"This isn't instant oatmeal," Mr. Ferrer said of his plan.

Tip: Use milk instead of water in instant oatmeal, hot chocolate, and dried soups.

And finally, there is instant oatmeal, often artificially flavored.

Their mother microwaves a mean bowl of instant oatmeal.

The children sat at the kitchen table, eating instant oatmeal.

Your best bet: Keep a box of instant oatmeal at work.

Back in camp, he rummaged through the food bag for his instant oatmeal.

Over the years, Uncle Sam has also featured instant oatmeal, and cereal bars that are no longer available.

And instant oatmeal is too time-consuming: try pouring the stuff down your throat with a funnel.

Surely one reason people have turned to instant oatmeal is that it takes only a couple of minutes.