The Reason You Should Consider Making Oatmeal In A Rice Cooker

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and even if this a.m. meal isn't your favorite, you've got to admit that options for breaking your overnight fast are truly endless — and often delicious. In the savory realm, you've got your scrambled eggs, your omelets, your bagels, and more. While the realm of the sweet is populated by all manner of breakfast pastries, pancakes, French toast, waffles, and other options. And then, straddling the border between savory and sweet breakfasts is that all-time classic of oatmeal. 

While you might be accustomed to topping oatmeal with sugary choices such as maple syrup, honey, dried fruit, and the like, the warm porridge made of rolled or whole oats is actually a wonderful vehicle for savory ingredients such as sausage and egg or even a ginger flax dressing. Whichever way you like to enjoy your oatmeal, we're guessing you tend to prepare it in one of two ways — in the microwave, or on the stovetop. But have you ever considered making oatmeal in a rice cooker?

Who doesn't love a good set-it-and-forget-it appliance? Whether you favor an Instant Pot or slow cooker — or both — it's hard to deny that a huge part of the appeal of these types of appliances is that they're hands-off. With Instant Pot risotto, for example, gone are the days of standing over a steaming pot of rice stirring until your shoulder goes sore, and with slow cooker al pastor, chunks of pork shoulder go all tender and shreddable over the course of five hours — without you having to turn on the oven or do much of anything at all.

And that's why it's such a great idea to make oatmeal in a rice cooker, according to Kitchn. The outlet explains that just as the appliance cooks oatmeal, it does the same to rice. By bringing the added water up to a rapid boil, it then drops the temperature to gently steam the grain through — without any further effort needed on your part. 

The rice cooker is left unattended as the oatmeal cooks, which is convenient, and the oats don't take very long to be ready. About 20 minutes for rolled oats set to the "white rice" setting, or a little longer if your rice cooker has a lower, slower "porridge" setting (via Camp Brighton), or a few extra minutes if you're using steel-cut oats (you'll also have to add more liquid in this case, Kitchn notes in its article).

Since rice cookers usually have a pretty small capacity, the method is handy for making just a couple of servings of oatmeal, Kitchn points out, and the rice cooker can keep the oatmeal warm for later risers — you can even cook the oats overnight and have them waiting for you in the morning if you prefer, The New York Times states. A great breakfast, even after sleeping in? Now sounds like a good time to set up our morning oatmeal in the rice cooker — and program our automatic drip coffee maker, while we're at it.