Linda, steel cut oats are best with a fairly long cooking time, 25 minutes are so. The package will let you know the preferred cooking times. I have not had much success with microwaving steel cut oats. I like them with some turbinado sugar and half and half. They will remain a little chewy.

Having said that, my preference is scottish oats, the Bob's Red Mill brand. They cook up a bit more smoothly, and I prefer the texture. I also have good luck microwaving them. (The difference is that steel cut oats are oat groats cut into two or three whole pieces, while scottish oats are groats that are very coarsely ground)

They are a pain and take a while to cook, pretty much the same as you cook brown rice. The recipe below is the best recipe I have found to date.

On a side note, I usually eat one minute oats with milk each morning. No cooking or anything, just 1/2 cup oat, 1/2 cup cold milk...EAT. Can add chopped nuts, raisins etc. I found this as a miracle cure for what ails ya if you know what I mean! HA!

Here is a link that might be useful: Steel Cut Oats

I bought some steel cut oats last week and was wondering what to do with them and dredged up this thread from last October, but I still have not made anything with them. I was hoping to find more savory options, similar to what I use with grits, but I might try one of Linda's cheese/mushroom options. I might also try one of the apple options, as we still have apples in the fridge that we picked from our tree in December. The tree still has not yet lost all of its leaves, but we didn't wait for that to pick the last of the apples.

I'm hoping that there are some other unusual ways of using steel cut oats. Oatmeal has never been a staple for me, except for making cookies.

Lars

Cook 'em....spoon into your bowl, dot of butter milk around the edge and a goodly sprinkle of brown sugar.
Don't mess with fruit or cinnamon or maple syrup.....just milk butter and brown sugar....yum!
Have you ever tried non quick cooking oat meal? the kind that needs to be cooked for about 10 minutes? Chewey and delicious!
I really love hot cereal Red River is also a fave!
Linda C

Love this - Been thinking about it recently and will make it soon.

Goetta

Ingredients:
1 lb Boneless beef chuck
1 lb Boneless pork shoulder
8 c Water
2 1/2 c Pinhead oatmeal
1 Chopped large onion
1 To 2 bay leaves optional
2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Black pepper

Directions:

Grind beef and pork together, twice through the fine plate of a meat grinder.
Set aside in refrigerator.
Put water in a good-sized heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat, add oats, cover and simmer gently for two hours, stirring often.
Add meat, onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Cover and continue cooking for one hour, stirring often.
Pour hot mixture into oblong loaf pans that have been rinsed with cold water.
Let stand in refrigerator until cold and firm.
Keeps nicely for a week or two.
Can be frozen.

To serve: Slice the goetta into 1/4 inch thick slices and fry in butter or bacon fat until crisp and brown.
Serve with hot maple syrup.

OMG!!!! Where did that recipe come from? Sounds like something my great Grandma made!!

I've not tried the steel cut oats yet. Guess it's it's time I give them a try. I've been eating old fashioned Quaker Oats since I was a kid.

I seem to remember someone posting about making the steel cut in the crock pot over night for breakfast the next morning.

David

David, I have found several recipes that use the crockpot overnight. Seems like that may be the best option.

I like the idea of butter and brown sugar, but really weant these to be the base of a healthy breakfast. I may try the crockpot method and use some dried fruits and nuts.

I'll keep an eye on this thread for more ideas, too!

FOAS that recipe sounds...umm...well....interesting...

Linda

Two years ago, "German Grits" thread. Included towards the bottom is a picture of the Goetta I made. Haven't made it since but it's been on my mind lately.

Here is a link that might be useful: German Grits

I made some steel cut oats on the stove top and couldn't eat them. They were gluey and icky. I suppose from my stirring them as they cooked for all that time. I used the results to make some bread instead which was tasty.

I will try again with the overnight crock pot method someday. I prefer thick cut rolled oats.

At Costco, they sell a Costco size bag of steel cut oats called Coach. They're delicious and the microwave directions are: 1/3 C. oats, 1 C. water, 4 minutes in the microwave at 70% power. (Those are the directions I've memorized because that's my breakfast.)

