Quickly cool hot oatmeal with crushed ice

Some of us eat oatmeal for breakfast every day, no matter what the weather. Here's Jill's time- and tongue-saving cool-down tip:

To cool off oatmeal easily, I make it with about half of the normal amount of water and microwave it. I then add some crushed ice to cool it off and get it to the right consistency all at once.

For those of us without a refrigerator outfitted with an icemaker, check out these mini ice cube trays! They would work just as well. Good for blending ice into a smoothie, too!

Related: Frozen raspberries cool down hot oatmeal

Comments

[Jenny]

I do the same - use about half the amount of water and microwave for only about 45 seconds - but I then cool it off with cold milk from the fridge (as opposed to ice) to get it to the right consistency.

[Rooh]

We use the Quaker Oatmeal packages (regular, so we get more oatmeal and I can control the sugar added). But I ignore the water amount recommended.

For the kids, I run the water in the tap until it's quite hot. Once I'm done making the oatmeal (I only add a bit of water because we all like it kinda lumpy) and adding the brown sugar, it's cooled enough for them. For myself, I do boil the water. I like it hotter and don't need to cool it down.

Any water collected in the sink while waiting for it to get hot is used to rinse the bowls before having another cereal (Shreddies, Cheerios, etc).

Good tip - I'll have to try it at the cottage, where we have to boil the water. We don't drink the lake water, though it's fine to swim in :)

[Allen Knutson]

Step 1: Put ceramic bowls in the freezer. Step 2: make the porridge. Step 3: dump it in the bowls and spread it up on the sides. Eat the part on the sides first, while the thicker layer in the middle cools from the air.

[Twinmamateb]

I always add cold applesauce

[Rita]

I have frozen yogurt in ice cube trays and used them for cooling, extra nutrition, creaminess, and enhanced flavor.

[Catherine]

Okay, this might only work at our house, but here's how I make oatmeal for my 3.5yo and me:

Step 1: oats + milk in bowl, microwave on high for 1:20.
Step 2: add frozen blueberries and stir.
Step 3: oats + milk in a 2nd bowl, microwave on high for 1:20.
Step 4: remove thawed blueberries from Bowl #1 and put them in Bowl #2. Add cranberries (3.5yo's favorite) to Bowl #1.
Step 5: 3.5yo gets cooled oatmeal with cranberries, I get hot oatmeal with thawed blueberries.