Porridge... during the lockdown I rediscovered it and now eat it almost every day.

[Richdog]

As per title, during the lockdown my Irish colleague kept going on about porridge with such fervour that I decided to try it again. I eat oats with milk sometimes, but porridge was something I hadn't made since I was really young. Holy crap... it's amazing. I make it with oats and milk in the microwave, add a long squeeze of honey at the end and mix it in, and it tastes like a michelin star dish.

I now eat it most days as a breakfast/lunch (interspersed with the occasional omelette) and in addition to being so tasty and satisfying it has also really helped me to lose some some belly fat as it keeps me going far longer than other foods.

Anyone else love porridge and have any suggestions for recipes or variations?

 

[Richdog]

It's okay but it's no michelin star

I like to put in 1 square of dark chocolate, along with the honey.

Or some dried cranberries and raisins, again with honey or a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Or Apple and cinnamon.

A square of dark chocolate? You saucy bugger.

And yes, the taste is so good it's genuinely top-tier for me... I enjoy the overall taste and experience as much as many fine dining foods I have had. It's amazing how such a simple food can be so enjoyable in taste and texture.

Aye. Used to eat it every day before gym session pre Covid but hadn't touched it again since the start of this week. It really is the best breakfast. Make mine with Almond milk, salt, a touch of honey and sometimes a teaspoon of good quality cocoa powder. Just so good!

Over the last 16 months there's probably only a handful of mornings I've not had it for breakfast, it's part of my weight loss diet.


I make it the night before, 55g of oats, 125ml of almond milk and 125ml of water. Pinch of salt and then leave it in the fridge overnight. In the morning I heat it on the stove and mix in a calorie free syrup for flavouring. Love it!

I eat loads of porridge. This week's post turbo-trainer breakfast has been porridge made with SS milk in the microwave, then topped with a spoon of maple syrup and a banana. Does a pretty good job to see me through to lunch without wanting to raid the pantry for a snack!

Porridge is great, especially in cold weather.

I like to cut up some fruit, it's nice with bananas or blueberries. It's also very nice with a dollop of jam or something in.

Good tips, thanks! I use semi-skimmed UHT milk (I actually found one that tastes very much like 'normal' milk and lastes ages... I'm not joking) and it turns out lovely when thickened.

 

[Richdog]

My wife has been a porridge eater for years, although i've only really got into it since lockdown and working from home.

I tend to throw in fruit, we just buy a bunch each week and throw it in (Apple, figs, plum, pears, bananas, blueberries etc, they all work)

My personal favourite is banana, peanut butter and honey.

I like dried fruit in mine. Or tinned prunes. Honey.

Sometimes I just go plain with salt.

What... no... why... I can't even...

Monsters.

 

[Richdog]

Oh do calm down, Mavis... It's not like he's putting ham & pineapple on it!!!

Ooh, now there's an idea...

 

[Richdog]

Been eating it daily for years now, absolutely love it, though I'd recommend cooking it on the hob rather than microwaving it.

When my cooker packed in a couple of years ago I had to use the microwave for a couple of weeks and it just doesn't taste as creamy.

I've tried various additions over the years, my favourite now is to add a good few shakes of cinnamon, then add full fat greek yoghurt, frozen blueberries/raspberries/strawberries , sunflower seeds and a tablespoon of various fruit conserves or honey.

Keeps me going for hours.

Sounds like pro-level porridge. Proridge?

I too got into it for a while. I was eating every day, sometimes twice, then I remembered bacon. Now I tend to cook myself a nice streaky bacon sandwich to start my day. I annoy myself by how much of a faddy eater I am.

A bacon sarnie every morning? That's unhealthy dude.

 

[Richdog]

Regular oats eater here, I got seriously addicted to adding hot water, sometimes with a dash of milk and then a generous tablespoon of Sainsburys dark brown cane sugar mixed in earlier this year... That sugar is probably better than cocaine!

Been doing mixed dried fruit and a whole banana with milk recently, tastes great, but I do wonder if hot milk/water helps it make me feel fuller for longer.

I think that logically speaking, using all milk makes you feel more full than milk and water combined as milk is denser and more nutritious than water.

 

[Richdog]

Almond milk may be healthy but it sure it not good for the environment in drought-stricken California, where more than 80% of the world's almonds are grown.

