I compared microwave, hob and slow cooker porridge — the best took minutes to prepare

Porridge is a breakfast staple, but it can be tricky to get the consistency just right. I tried making porridge in the microwave, on the hob, and in a slow cooker to find the best method

Following months of warm temperatures, autumn has arrived at last, signalling the official start of porridge season.

Porridge, sometimes referred to as oatmeal, is a breakfast essential with origins tracing back to the Neolithic era.

While the traditional recipe consists of rolled oats or oatmeal gently cooked in water or milk, numerous alternative grains – such as rice, maize, wheat, barley, corn, triticale, and buckwheat – are suitable options.

It’s typically flavoured with salt, sugar, honey, fruit, jam, or syrup, though in certain cultures, porridge becomes a savoury dish incorporating spices, fish, meat, or vegetables.

Numerous varieties of porridge exist globally: polenta (produced from maize), poi (created from taro), gruel (a more liquid oat porridge), congee (a savoury Asian rice-based porridge), and Scottish brose and crowdie – raw oats combined with water.

My preferred toppings include maple syrup, cinnamon, and a swirl of peanut butter.

However, getting the perfect creamy texture can prove challenging.

For ease, I usually rely on the microwave, though it typically results in undercooked oats and a disappointingly gloopy texture.

I’ve previously attempted to prepare porridge on the hob and in a slow cooker, but I’d never compared all three techniques side by side – until now. I set out to discover the best method to prepare porridge – microwave, hob, or slow cooker.

Each bowl was assessed on taste, texture, and convenience, using identical ingredients for every portion: jumbo oats (Sainsbury’s Scottish Whole Rolled Jumbo Oats), unsweetened almond milk, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Regarding toppings, I mostly remained loyal to my go-to choices: maple syrup and peanut butter.

Microwave

While the microwave may be the fastest approach to preparing porridge, it produced the worst results. The oats failed to soften sufficiently, even after soaking them in milk for five minutes before microwaving.

It also overflowed in the microwave, despite following an online recipe. Though this might be attributed to my particular microwave.

The outcome was clumpy and gritty – I felt as though I was munching on waterlogged sawdust in almond milk. Even a splash of maple syrup couldn’t salvage the bland flavour.

I’d perhaps resort to the microwave with quick oats, which are pre-processed, but if you’re looking for authentic porridge with jumbo rolled oats, it’s best to avoid the microwave.

Score: 1/5

Hob

When I have a little more time, I typically prepare my porridge on the hob in a small saucepan. For the hob method, I employed 50g of jumbo oats, alongside approximately 250ml of almond milk, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

I allowed the oats to soak briefly before putting the pan over a medium heat and bringing it to the boil. I made sure the oats were stirred continuously to prevent them from catching on the bottom.

Once the oats began to bubble, I reduced the heat to low and left them to simmer for just under 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

I prefer my porridge on the thicker side, though a dash of milk can be added if a looser consistency is preferred. Once ready, I left it to rest in the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring it to a bowl and topping it with maple syrup and peanut butter.

I always choose a smooth, single-ingredient peanut butter to go with the maple syrup. A sweetened peanut butter will make the porridge too sweet.

The texture was velvety with just the right amount of substance. Unlike the microwaved version, it was neither stodgy nor bland, and the taste was pleasantly natural.

While not the speediest method, it’s one I’d certainly try again whenever I have 20-30 minutes to spare.

Score: 4/5

Slow cooker

Slow cooker porridge is, without doubt, a revelation. Depending on your appliance, you can get it going just before bedtime and wake to a piping hot bowl of perfectly prepared porridge come morning.

The slow-cooking process draws out the oats’ inherent nutty flavour and breaks them down wonderfully, producing a creamier texture that still retains the satisfying heartiness you’d expect from a proper bowl of porridge. My compact slow cooker lacks the multiple settings found on some branded models, so I’m reluctant to use it for cooking porridge overnight.

Instead, I switch it to the ‘high’ setting in the morning, so I can enjoy a bowl of porridge at lunchtime.

Having porridge for lunch might seem unusual now, while it’s still fairly mild, but when temperatures plummet, there’s truly nothing better to warm you up.

For my slow-cooker porridge, I place 80g of oats and 400ml of almond milk into the slow cooker, together with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I then set the slow cooker to high for 2 to 3 hours, checking it every hour.

When the oats were thoroughly cooked and the texture was just right, I switched the slow cooker off and transferred them into a bowl. I then drizzled maple syrup and peanut butter over it for additional flavour.

The texture was spot-on, and the flavours combined beautifully to produce a nutty, sweet and salty bowl. This recipe yields two portions.

If you’d prefer to prepare slow-cooker porridge overnight, though, add the ingredients to the slow cooker and set it to low for approximately eight hours.

To prevent the oats from sticking to the slow cooker’s interior, coat the interior with a small amount of butter or oil. That said, I rather like the oats becoming slightly crispy around the edges.

While this approach demands a bit of extra preparation, the outcome is definitely worth the effort.

Score: 5/5