The Lazy Cook

I don't cook - never have (I used to do the washing-up), but now I'm on my own I have to see to my own meals, and supermarket ready-meals, whilst a boon, do start to pale after a time. So I am becoming a little more adventurous, but always with an eye to minimising preparation and washing-up. So I thought from time to time I'd pass on some tips and wrinkles I've learned.

So - porridge. It's getting to that time of year where a good warm breakfast goes down well, but making porridge the traditional way - even with the so-called "quick" oats - is labour-intensive (you need to keep stirring) and leaves you with a messy saucepan to wash up. But it needn't be that way. Here's how - put equal quantities, by volume, of oats, milk and water into the bowl you are going to eat from - I have an espresso coffee cup which hold about 75ml, and I find a cupful of each just about right. Add a good sprinkling of salt and then microwave uncovered on full power for 1½ minutes (see below). Give it a stir and then microwave (still uncovered on full power) for a further 45 seconds. And there you have it! Minimum bother and minimum washing up.

Just two things to say - first, watch out - the bowl will get hot (speaks from experience)! Second, my microwave is a 650w jobby - if yours is different you need to adjust the times. Here's how - take my time and multiply by my wattage, and then divide the answer by your wattage. So, for example, if your microwave is 800w, the calculation, in seconds, is (90 x 650) / 800 = 73 seconds, and (45 x 650) / 800 = 37 seconds.

Bon appetit!