There is sadly very little food that is mass produced nowadays, at the scale that is required for our populations, that is good for the environment it is grown in. For me, nothing tastes as good or is as nutritious as cow milk and its an important part of my diet.

 

[Richdog]

Bought a 1Kg bag of Lidl's Simply oats the other day, quite tasty for 75p, they seem to quickly soak up cold milk and soften up.

I will buy and try some today as I will be passing close to one.

 

[Richdog]

Don't forget there are lots of other grains that can be used for 'porridge'

Hmm but which would be a good replacement for soft oats while still keeping the classic porridge texture?

 

[Richdog]

I love porriidge and used to eat it every day until I realised it was that what was causing my really bad constipation.

Fibre's meant to have the opposite effect so dunno what was going on there but it definitely went away as soon as I knocked the porridge on the head

I had this once or twice and I think it's when you make the porridge so thick and dry that it goes like cement. Keep some liquid in it, or add some after, or it will not travel so well down your digestive system.

 

[Richdog]

Hmmm that's very interesting. I did used to make it fairly thick (but not quite cement-like lol)

I may try it again a lot thinner sometime. Cheers for the advice

It may not immediately look like cement, but the longer it is left in the bowl then the more it dries and thickens. If it already starts off too dry, then it could sometimes after a short time be used as brick mortar.

 

[Richdog]

Coconut milk is very low calorie.

No it isn't 'in general', it's high in calories and saturated fat https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-milk

I'm sure you can get lower fat versions, but in standard form it is not low fat.

 

[Richdog]

True, it will depend on what exactly you buy. I buy this one, which is the one I was talking about. What I was really trying to say is you can have coconut milk or other types of milk alternative and still keep it very low cal.

It was just a tin of coconut milk, rather than one of the ones from a carton. I usually just use 100% water as I'm trying to cut out excess calories. Tasty, but definitely not healthy as Richdog has said.

Heh I use 100% milk which suits me fine as I am a slim jim and I need the calcium and Omega 3!

 

[Richdog]

It's a weird psychological thing that most people, including me, are happy eating the same breakfast nearly every day but eating the same dinner will make you nauseous after a while. Day 4 of leftovers usually does it for me!

Yeah, maybe it's partlybecause it's the first meal of the day and I am so hungry that my brain tells me to love anything that goes in my mouth... but whether I eat porridge, or just the oats soaked in milk with honey, it tastes like heaven. I mean I literally savour every mouthful like I've been on a desert island eating nothing but rats for a month and then someone finds me and hands me a freshly made club sandwich. That's how it makes me feel.

 

[Richdog]

Definitely the latter case for me.

I actively look forward to my morning porridge, it's my favourite meal of the day.

I rarely have anything else, and if I do, I ask myself why am I not eating porridge instead!

Mind you, it isn't really just porridge considering I add cinnamon, sunflower seeds, full fat Greek style yoghurt, frozen fruit and a dollop of jam conserve.

The only other thing that makes me lick my chops in delight is a French rustic omelette with Gruyere cheese in it... but the effort levels are so much higher than porridge, not to mention calroies, that it is an infrequent treat in comparison.,

 

[Richdog]

I made Gordon Ramsays apple pie porridge this morning! OMG it was lovely.
proper stove top milk and oats, caramelised the apple with some butter and cinnamon

Holy crap, you posh barsteward! Sounds delicious though.

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PS: Over 100 posts for a porridge thread... LOL.

 

[Richdog]

That is definitely a posh porridge...

Poshrridge?

 

[Richdog]

I've just started eating porridge. I never liked it before, but it turns out that adding a bit of salt makes all the difference! I make it with water and add salt, honey, almonds, raisins and sultanas.

Yeah, the seasoning for porridge can really transform it. The oats are just a base then you can add what you like.

Funnily enough I have stopped making porridge for the last couple of months and am just eating oats, milk and honey instead (left to soak and soften for 30 mins). I think I just hit porridge overload and now I need a mental break from it.

 

[Richdog]

Mixed a Christmas Pudding into mine today.

If a hell exists, you are surely going there.

No I'm just a relatively heavy guy doing a lot of cardio/weights alongside my eating.

A pile of eggs and toast... every day?

 

[Richdog]

Tom is as they say, an absolute unit.

You're going to make me blush

I wouldn't go that far but I am slightly bigger than your usual IT department bloke.

Okkaaayyyy...