Sheryl Rosen > wrote in message >...
> in article , PENMART01 at
> wrote on 1/20/04 2:00 PM:
>
> >> (Carol Cohen)
> >>
> >> I'm writing to you because I can't think of better
> >
> > Why not just call the Quaker Oats Corporation?
> > http://quakeroats.com/qfb_ContactUs/Consumers.cfm
> >
> > newsgroups to
> >> answer my question, which is: I have always made oatmeal by the
> >> recipe on the Quaker Oats box: 1/3 cup oats, 3/4 cup water. But the
> >> new box reads: 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water. (and of course the
> >> calories which used to be 110, are now 150). When did the portion
> >> size change? And why?
> >
> > Probably to sell more oats... who in their right mind dirties a pot for such a
> > small quantity anyway... washing the pot costs as much as the puny portion of
> > oats... for those who prepare just one serving it's more economical to buy the
> > single serving pouches.
> >
>
> Who uses a pot????
>
> Every morning, I put my half cup of oats into a small tupperware bowl, add a
> spoonful of sweetner (honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, whatever is handy), a
> small handful of dried cranberries, heaping tablespoon of chopped nuts
> (walnuts or almonds), and tote it along to work with me.
>
> When I get there, I put hot water from the bottled water dispenser (it's hot
> enough for tea) in, and then nuke it right in the bowl for 2 minutes.
>
> Nothing could be easier, and at 99 cents, on sale for the very large store
> brand canister of 3 minute oats, nothing could be less expensive, even after
> adding in the cost of dried fruits and nuts. A half pound bag of dried
> cranberries costs me 2.50, and lasts me about 10 bowls. That's the most
> expensive part of this breakfast!!!! 25 cents a serving.


At the risk of sounding like a complete dinosaur, *I* still use a pot
as I don't even own a microwave oven. (I use the staff microwave at
work, but I've never felt compelled to invest in one at home.) I cook
a 1/3 cup serving of McCann's quick cooking Irish oatmeal in my
smallest sauce pan every morning. I started eating oatmeal to cut
down on my consumption of bread, butter and eggs, and to introduce
more fiber into my daily diet, and my digestion is better for it. It
takes about 2 minutes to cook up a bowl of oatmeal on the stove
top--about the same as to boil water for my tea-- and I soak the
oatmeal pan with cold water. I usually do the major dishwashing of
the day after dinner each evening, by which time the oatmeal pan is
very easy to clean. I stayed at a friend's house in Ireland in
September, and cooked my oatmeal in her microwave. I did not find
that using a microwave vs the stove saved a great deal of time, and
although I was polite and did not say so, I didn't like microwaved
oatmeal as much as my stove top oatmeal.

To revert to the original topic of this thread, I find that a one
third cup serving of oatmeal is plenty, and keeps me going until
lunch. A steaming bowl of oatmeal with milk and real maple syrup is a
wonderfully comforting breakfast on these chilly January mornings. I
have no idea what effect it has had on my overall cholesterol, but I
figure it's got to be better for me than fried eggs and buttered
toast.

Melissa