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Why does cooking oatmeal starting with cold milk make it creamy?
Why does adding extra flour help with high altitude baking?What's the science behind making German potato dumplings (Knödel) fluffy but not fall apart?Why does Mexican food taste dissonant with balsamic vinegar?Science of fast (high heat) vs. slow (low heat) scrambled eggs and omeletsDo pan “pores” exist, what are they, and what are their effects?Does whole milk or soy milk spoil faster? Why?Does cooking nopales with a copper coin actually neutralize the mucilage, and if so, why?Why does pressure cooking of chicken eggs make eggs easier to peel?What additional ingredients and steps to take to make fast cooking oatmeal from oats?How to make creamy/starchy risotto with brown rice?
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I'd always made oatmeal according to the "traditional" method of bringing the liquid to boil first, then adding the oatmeal. I recently discovered a recipe that calls for adding the oatmeal to cold liquid first, then bringing the mixture to boil - the claim is that that technique results in creamier oatmeal.
Upon trying this recipe, I found that, indeed, the resulting oatmeal was creamier than the traditional method. Can anyone explain the food science behind why cooking oatmeal starting from a cold liquid yields a creamier end result than by dropping the oatmeal into already-boiling/simmering liquid?
food-science oats consistency
edited 8 hours ago
Halhex
21111
asked 8 hours ago
StoneThrowStoneThrow
1534
add a comment |
I'd always made oatmeal according to the "traditional" method of bringing the liquid to boil first, then adding the oatmeal. I recently discovered a recipe that calls for adding the oatmeal to cold liquid first, then bringing the mixture to boil - the claim is that that technique results in creamier oatmeal.
Upon trying this recipe, I found that, indeed, the resulting oatmeal was creamier than the traditional method. Can anyone explain the food science behind why cooking oatmeal starting from a cold liquid yields a creamier end result than by dropping the oatmeal into already-boiling/simmering liquid?
food-science oats consistency
edited 8 hours ago
Halhex
21111
asked 8 hours ago
StoneThrowStoneThrow
1534
I'm not certain there's one single traditional method. porridgeclub.wordpress.com/recipes has several, some from hot, some from cold. Scott's was unfortunately swallowed by Quaker then Pepsi a long time ago - Quaker can't even manage a simple 'just cook the damn porridge' recipe these days - recipes.quaker.co.uk/oat-and-porridge-recipes/breakfast-recipes though I think the answer is somewhere between how long it soaks & how much you stir it.
– Tetsujin
8 hours ago
Cooking oatmeal from water makes them creamier, I'm not sure about adding everything before the boil though. When trying this recipe was that the only diffrence from your "traditional" method?
– Halhex
8 hours ago
@Halhex - I actually tend to use milk (for kids) or almond milk (for myself) when making oatmeal instead of water. But other than that, yes: I tried making just plain oatmeal: (1) my "traditional" method of adding oatmeal to boiling liquid, and (2) the "new" method of adding oatmeal to cold liquid then boiling, and I did observe the latter resulted in a creamier texture. Not exactly a scientific, controlled experiment, but it does seem, more or less, to be true, by casual experimentation.
– StoneThrow
8 hours ago
@StoneThrow I'll have to try that out myself tomorrow! The only thing I can think of would be that the oats might get cooked for longer.
– Halhex
8 hours ago
1
I think there may be a soaking time aspect. When camping I add boiling water to premixed oats+milk powder (no need for a fridge), stand for about 10 minutes and return as gently as I can to simmering. This gives a lovely creamy result.
– Chris H
8 hours ago
add a comment |
I'd always made oatmeal according to the "traditional" method of bringing the liquid to boil first, then adding the oatmeal. I recently discovered a recipe that calls for adding the oatmeal to cold liquid first, then bringing the mixture to boil - the claim is that that technique results in creamier oatmeal.
Upon trying this recipe, I found that, indeed, the resulting oatmeal was creamier than the traditional method. Can anyone explain the food science behind why cooking oatmeal starting from a cold liquid yields a creamier end result than by dropping the oatmeal into already-boiling/simmering liquid?
food-science oats consistency
edited 8 hours ago
Halhex
21111
asked 8 hours ago
StoneThrowStoneThrow
1534
I'd always made oatmeal according to the "traditional" method of bringing the liquid to boil first, then adding the oatmeal. I recently discovered a recipe that calls for adding the oatmeal to cold liquid first, then bringing the mixture to boil - the claim is that that technique results in creamier oatmeal.
