Can you "cook" porridge in a flask?

Minerva_2

Basic instructions - I just used the normal quantity of porridge oats and water, though I may give it a try with milk, I was worried that I'd end up with oatmeal yoghurt!

I used a wide-neck vacuum flask, put it in at about 8pm, poured it out at 8am!

Minerva

PS I'm going to try it with Savoury Rice next for lunch!

nickyc_2

just to confirm...
I used a normal thermos flask (it doesn't have a wide neck, sometime when getting porridge out you just need to shake hard!) pour in oats*....a funnel would be helpful if I had one, but I don't so I used a piping bag.

Heated milk in microwave until boiling, poured into flask & gave it a little shake. I did this about 10.30pm & ate it at 7am.....if I thought about it I would warm flask up a bit by swilling around hot water but I always forget.

* only did it this way round as I use the same cup to measure oats & milk and this way the oats go ino dry cup and so don't stick to it.

julianj1

I am a veggie so haven't cooked meat casseroles, but a mixture of rice and veggies will do nicely in 5 hours. Probably you don't need as long as this even, but I've done it at lunchtime for the evening meal.

julianj1

Oh, BTW, to get the food into my narrow-necked flask I cut a funnel out of a plastic bottle which was originally a spring-water one, this worked well.

MoneyGirl_2

So is there a cost saving in doing this, assuming using a kettle to heat water, and using flask over night, over just cooking in the microwave in the morning for
4 minutes?

teapot2

For me it would be more about saving time, have to get up at 5.30am and leave house by 6am. Even making porridge in microwave takes too long out of this time as I have to leave it to cool down before eating so this way I can just empty the flask and eat it or if something unexpected happens which means I don't have time to eat it [like one of the cats is sick] I can take it with me to work

Probably is a money saver too but thats not the top reason for me
Teapot

dronid

This does sound facinating. I'm going to have to try it myself. I'm not a great breakfast fan as I never give myself time and I prefer a cooked one to cereal. This would be perfect. :A

As far as rice goes I'd love some recipes. I always have to cook the rice when I come in and often can't be bothered. How long does it take (minimum) and does it end up sticky. And how do you do it? Boil the water and pour over the rice or boil it all together or what?

Looking forward to giving it a go.:T

julianj1

There must be a saving in electricity or gas because instead of cooking something for half an hour or more, you are only doing it for 5 mins, and letting it passively heat through.

I've never accurately bothered to time things because the food seems to turn out brill whatever you do, I've made several rice-based casseroles with a mix of white and brown rice and they were fine.

furndire

I got fed up of the porridge going over the top of the bowl cooking it in the microwave - lbm use a much bigger bowl - no need to keep and eye on porridge.
2 portions of porridge well covered in milk/water - 7 or 8 mins full power - 1 person eats from normal bowl, and 2nd eats from larger bowl.
Why didn't I think of this years ago????????????????

MoneyGirl_2

When I make porridge it takes 2mins, stir, 2 mins in the microwave on full power, not really half an hour of cooking. So what costs more, boiling the kettle (or heating milk), or 4 mins in the microwaves at circa 800 Watts?

Suspect the microwave is more expensive.