Oat milk:
When making oat milk, I like to use 1 part of oats to 3 parts of water is my overall measurements, but depending on how thick or thin you like it, you can adjust the measurements. Depending on what you need it for you can also adjust. Thinner milk is better on cereal and in smoothies, but thicker milk can be great in pasta dishes and baked goods.
Before you blend it you can also add some taste modifiers like a couple of dates for sweetness, some vanilla, some cold coffee, turmeric, anything you like, as long as it is cold.
With oat milk you do not want it to get slimy, that happens if the mixture is warmed up or exposed to heat. I figured that if I used ice-cold water, and only blend it for 15-20 seconds it’s going to come out perfectly. Blending the water and oats will heat it up to room temperature, hence the short blending time.
When the milk has been blended take it out and run the milk through a fine sieve, a clean kitchen towel or a cheesecloth. If you’re super set on not having any small lumps or fibers in your milk you can run it through two times. I don’t mind it all too much though.
You can lightly pressure the milk through the cloth, but again make sure to be quick and brief and touch the milk as little as possible to avoid warming it up.
Pour the oat milk into a jar or a bottle, this way I’ll easily keep for 4-6 days in the fridge.
Put you still have the oat pulp left, do not, and I repeat, do not throw this away, that would be unnecessary food waste. If you don’t know what do to with it you can always save it in a jar in your freezer, but you can easily add it to any bread or pancake recipe, it’ll blend in completely and you won’t be able to tell.
After some time in the fridge the oat milk might begin to separate, but that does not matter, give it a good shake before you use it and you’re good to go!
Nut milk:
If you want to make nut milk that is also pretty straight forward, however, you do need more time to prepare. Soak the nuts overnight. I use a slighter larger ratio here than with oat milk. About 1 part nuts to 4 or 5 parts of water usually. If you are using cashews or walnut you can use go ahead and soak them without any prep work, but I do recommend de-skinning nuts like hazelnuts and almond.
You deskin them by covering the nuts in boiling water. Wait until the water has completely cooled off, then slightly press one end of it and the skins will come right of, now they are ready for overnight soaking.
After over-night soaking: Pure both the water and the nuts into your blender and blend for 1-2 minutes. You don’t have to worry about sliminess here.
Once again, strain the nut milk through a fine sieve, a clean kitchen towel, or some cheesecloth. Repeat as many times as you like. Then pour your nut milk into a jar or a bottle, and place it in the fridge. This will also stay fresh for about a week.
The nut pulp is just as useful as the oat pulp, so don’t waste it. You can use it in similar ways to the oat pulp, and it tastes absolutely amazing.