Upon trying this recipe, I found that, indeed, the resulting oatmeal was creamier than the traditional method. Can anyone explain the food science behind why cooking oatmeal starting from a cold liquid yields a creamier end result than by dropping the oatmeal into already-boiling/simmering liquid?
food-science oats consistency
food-science oats consistency
edited 8 hours ago
Halhex
21111
asked 8 hours ago
StoneThrowStoneThrow
1534
edited 8 hours ago
Halhex
21111
asked 8 hours ago
StoneThrowStoneThrow
1534
edited 8 hours ago
Halhex
21111
edited 8 hours ago
Halhex
21111
edited 8 hours ago
Halhex
21111
21111
asked 8 hours ago
StoneThrowStoneThrow
1534
asked 8 hours ago
StoneThrowStoneThrow
1534
asked 8 hours ago
StoneThrowStoneThrow
1534
1534
I'm not certain there's one single traditional method. porridgeclub.wordpress.com/recipes has several, some from hot, some from cold. Scott's was unfortunately swallowed by Quaker then Pepsi a long time ago - Quaker can't even manage a simple 'just cook the damn porridge' recipe these days - recipes.quaker.co.uk/oat-and-porridge-recipes/breakfast-recipes though I think the answer is somewhere between how long it soaks & how much you stir it.
– Tetsujin
8 hours ago
Cooking oatmeal from water makes them creamier, I'm not sure about adding everything before the boil though. When trying this recipe was that the only diffrence from your "traditional" method?
– Halhex
8 hours ago
@Halhex - I actually tend to use milk (for kids) or almond milk (for myself) when making oatmeal instead of water. But other than that, yes: I tried making just plain oatmeal: (1) my "traditional" method of adding oatmeal to boiling liquid, and (2) the "new" method of adding oatmeal to cold liquid then boiling, and I did observe the latter resulted in a creamier texture. Not exactly a scientific, controlled experiment, but it does seem, more or less, to be true, by casual experimentation.
– StoneThrow
8 hours ago
@StoneThrow I'll have to try that out myself tomorrow! The only thing I can think of would be that the oats might get cooked for longer.
– Halhex
8 hours ago
1
I think there may be a soaking time aspect. When camping I add boiling water to premixed oats+milk powder (no need for a fridge), stand for about 10 minutes and return as gently as I can to simmering. This gives a lovely creamy result.
– Chris H
8 hours ago
add a comment |
I'm not certain there's one single traditional method. porridgeclub.wordpress.com/recipes has several, some from hot, some from cold. Scott's was unfortunately swallowed by Quaker then Pepsi a long time ago - Quaker can't even manage a simple 'just cook the damn porridge' recipe these days - recipes.quaker.co.uk/oat-and-porridge-recipes/breakfast-recipes though I think the answer is somewhere between how long it soaks & how much you stir it.
– Tetsujin
8 hours ago
Cooking oatmeal from water makes them creamier, I'm not sure about adding everything before the boil though. When trying this recipe was that the only diffrence from your "traditional" method?
– Halhex
8 hours ago
@Halhex - I actually tend to use milk (for kids) or almond milk (for myself) when making oatmeal instead of water. But other than that, yes: I tried making just plain oatmeal: (1) my "traditional" method of adding oatmeal to boiling liquid, and (2) the "new" method of adding oatmeal to cold liquid then boiling, and I did observe the latter resulted in a creamier texture. Not exactly a scientific, controlled experiment, but it does seem, more or less, to be true, by casual experimentation.
– StoneThrow
8 hours ago
@StoneThrow I'll have to try that out myself tomorrow! The only thing I can think of would be that the oats might get cooked for longer.
– Halhex
8 hours ago
1
I think there may be a soaking time aspect. When camping I add boiling water to premixed oats+milk powder (no need for a fridge), stand for about 10 minutes and return as gently as I can to simmering. This gives a lovely creamy result.
