A champion’s tips for perfect porridge

To celebrate the goodness and health benefits of porridge, SuperValu will be giving free porridge to customers nationwide on Saturday 10th February and will also be bringing over the World Porridge Making Champion Ellinor Persson from Sweden to share her tips for how to make the most perfect bowl of porridge. 

We spoke to Ellinor and she’s sharing some of her findings exclusively with Easy Food!

What is your secret to perfect porridge?

Believe it or not, my secret to the perfect porridge every morning is ignoring the generic measurements and adding that little pitch of salt at the end. Over the years of making porridge, I have finally found the perfect harmony between the three ingredients, salt, water and oats. Everybody has a different preference on the texture of their porridge so the secret to the perfect porridge is to know what you like and perfect it.

What benefit does the addition of salt make?

Salt is always the go-to option for added taste in food and porridge is no different. Salt brings the other ingredients together beautifully but be careful not to over season. Try and find the perfect balance and you will achieve the best tasting porridge.

Does it matter what type of liquid is used?

No, it doesn’t but don’t be afraid to try other liquids other than water if you are feeling adventurous. Start with cold pure water add some orange juice or pineapple juice or your favourite breakfast juice. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I like to make it as tasty and nutritious as possible. When I boil the porridge with juice instead of water, I eat the porridge with yoghurt instead of milk.

What causes gloopy porridge?

There is a scientific reason for this. When heat is added to the liquid absorbed oats, they start to burst and start releasing starch into the mixture. Over cooking of these oats can cause gloopy porridge. To help prevent this from happening, I would suggest cooking on a low heat at the start to let the oats absorb the liquid before adding more heat.

What type of oat is best to use in porridge?

Rolled oats are the best option for people that are always on the go for porridge they can be prepared very quickly unlike other oats. Rolled oats such as SuperValu’s own branded Porridge Oats make early mornings a little less stressful as they are easy to make and still contain all the nutrients and vitamins that you need to start your day off on the right foot.

I make my world champion porridge with steel cut oats (also called pinhead oats), but they require you stay by the hob, constantly stirring for nearly half an hour. My World Championship Porridge recipe consists of steel cut oats, salt and water.

Tip: For an extra treat on the weekend, I use Steel Cutted Oats, which are the “Rolls-Royse” of the oat family. These take a little more time to make but they give off a wonderful aroma and they have more of a crunchy texture than normal porridge oats.

SuperValu is committed to ensuring that the next generation of Irish people are healthier than the last and to encourage everyone to eat a healthy breakfast every day will be giving free porridge to shoppers around Ireland with any purchase made in store. Over 50,000 1kg packs of SuperValu’s own brand Porridge Oats will be given away on the day which is the equivalent to approximately 1.5million bowls of porridge.

** SuperValu is offering 1 x 1kg Porridge pack to each customer with any purchase while stocks last. Early bird catches the porridge – so customers are advised to visit stores early to receive their pack. Available while stocks last.