Oatmeal is a versatile and economical staple for preppers, offering numerous uses beyond basic hot cereal. Here are practical applications:
1. Meat Extenders
Mix oatmeal flakes with lentils or ground beans to enhance meatloaf, meatballs, and stews. Oats also replace breadcrumbs in meat coatings and add fiber to bread stuffing.
2. Baking Substitutions
Grind oats into flour to replace up to 25% of flour in baked goods like zucchini bread, pancakes, and pie crusts. Coarse grinding works for bannock and biscuits.
3. Thickening Agent
Use ground oats to thicken soups, stews, and gravies, especially when using older legumes that lose water-absorbing capacity.
4. No-Cook Recipes
Create ash cakes by mixing oats with water to form patties and cooking them on hot coals. Add salt, milk, or fats for flavor.
5. Baked Oatmeal
Make portable muffins using recipes that avoid flour, sugar, and oil. Customize with fruits, nuts, or seeds.
6. No-Bake Cookies
Use oats, sugar, and fats to make quick, no-bake cookies that satisfy cravings with minimal ingredients.
7. Oatmeal Bars
Prepare Amish-style baked oatmeal or granola bars using stored cereals like Rice Krispies for variety.
8. Fruit Crisps
Use oatmeal as a topping for canned fruits, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes. Adjust oat quantity for heartier textures.
9. Cookies & Pizzas
Make thick, gooey cookies topped with fruit or pie filling. Use oatmeal as a crust base for “dessert pizzas” with cream cheese or frosting.
10. Southern Oatmeal Cake
Bake a moist cake using oats, with optional toppings like German chocolate frosting or honey.
11. Fried Oatmeal
Chill oatmeal in a bowl, slice, and fry in oil to create a texture similar to fried grits. Serve with syrups, eggs, or nuts.
12. External Uses
Add oats to bathwater for dry skin relief, use as a scrub, or combine with baking soda for dry shampoo. Oat satchels absorb odors in shoes or coolers.
13. Heat Pouches
Warm oatmeal in pouches to create hand warmers for cold weather.
Oats provide long-term energy, are easy to store, and can be adapted to various cooking methods including Dutch ovens, campfires, and solar ovens.