– Chris H
8 hours ago
I'm not certain there's one single traditional method. porridgeclub.wordpress.com/recipes has several, some from hot, some from cold. Scott's was unfortunately swallowed by Quaker then Pepsi a long time ago - Quaker can't even manage a simple 'just cook the damn porridge' recipe these days - recipes.quaker.co.uk/oat-and-porridge-recipes/breakfast-recipes though I think the answer is somewhere between how long it soaks & how much you stir it.
– Tetsujin
8 hours ago
I'm not certain there's one single traditional method. porridgeclub.wordpress.com/recipes has several, some from hot, some from cold. Scott's was unfortunately swallowed by Quaker then Pepsi a long time ago - Quaker can't even manage a simple 'just cook the damn porridge' recipe these days - recipes.quaker.co.uk/oat-and-porridge-recipes/breakfast-recipes though I think the answer is somewhere between how long it soaks & how much you stir it.
– Tetsujin
8 hours ago
Cooking oatmeal from water makes them creamier, I'm not sure about adding everything before the boil though. When trying this recipe was that the only diffrence from your "traditional" method?
– Halhex
8 hours ago
Cooking oatmeal from water makes them creamier, I'm not sure about adding everything before the boil though. When trying this recipe was that the only diffrence from your "traditional" method?
– Halhex
8 hours ago
@Halhex - I actually tend to use milk (for kids) or almond milk (for myself) when making oatmeal instead of water. But other than that, yes: I tried making just plain oatmeal: (1) my "traditional" method of adding oatmeal to boiling liquid, and (2) the "new" method of adding oatmeal to cold liquid then boiling, and I did observe the latter resulted in a creamier texture. Not exactly a scientific, controlled experiment, but it does seem, more or less, to be true, by casual experimentation.
– StoneThrow
8 hours ago
@Halhex - I actually tend to use milk (for kids) or almond milk (for myself) when making oatmeal instead of water. But other than that, yes: I tried making just plain oatmeal: (1) my "traditional" method of adding oatmeal to boiling liquid, and (2) the "new" method of adding oatmeal to cold liquid then boiling, and I did observe the latter resulted in a creamier texture. Not exactly a scientific, controlled experiment, but it does seem, more or less, to be true, by casual experimentation.
– StoneThrow
8 hours ago
@StoneThrow I'll have to try that out myself tomorrow! The only thing I can think of would be that the oats might get cooked for longer.
– Halhex
8 hours ago
@StoneThrow I'll have to try that out myself tomorrow! The only thing I can think of would be that the oats might get cooked for longer.
– Halhex
8 hours ago
1
1
I think there may be a soaking time aspect. When camping I add boiling water to premixed oats+milk powder (no need for a fridge), stand for about 10 minutes and return as gently as I can to simmering. This gives a lovely creamy result.
– Chris H
8 hours ago
I think there may be a soaking time aspect. When camping I add boiling water to premixed oats+milk powder (no need for a fridge), stand for about 10 minutes and return as gently as I can to simmering. This gives a lovely creamy result.
– Chris H
8 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
Flour and cornmeal are well known to clump when added cold to boiling water. Such clumps arise when starch molecules unball and forming a mesh that traps other starch molecules, preventing them from hydrolysing in the same way. Hence lumpy gravy and sauces.
For oatmeal I've observed similar clumping behaviour, but not to the same extent. Anyway I suspect the same mechanism is at work. Since starch hydrolysis is the main reaction making oatmeal creamy, I'm not surprised that slow and steady heating is considered best.
answered 7 hours ago
Mark WildonMark Wildon
723110
This makes sense. The starch would have a chance to dissolve into the water before it gels.
– Sobachatina
7 hours ago
add a comment |
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Flour and cornmeal are well known to clump when added cold to boiling water. Such clumps arise when starch molecules unball and forming a mesh that traps other starch molecules, preventing them from hydrolysing in the same way. Hence lumpy gravy and sauces.
