Hi, folks, I just have to share something I discovered last year. I don't have the patience to cook individual servings of grits, oatmeal, and rice, so I prefer to put the dish in the microwave and return when the dish is ready to eat. No rinsing, soaking, babysitting, stirring, etc. The secret I have discovered that prevents boilover is a tall container with straight (not tapered) sides that also fits into the microwave. Measure your microwave's internal height using a tape measure.
The tool I use is a 2000-mL glass or plastic beaker. Just google 2000 mL beaker, and you should be able to find a glass one for ~$15 or a plastic one for ~$5. I prefer glass because cleanup is so easy. Please enjoy and share my recipes below, and if you have tips for me, I'd love to hear them!
- Oatmeal (quick, traditional, gluten-free, etc.): 2/3 cup oatmeal, 1 and 1/3 cup water, 1 Tbs sugar, 1 pat of butter, 1 dash of salt, and microwave for 5 minutes at full power.
- Quick grits: 1/4 cup quick five-minute grits, 1 and 1/4 cup water, and microwave for 5 minutes at full power.
- Traditional grits: 1/4 cup traditional grits, 1 and 1/2 cup water, and microwave for 6 minutes and 30 seconds at full power.
- Brown rice: 1/2 cup rice, 2 cups water, and microwave for 30 minutes at 70% power (or, 1 cup rice, 3 cups water, and microwave for 40 minutes at 50% power).
- Basmati rice or jasmine rice: 1/2 cup rice, 1 cup + 1 oz of water, and microwave for 15 minutes at 50% power.
Notes: Butter, salt, and sugar are optional, as I don't have boilover whether I add them or not. My microwave is an 1100 watt microwave with an internal height of 9 inches from the turntable to the roof of the microwave. These recipes can be scaled up for use in large microwaveable bowls with tall sides and at least a 6 quart capacity.
Happy microwaving!
