaring this your oatmeal week spend a quiet Sunday half-hour making toppings It doesn t have to be a full project just a minimal trays in the oven while you do laundry or scroll idly Roast a pan of maple-glazed apples until they slump into themselves toss particular nuts and seeds with cinnamon and salt maybe crisp a limited strips of brown-sugar bacon until they re practically candy A jar of homemade pumpkin butter if you re feeling ambitious turns even the bulk ascetic bowl into a minor celebration The point isn t perfection it s having one homemade flourish that makes Monday morning feel considered not grim Want more great food writing and recipes Sign up for Salon s free food newsletter The Bite Salt like a baker Salt salt and then salt again The same rule that applies to cookies applies to oatmeal seasoning is seduction A pinch of sea salt in a sweet bowl doesn t just make it taste better it deepens everything sharpens the butter brightens the fruit makes the brown sugar taste like caramel instead of syrup For savory oats I go one step further and whisk in a little white miso which gives the whole thing a quiet savory hum And don t stop there particular of the best toppings play both sides of the flavor spectrum Salted nuts and seeds a spoonful of nut butter even a sprinkle of bacon bits roasted grains or crushed pretzels yes pretzels can take a humble bowl into full-on craving territory Alexandr Kolesnikov Getty Images Oatmeal with raspberries and toppings Use the right oats and the rice cooker Let s be honest the greater part overnight oats fail not because the concept is flawed but because the oats are I have nothing against a little tub of dark-chocolate Mush after the gym it s cold protein-packed and vaguely virtuous but as an actual breakfast overnight oats often veer into the texture zone of regret The culprit The wrong grain Instant oats are cut fine and processed to absorb liquid fast which means that after a night in the fridge they collapse into paste Steel-cut or Irish oats on the other hand are practically bionic too sturdy to surrender to mere soaking and still pebble-firm come morning The sweet spot is the humble old-fashioned rolled oat the platonic ideal of porridge texture It s pliant but still has a little chew and it behaves beautifully whether you cook it on the stove or leave it to swell overnight in milk In my mind stovetop will perpetually be the monarch of methods warmth adds its own kind of tenderness but for weekday ease my secret weapon is the rice cooker It makes the greater part perfect hands-off oats soft fragrant and ready before you ve had your first sip of coffee Raid the fancy jam aisle Self-explanatory yes but transformative When I m dreaming up new oatmeal combinations I start where any self-respecting hedonist would the jam aisle of a fancy little corner store Every jar is a mood board A glossy pumpkin butter practically begs for chopped pecans a spoonful of almond butter and a whisper of cream cheese Grate in a little carrot and suddenly you ve made breakfast cosplay as carrot cake Or take a bright yuzu marmalade pair it with black sesame seeds flaked coconut a drizzle of coconut cream a swirl of tahini and a scatter of lime zest We need your help to stay independent Subscribe nowadays to encouragement Salon s progressive journalism Tea and coffee please Steep your oats like you steep tea Yes really Earl Grey oats Lavender-cream oats Chai-spiced oats The infusion transforms the grain delicate fragrant subtly flavored Breakfast suddenly feels like a small personal ritual rather than a hurried utilitarian task Magda Tymczyj Getty Images Creamy chocolate oatmeal topped with berries chocolate chunks and coconut Get creative with dairy and dairy-free options The the bulk decadent oatmeal I ve ever had came from a room-service tray heavy cream three pats of melting salted butter a tiny jar of Bonne Maman strawberry jam and a tin of spiced nuts Worth every calorie if your aim is restaurant-level indulgence Good cream good butter can t lose That noted I understand the desire to avoid a daily cream extravaganza On a weekday butter is far more transformative for texture and flavor than cream so it s worth keeping in the rotation But don t stop there Oatmeal thrives on dairy and non-dairy alike almond or oat milk a spoonful of mascarpone dollops of ricotta or labneh tangy flavored yogurt a little goat cheese For savory oats the sky is wide open briny feta sharp white cheddar a dusting of Parm for a cacio e pepe riff each adds its own note Use the good stuff yes even on oatmeal This isn t about buying things for the sake of buying things It s about giving yourself a reason and a place to indeed use the fancy little ingredients that end up gathering dust on the back shelf I work in food and still every time I reach for something above the economic system label I feel a small pang of guilt like I m splurging where I shouldn t It s a reflex I m still unlearning But oatmeal of all things feels like a balm for that guilt a utilitarian canvas worthy of a little luxury Seek out the quiet indulgences that make a big difference over the subject of a season Candied orange peel Dark chocolate chunks A spoonful of good tahini Vietnamese cinnamon that really smells like something A drizzle of wildflower honey that tastes faintly of sunlight When the base is humble the smallest extravagance reads as grace Read more about this topic French food finds its cool again The perfect savory muffin Cheesecake perfected with granola The post Better oatmeal made at home appeared first on Salon com