instant oatmeal that performs well in all conditions...a highly technical review
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:34 am
some days its cold, some days it snows, some days I go up, some days I go down. some days all of those things happen at the same time. my goto choice is Quaker variety pack because some days you want apples and cinnamon, but other days are obviously Maple and Brown Sugar days. today happened to be a Kodiak Cakes maple day. what I can say at this point is that not all instant oatmeals are the same, and depending on where you are and what day you go shopping, not all brands and flavors are available.
after some highly scientific research and a rigorous evaluation , here is my review of 3 brands:
1. Quaker Apples & Cinnamon. its a no-brainer. really solid artificial flavor, and the oats always turn to mush with the predictability you would expect from Quaker
2. Signature Select: which seems to be the house brand at Safeway. this stuff should be packed away in your basement and eaten only after you have eaten everything else in the house. the artificial flavoring sets a new low for artificial. be careful when shopping, signature select boxing looks suspiciously like Quaker, and if you are not paying attention, its an easy mistake to make. NOTE: to avoid disappointment when pouring a standard 2 packet portion into your bowl, you need to know this: the Signature packets are only 1.35 OZ, vs 1.51 for Quaker. this matters! your bowl will be less full, and if you are not very careful with the Signature packets, its very easy to over-hydrate the oats and you get soup. yuck.
3. Kodiak Cakes: I think the bear on the label and the word "kodiak" are meant to lead you to believe that this is not your beginner, green circle oatmeal. the aim in the marketing is targeted to black diamond breakfast buyers, and the rustic colors are supposed to make you think its what real mountain men eat. my opinion, the flavor is not bad. unlike the Quaker, the kodiak oats do not turn to mush, so you end up chewing your oatmeal. so its really your choice, do you want to chew your oatmeal or not?
in terms of nutritional value, all 3 brands have some. in terms of sugar content, yup, all 3 have lots of that. but I choose to think of sugar as glucose in this context, and an energy precursor.
packaging: all 3 are non-directionally shaped boxes that have not changed in decades. zero sidecut, zero camber cardboard is less ergonomically friendly than some cylinder shaped packages, but I find the square boxes perform well in all home kitchen conditions.
Lastly, I highly recommend rinsing your bowl immediately after eating. failure to do so will result in fragments of oatmeal bonding to your bowl like cement, and will require either scrubbing or soaking, or both.
NOTE: while not included in the current study, Quaker +Protein is gross and should be avoided
after some highly scientific research and a rigorous evaluation , here is my review of 3 brands:
1. Quaker Apples & Cinnamon. its a no-brainer. really solid artificial flavor, and the oats always turn to mush with the predictability you would expect from Quaker
2. Signature Select: which seems to be the house brand at Safeway. this stuff should be packed away in your basement and eaten only after you have eaten everything else in the house. the artificial flavoring sets a new low for artificial. be careful when shopping, signature select boxing looks suspiciously like Quaker, and if you are not paying attention, its an easy mistake to make. NOTE: to avoid disappointment when pouring a standard 2 packet portion into your bowl, you need to know this: the Signature packets are only 1.35 OZ, vs 1.51 for Quaker. this matters! your bowl will be less full, and if you are not very careful with the Signature packets, its very easy to over-hydrate the oats and you get soup. yuck.
3. Kodiak Cakes: I think the bear on the label and the word "kodiak" are meant to lead you to believe that this is not your beginner, green circle oatmeal. the aim in the marketing is targeted to black diamond breakfast buyers, and the rustic colors are supposed to make you think its what real mountain men eat. my opinion, the flavor is not bad. unlike the Quaker, the kodiak oats do not turn to mush, so you end up chewing your oatmeal. so its really your choice, do you want to chew your oatmeal or not?
in terms of nutritional value, all 3 brands have some. in terms of sugar content, yup, all 3 have lots of that. but I choose to think of sugar as glucose in this context, and an energy precursor.
packaging: all 3 are non-directionally shaped boxes that have not changed in decades. zero sidecut, zero camber cardboard is less ergonomically friendly than some cylinder shaped packages, but I find the square boxes perform well in all home kitchen conditions.
Lastly, I highly recommend rinsing your bowl immediately after eating. failure to do so will result in fragments of oatmeal bonding to your bowl like cement, and will require either scrubbing or soaking, or both.
NOTE: while not included in the current study, Quaker +Protein is gross and should be avoided