Extra sugar into oatmeal or porridge isn't needed at all. Sometimes I eat porridge just with milk and oats and a very tiny pinch of salt if necessary. One thing I recently noticed is how different is microwaved meal compared to cooked one. Once I included cooking my porridge/oatmeal every morning into my morning routine I never looked back at the microwave. I believe this is because of how microwave works - it heats up food from the inside while cooking in the pot affects oats and other ingredients from the outside. Now I leave my oats submerged in the milk ( half of the milk used in the cooking, usually 125ml ) for at least 10 minutes and in the meantime, I heat up chopped fruits with a tiny layer of water ( with a pinch of salt if needed ) at the bottom of the pot, as I don't want them to burn. I put the lid on top and let it simmer until fruits will get soften and release juices ( this is where the sweetness comes from ). Then I pour in remaining 125ml into the pot and bring it almost to the boil. Then I add oats and let it cook for a while until it gets creamy. I need to stir it to avoid it being burn. While stirring I can see when it gets thicken enough ( I like my porridge thick and creamy ).
I know it takes longer and probably if not the fact that I have lots of time to cook it fresh before going to work, I probably would stick with quick way but the difference makes me not wanting to cut the corners 🙂