For oatmeal I've observed similar clumping behaviour, but not to the same extent. Anyway I suspect the same mechanism is at work. Since starch hydrolysis is the main reaction making oatmeal creamy, I'm not surprised that slow and steady heating is considered best.
answered 7 hours ago
Mark WildonMark Wildon
723110
This makes sense. The starch would have a chance to dissolve into the water before it gels.
– Sobachatina
7 hours ago
add a comment |
Flour and cornmeal are well known to clump when added cold to boiling water. Such clumps arise when starch molecules unball and forming a mesh that traps other starch molecules, preventing them from hydrolysing in the same way. Hence lumpy gravy and sauces.
For oatmeal I've observed similar clumping behaviour, but not to the same extent. Anyway I suspect the same mechanism is at work. Since starch hydrolysis is the main reaction making oatmeal creamy, I'm not surprised that slow and steady heating is considered best.
answered 7 hours ago
Mark WildonMark Wildon
723110
This makes sense. The starch would have a chance to dissolve into the water before it gels.
– Sobachatina
7 hours ago
add a comment |
Flour and cornmeal are well known to clump when added cold to boiling water. Such clumps arise when starch molecules unball and forming a mesh that traps other starch molecules, preventing them from hydrolysing in the same way. Hence lumpy gravy and sauces.
For oatmeal I've observed similar clumping behaviour, but not to the same extent. Anyway I suspect the same mechanism is at work. Since starch hydrolysis is the main reaction making oatmeal creamy, I'm not surprised that slow and steady heating is considered best.
answered 7 hours ago
Mark WildonMark Wildon
723110
Flour and cornmeal are well known to clump when added cold to boiling water. Such clumps arise when starch molecules unball and forming a mesh that traps other starch molecules, preventing them from hydrolysing in the same way. Hence lumpy gravy and sauces.
For oatmeal I've observed similar clumping behaviour, but not to the same extent. Anyway I suspect the same mechanism is at work. Since starch hydrolysis is the main reaction making oatmeal creamy, I'm not surprised that slow and steady heating is considered best.
answered 7 hours ago
Mark WildonMark Wildon
723110
answered 7 hours ago
Mark WildonMark Wildon
723110
answered 7 hours ago
Mark WildonMark Wildon
723110
answered 7 hours ago
Mark WildonMark Wildon
723110
723110
This makes sense. The starch would have a chance to dissolve into the water before it gels.
– Sobachatina
7 hours ago
add a comment |
This makes sense. The starch would have a chance to dissolve into the water before it gels.
– Sobachatina
7 hours ago
This makes sense. The starch would have a chance to dissolve into the water before it gels.
– Sobachatina
7 hours ago
This makes sense. The starch would have a chance to dissolve into the water before it gels.
– Sobachatina
7 hours ago
add a comment |
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I'm not certain there's one single traditional method. porridgeclub.wordpress.com/recipes has several, some from hot, some from cold. Scott's was unfortunately swallowed by Quaker then Pepsi a long time ago - Quaker can't even manage a simple 'just cook the damn porridge' recipe these days - recipes.quaker.co.uk/oat-and-porridge-recipes/breakfast-recipes though I think the answer is somewhere between how long it soaks & how much you stir it.
– Tetsujin
8 hours ago
Cooking oatmeal from water makes them creamier, I'm not sure about adding everything before the boil though. When trying this recipe was that the only diffrence from your "traditional" method?
– Halhex
8 hours ago
@Halhex - I actually tend to use milk (for kids) or almond milk (for myself) when making oatmeal instead of water. But other than that, yes: I tried making just plain oatmeal: (1) my "traditional" method of adding oatmeal to boiling liquid, and (2) the "new" method of adding oatmeal to cold liquid then boiling, and I did observe the latter resulted in a creamier texture. Not exactly a scientific, controlled experiment, but it does seem, more or less, to be true, by casual experimentation.
– StoneThrow
8 hours ago
@StoneThrow I'll have to try that out myself tomorrow! The only thing I can think of would be that the oats might get cooked for longer.
– Halhex
8 hours ago
1
I think there may be a soaking time aspect. When camping I add boiling water to premixed oats+milk powder (no need for a fridge), stand for about 10 minutes and return as gently as I can to simmering. This gives a lovely creamy result.
– Chris H
8 hours ago