I’m a creature of habit, it must be said. Part of my morning ritual while at Aspen is to slowly stir some steel cut Irish oatmeal (click for larger view) for a while (properly spiced, of course, and soaked overnight ), while listening to NPR and making some tea. The tea is also seasoned with spices and finished in a pan for a while. Why?
Tea up here is horrible if you just pour boiled water on to tea leaves (bag or no bag). This is because at this altitude, boiling water isn’t actually very hot. This makes for awful tea. Hence the boiling in a pan and spices. (I’ve included a helpful (?) phase diagram (click for larger view) for further guidance. It is from the site of Martin Chaplin at the London South Bank University, which is here.)
I tried a different (and cheaper, here) brand of this type of steel cut oatmeal for a while a year ago. Wasn’t the same. I suspect it was because there was no lovely can containing it, such as the can of McCann’s. It is the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition (Chicago) label, apparently. But these things make a difference. Like diagonally cut sandwiches definitely taste better that straight cut ones. This is well known. Right?
-cvj
Yum yum yum!
I suppose you could call it that, yes.
-cvj
Are you preparing your tea in a masala tea type way? That sounds a delicious breakfast.
–IP
Hmmm. Not tried it. Been boiling lots of things, but not eggs, weirdly. Good question.
I guess the prediction would be that it would indeed take longer. Would be interesting to test. And tasty. Like all the best science experiments.
-cvj
Do eggs take longer to boil in Aspen than they do at sea level – another possible impact of altitude on culinary activity?
Hey Leah! Great to see you on here. Welcome!
The roasting sounds like something I definitely ought to try! I do find that the nutty taste is already right there up front in the steel-cut form as is, but I’ll certainly try the experiment. (I sometimes just eat a spoonful of the stuff uncooked. It is so tasty, with an excellent texture…) Oh, and slime factor in the “normal” variety? Hmmmm… sounds like your oatmeal was not prepared correctly in the past… Oh well. You have roasted steel-cut, so not to worry!
Cheers,
-cvj
Since I spent the first 25 years of my life at 7,000 feet above sea level, I never knew tea to taste any different! I’ll have to take note when I’m home next.
Have you ever roasted the steel cut oats before adding water? Delicious. It removes the slime factor, which was always my personal issue with oatmeal before discovering a) the steel cut variety, and b) thoroughly roasting the oats first before adding water. The roasting process give the oats a slightly nutty flavor that is wonderful. Now it’s a savory staple of mine for any time of the day.
p.s. I noticed that I’m still here, though zinga and photo are gone. I figure I might as well start writing.
Jolisa, that reminds me of a few years ago when Bob Dole was on the ticket. Then a ton of products in the supermarket (pineapple juice, certain bananas, etc) took on a whole new meaning….
(Love the blog by the way…so many good posts. This one is hilarious. People, go and look!)
Cheers,
-cvj
Huh. That is an interesting idea. Will try.
Yes, I’ve gone through two cans already, and so could well indulge in some pressure cooker experiments… not sure I’d like the coatings to boil off into my tea though. No, my finishing it off in a pan system seems to work really well, and with the spices is quite tasty!
Cheers,
-cvj
Another fan of the oatmeal here. It makes a pretty decent crumble topping too, though you have to get the moisture levels just right. Add a little cardamon and with apple or rhubarb it’s a winner.
Is it possible to get hold of a mini pressure cooker in which to brew your tea? You could probably make something pretty lethal from a well-sealed McCann’s tin – it may even blow the lid off when it’s ready!
Since I’ve lived at altitude my entire life (minus a few months in Mexico and a brief stint in Phoenix), this might explain why I never developed a taste for tea.
Clifford, thank you for solving the mystery of why my tea has been tasting so horrible all week!
Am also a big fan of the McCann’s oatmeal and its swanky tin (although during election season last year my eyes kept playing tricks on me and persuading me I was breakfasting on “John McCain’s”… thoroughly unappetizing!).
“Like diagonally cut sandwiches definitely taste better that straight cut ones. This is well known. Right?”
Indeed this is a well known fact of life and I don’t think anyone can object to that…