Oatmeal bowls

[ktconroy]

I eat oatmeal most mornings. I love it. Then there's the bowl. I swear getting oatmeal out of the bowl is like trying to wash cement. It just makes a film that I can't get out without soaking it. What do you all do to cook your oats without having to deal with the mess?

[Cynic]

I set it to soak ASAP. I have a dripping faucet so it's sort of no problem. I put the bowl in the pot and both under the faucet and let it fill overnight. By morning, it's easily washable.

[Victoria]

HA!!! Without the mess?!!! I followed the instructions on the container for microwaving and ended up with a volcanic mess all over the inside of the microwave and down the sides of the bowl. That was a nasty cleanup!

[roadrunner]

I just run hot water in the bowl and a wash cloth to wash it. I put oatmeal in a lot of stuff.........

[Scott~]

I always fill up the bowl with water and let it stand like that. Then a sponge and hot water cleans it up in no time. Don't worry, when I first started eating oatmeal I must have thrown away at least 5 bowls and countless spoons.

[ktconroy]

Yeah...the volcano is the worst! I've been doing the soak, I was just wondering if there was an easier remedy...I was thinking of spraying the bowl with pam first or something? It's just SO caked on there. I'm a freak about having dishes in the sink... I hate it. So I usually have to clean them before I do anything else.

[Lost Dog]

Use a larger bowl for the nuking, first of all. I use a large Pyrex mixing bowl.

Nuke longer at lower power. My box says 2-3 minutes on high. I do 5 minutes at 50%. This produces less volcanism.

I use less water and add more later. This produces less volcanism AND lets me stir in an ice cube or milk to cool it down so I don't have to wait as long to eat it.

When it's done nuking, I put it in another bowl, since this one is too hot to hold while I eat. Put this one in the sink and fill with water.

Eat the oatmeal in the other bowl.

When you return, the soaking will be done and you can clean both bowls with that plastic sink brush that you should be using instead of a sponge, since sponges are just large bacteria colonies breeding death.

[Aoife]

?
I don't understand the problem. Any kind of abrasive should do the trick. You have no scrubbies? Not to mention the all-time miracle cleaner... baking soda? How do you keep anything clean with just a sponge/cloth? *shudder*


The only things that should need to be soaked are 1) things you don't get to till it's too late, and 2) stuff with a non-stick surface that you don't want to abrade. Not much else that needs more than a coupla minutes of soak.

[Alcoholiday]

i just put water in it w/ some soap right away.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by Lost Dog

Use a larger bowl for the nuking, first of all. I use a large Pyrex mixing bowl.

Nuke longer at lower power. My box says 2-3 minutes on high. I do 5 minutes at 50%. This produces less volcanism.

I use less water and add more later. This produces less volcanism AND lets me stir in an ice cube or milk to cool it down so I don't have to wait as long to eat it.

When it's done nuking, I put it in another bowl, since this one is too hot to hold while I eat. Put this one in the sink and fill with water.

Eat the oatmeal in the other bowl.

When you return, the soaking will be done and you can clean both bowls with that plastic sink brush that you should be using instead of a sponge, since sponges are just large bacteria colonies breeding death.

I noticed different brands give different nuking instructions for some reason. The volcanic episode was from instructions that said to blast away for a couple minutes. I made a batch from a different brand this morning that said to nuke longer (5-6 mins.) at lower power (50%)--and it worked perfectly. Maybe the first brand didn't kitchen test their own instructions.

As far as the hot bowl, I rather like that in the winter. I just cradle it on a potholder. Warms my hand and my tummy!

[Mark57]

I've found that a quick spray with cooking oil (Pam) first makes the clean up a lot easier. But I'm just heating up some steel cut oatmeal that I cook on the weekend, and not actually cooking it in the microwave. Sounds like you are talking about cooking it, but I think the Pam would still help a lot.

[LWilson212]

Luckily, I don't do too many dishes, but I have heard those exact words from my boyfriend - what did you have in here, cement???

If I have to wash stuff myself, I swear by Cascade complete for the dishwasher. Its got abrasive stuff that will get pretty much anything out.

[BamaDave]

It comes off better in cold water than hot water. Soak the bowl in cold water.

[castufari]

I cook mine on the stove in an AllClad stainless pot. Low heat and when I'm done I dump it into a bowl then quickly wipe the pot down with a scrubber and cool water. For the bowl I just rinse then wipe.

When I cook oatmeal I use a bit extra water and when it's done it's not mortar. That makes cleanup easier and I like it better...less mucous tasting. During my culinary days one of the chefs I worked with cooked it like that and people ate tons of it, esp kids. You can set it in the bowl, take a shower and return and it will be pliable still. I use steel cut, not the quick stuff.

[Ogedei]

I'm lazy. Oats, bowl, boiling water, cover, wait 5 minutes, if that.

Eat.

No cooking of oats to bowl.

rinse and you're done.

Og.

[ericajones80]

i just soak the bowl as soon as I'm done....then I can forget about it until I do dishes and it isn't caked onto the sides