How do I make good porridge?

Porridge is oats, liquid, heat and stirring. The stirring is what releases starch and makes it creamy, the salt is what stops it tasting like wallpaper paste, and the oversized bowl is what stops the microwave version erupting.

What you'll need

• Porridge oats
• Milk or water
• Salt
• Saucepan or large bowl
• Wooden spoon (optional)

Step by step

1. Measure one part oats to three parts liquid.50g oats to 150ml liquid is a generous single serving. Milk gives a creamier result; water a cleaner one.
2. Add a good pinch of salt at the start.This is the step almost everyone skips. It is the difference between bland and properly flavoured.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring.Not a rolling boil. It catches on the base and the outside overcooks.
4. Simmer and stir for about five minutes.Stirring releases starch from the oats, which is what makes it creamy rather than watery.
5. Add more liquid if it thickens too far.It continues thickening off the heat, so slightly loose in the pan is right.
6. For a microwave, use a bowl at least three times the volume of the ingredients.It rises dramatically. Cook in one-minute bursts, stirring between.
7. Let it stand for a minute before eating.It thickens and evens out. It is also extremely hot straight from the pan.
8. Add sweet or savoury toppings after cooking.Fruit, nuts, honey, or salt and butter. Adding sugar during cooking can make it catch.

Tips

• Steel-cut or pinhead oats give a much nuttier, chewier result but take 20–30 minutes. Soaking them overnight cuts that considerably.
• Overnight oats — oats soaked in milk or yoghurt in the fridge — need no cooking at all and are ready in the morning.
• A splash of cream or a knob of butter stirred in at the end makes a noticeable difference for very little.

Common mistakes

• Leaving out the salt — Unsalted porridge tastes flat, and adding salt afterwards does not have the same effect.
• Boiling it hard — It catches on the base and cooks unevenly. A gentle simmer with stirring is what makes it creamy.
• Using a small bowl in the microwave — It rises dramatically and boils over. Use a bowl three times larger than you think you need.

Questions people ask