I'll admit, I don't measure much when it comes to breakfast ... most of it is by eye. But then I've been doing this almost two years now
I do measure the oats/water. That part is important. In the cooker, you want twice as much water as oats. I like go between half a cup and a little over a cup of steel cut oats, depending on whether I want a little left over. If you put in a little too much, it will be slightly runny, though you can leave that in the pot when you scoop it out. If you put in too little, you get a crunchier product. If adding dried fruit later, add slightly more water - not much, perhaps a tablespoon for a cup of fruit. I find the same is true for nuts. A tiny bit of extra water helps.
After that - it's whatever fruit is in the freezer ready to go, or out on the counter and easily cut. Walnuts? Pecans? A handful, crumbled to whatever size you like. Dash in vanilla - the real stuff, probably as much as a tablespoon but who knows? Fruit - any combination of favorites that's handy, usually a cup or two. I love fruit in the morning! However, just a handful of raisins is very nice. Spices - dash on top to taste. I like lots of cinnamon, moderate amounts of ginger, and a little less heavy on the cloves and nutmeg. I also like to put this in last. Last night, I added chocolate here a la Jennifer (yuuummmmm). Stir a bit, close cooker, press button for timer and menu. Then go to bed and forget about it.
And even with all of that lack of care, still perfect the next morning
These rice cookers are very forgiving; reminds me of a crock pot for soup.
BTW, speaking of fruit, when done in this particular brand of rice cooker, it doesn't matter too much in terms of taste whether the fruit is frozen or not when you start. I use whichever is most convenient/least expensive. I will break frozen fruit up rather than leaving it in a lump. With delicate berries such as strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, you'll often lose the shape of the berry if you add too early - you'll taste it, but you'll see little berry-bits and not whole berries. Berries thawed to room temperature and dumped in on the 'keep warm' stage hold their shape fine, but the flavors won't be as intertwined as fruit added at the beginning. If I'm using any of these three, I put half in from the beginning and leave the other half out to thaw, then add them towards the end of the cook cycle. Blueberries seem to weather anything. Haven't tried bananas. Yet.
Tonight, it's time to raid the almond extract container! That will produce true Steel Oats Jennifer
