... of the late and lamented Pudding It First in Brookline's Coolidge Corner. Being a guy who sometimes craves pudding, I thought it was a marvelous idea. Turned out not too many other people shared my craving. Not to pooh-pooh the oatmeal idea, but I'd say the odds against it may be similar.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

I Remember that place!

By Old Zee on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 7:54pm.

That was back when I could afford rent in Coolidge Corner.
Longass time ago.

Sigh

By Cranky on Sun, 04/16/2017 - 10:57am.

I still miss Pudding it First.

Well, one never knows. I can remember when friends thought

By MC Slim JB on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 12:11pm.

that dismissing sushi as "bait" was utterly hilarious: who in their right mind would ever eat raw fish?

My favorite hipster-restaurant fad that I'd rolled my eyes at initially was San Francisco's artisanal toast trend. Then I heard the "The Hostess with the Toastess" segment on NPR's This American Life, and learned the trend had its roots with the very moving story of one fascinating women's struggle with schizoaffective disorder. The TAL story appears to be archived, but the Pacific Standard story it was based on is here. Well worth reading.

Haven't been to the oatmeal restaurant yet, but it's on my list. I like porridge.

Me, Too

By Suldog on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 9:17pm.

I have very fond memories of the oatmeal My Dad cooked on cold winter weekend mornings when I was young. I'll probably check it out. I'm just hoping that it won't bite the dust if I should end up liking it as much as I liked Pudding It First.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

Because in Boston today,

By anon on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 1:14pm.

Because in Boston today, everything is about New York. I mean, what if all you had to talk about in Boston was Boston?

Hush your mouth!

By Old Zee on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 7:55pm.

Now, do we lunch in Midtown, SoBo or SoWa?

Brooklyn? Pfft.

By Michael Ellis Day on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 1:41pm.

This place has been open in Greenwich Village for going on five years now:

http://www.oatmealsny.com

I think you're missing the point. It's not, "Hey, Brooklyn,

By MC Slim JB on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 3:09pm.

Boston is cooler than you,", but rather, "Hey, Brooklyn, we can be as twee and hipstery as you."

That's because people everywhere love to mock the arty and the edgy and the self-serious, even if there's an affectionate glint to it, some admiration for weirdos who manage to channel their obsessions into actual businesses.

Portlandia has made hay out of this concept for going on eight years.

[Comment misplaced; it was a reply to the anon above, not you, Michael.]

Elmer's Delicious Oatmeal — Hot Or Cold Cereal

By Elmer on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 5:18pm.

IMAGE(https://elmercatdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/oatmeal-0.jpg)
The biggest mistake people make when preparing oatmeal, is to cook it too long. Despite the box saying 5 minutes, regular Old Fashioned oats, should be cooked not a second longer than 4 minutes! (never buy "Quick Cooking" oats — all you'll get quicker, is a horrible bowl of mush).

For a hearty serving, start with a little more than 1 cup of water. Raisins are optional, but if you like them, add a handful to the water and bring to a full boil.

Stir in a little less than 1 cup of oats, cover tightly, and immediately turn the burner down to its lowest setting. Set a timer for 4 minutes. When done, immediately turn the oatmeal into a serving dish and fluff up the grains so it'll stop cooking.

IMAGE(https://elmercatdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/oatmeal-1.jpg)

At just 4 minutes, the "raw" taste is gone; the individual oats have puffed up — tender, but still slightly al-dente. The delicate threads of oat bran are still intact and the oats are at maximum flavor. Longer than 4 minutes and the oats turn into tasteless mush.

The raisins also plump up as the water comes to a boil, becoming tender and releasing a natural sweetness that transfers to the cooked oatmeal.

IMAGE(https://elmercatdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/oatmeal-2.jpg)

Of course, you can eat the oatmeal hot right then, but I like it better as a cold cereal. Either wait for the oatmeal to cool down, or you can make several servings ahead of time and refrigerate to use over a few days. Prepared as shown here with raisins and cold milk, it's rather like a bowl of raisin bran, but without any added sugars.

In addition to being the purest and healthiest item in the supermarket cereal aisle, oatmeal is also the most economical. Whether you buy Quaker Oats or generic store brand, oatmeal is delicious — just don't cook it into mush!

Texture is the reason I favor steel-cut oats over rolled.

By MC Slim JB on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 5:07pm.

Less processed, lower GI, great chewiness. But they're a bit more laborious to cook.

overnight steel cut oatmeal changed my life.

By bandit on Mon, 04/17/2017 - 7:59am.

steel cut oats have that awesome nuttiness and better mouth-feel than rolled oats. but there is no way i am gonna get up in the AM and cook oats for 40 minutes. once i learned you can throw them into boiling water the night before and just let them sit overnight, it was a whole new world. then i just cook 'em for five minutes in the morning mixed with some more water and milk a pinch of salt and assorted add-ins (i generally go for peanut butter, honey, and bananas).

my rolled oats are now relegated strictly to baking.

Hey, Brooklyn, match this: Somerville now has an oatmeal restaurant

Comments

the phone number for that place in Brooklyn....

Reminds Me...