My Funny Valentine

It all started with my non resolution to eat healthier and move more in 2013. My Zumba Gold DVDs are not seeing much action, but I did start eating oatmeal almost every day for breakfast. No instant, sweetened, flavored stuff for me. My aim was for old fashioned oats, whole grain, no additives, no over processing. I'd add my own natural fruit and maybe a few slivers of almonds if I chose, maybe even some skim milk.

After a month of  microwaving and trying to remember to use the deep, not the wide, cereal bowl for my one-portion size to prevent an oatmealy mess in the microwave when the timer sounded, I thought there must be such a thing as an electric oatmeal cooker. Voila! The rice cooker, my new love.

When I Googled "oatmeal cooker" and was led to rice cookers I went to Amazon.com where I also found this book:

It's a great little book, especially if you like Roger Ebert. It's funny, witty and informative. But if you're looking for a rice cookbook, this is not it. There is information and blog posts and charming, witty anecdotes all pertaining to rice cookers, Roger's rice cooking experiences and also those of his blog readers. Although he mentions it quite a few times it only took one "Get the pot!" for me to go searching for the perfect least expensive, three cup cooker. After all I only wanted it to cook one portion of oatmeal a day.

Here it is:

Roger said you only need a little basic pot, one that turns on, cooks then switches to warm. The name he dropped was Zojirushi. My little Zojirushi pot was advertised as such, but actually does not have the Warm feature. I needed the six cup version for the Warm feature. Oh well, I should have done just a tad more research.

So as in all things, I went on a mission to "read up on" (a favorite expression of my late Aunt Ruby) rice cookers--brands, sizes, features and cooking oatmeal in one. Google led me to a blog via an "I love my rice cooker" post which included instructions for cooking steel ground oats. I've come to really enjoy the writings of this blogger. She's a young mother, chef, vegetarian, marathon runner and loves her rice cooker. The blog is Daily Garnish by Emily Malone. After reading the post in which she extols the virtues of her rice cooker, a top of the line six cup beauty, I was smitten. I found myself wanting to upgrade . . . badly. And not to the six cup version of the one I had. After reading the blogger's recommendation of a less expensive one comparable to hers, one now sits on my kitchen counter. Sorry, Roger, I found I did need a fuzzy logic, micom with all the bells and whistles. I also needed a six cup size, even for just one portion.

I bought it as a Valentine's Day gift to myself, My Funny Valentine. At night I can put in 1/4 c steel ground oats, 1 c water, a dash of salt, set the timer and at 7:30 a.m. have hot oatmeal. If I'm not ready to eat then, it will keep warm for me until I am ready. Yes, I have used it to cook rice as well.

Will the rice cookers please step forward . . .

 

 

No knitting. No knitting content. When the tough can't focus to knit, this tough turns into a foodie. Remember my homemade ice cream? How about the cupcake phase I went through? I guess this is healthier--rice, steel ground oats, quinoa, etc. I have The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook now, a real rice cookbook all about types and sizes of cookers, every kind of rice, porridges, techniques and recipes.

However, I am still a

Bona Fide Knitter