I cook steel cut oats in the crock pot using this method.

http://annkroeker.com/2008/03/25/overnight-crockpot-steel-cut-oatmeal/

My husband and I love them. I often add a cut-up apple or raisins or vanilla or pumpkin or peanut butter to the mix. I eat mine with skim milk and a dash of Splenda, he eats his with 2% milk and sugar. Any left-over oats can be refrigerated and heated in the microwave the next morning. Clean-up is easy using this cooking method.

Love Love steel cut oats! Just recently found the recipe below and it is very good. But for a change of pace I have adapted it to just baking plain in the oven. This is what I do. In my oval 3 qt Le Cruset pan, I add 2 cups of oats, 2 cups milk (skim is what I use), 2 1/2 cups water, stir together, put the lid on, pop into 375 oven for about 35-40 minutes. I then put in individual serving containers and store in fridge, each morning I just pop into microwave for a couple of minutes, and eat with Trader Joe's Pumpkin or Fig butter. Very good! Cooking it plain allows for adding whatever I am in the mood for each day....milk, syrup, honey, brown sugar, fruit.

Link to where I found recipe is below.

Baked Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
serves 4 to 6
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 cups steel cut oats
1 cup pumpkin or squash puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Heat the oven to 375�F. In a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. (Your burner shouldn't be on at full blast, but the butter should melt quickly.) When the butter foams up, stir in the oats and fry them, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until they smell toasted.
Push the oats up against the side of the pan, and drop the second tablespoon of butter in the now clear center of the pan. Dump in the pumpkin puree. Fry it in the butter, only stirring after about a minute. Stir in the sugar and spices and continue frying the puree for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the color darkens slightly and the raw smell disappears. It's OK if a few dark brown spots appear as the puree sticks to the pan.
Pour in the milk and whisk everything to combine. Whisk in the water, vanilla and salt. Put a lid on the pan and put it in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven, and carefully lift the lid (be cautious as steam will billow out). Stir the oatmeal. It will look quite loose still, but the oats should be al dente and tender. The oatmeal will thicken rapidly as it cools.
Eat immediately with a drizzle of cream or milk and maple syrup, or let cool and then refrigerate. Heat up bowls in the microwave or on the stovetop.
� Slow Cooker Method: I have not tested this recipe in the slow cooker, so any experimentation is just that � experimentation! However, given my other experiences with slow cooker steel cut oats, I do believe that this would translate just fine to the slow cooker. Follow the stovetop steps, then transfer the toasted oats and pumpkin to a slow cooker. Whisk in the milk, water, vanilla, and salt, cook on LOW for 8 hours or overnight.
Adapted from the baked steel cut oatmeal in my book on healthier, fresher casseroles: Not Your Mother's Casseroles.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-baked-pu-159872

The easiest way IMHO to make these is to use a wide mouth thermos bottle. At night before you go to bed, preheat the thermos with hot water, empty it, then put the proper amounts of oats and boiling water. Add butter and sweetener and anything else you want to. Close the thermos tightly.

In the morning, they'll be pretty well cooked through, though maybe just a tad chewy; most times, they're quite warm but they can easily be put in a bowl and nuked if need be.

I like the thermos method as well. There used to be instructions on the oatmeal box calling for an overnight soaking, which makes them cook quicker. It's a method I used before I started using the thermos method.

Overnight method:

Bring 4-cups water to a boil in a pan that has a lid. Turn the heat off and add one-cup of steel-cut oats (I add 2-tablespoons of kefir or yogurt to neutralize the phytic acid in oats and improve the nutritional benefits). Cover pot and leave overnight (no refrigeration necessary, but it will also work if you refrigerate it). The next morning cook the oatmeal on low for 9-12 minutes. Stir occasionally. [Cut the recipe in half if it makes too much for your needs. You can also refrigerate or freeze the leftover cooked oatmeal and use another day. I've also linked a recipe below for using COOKED oatmeal in scones below, as another good use for cooked oatmeal.]
------------------------------------

Another method I've tried recently:

In a pint canning jar:
1/4 c. steel cut oats
1/4 c. Craisins or raisins
1/4 c. chopped almonds
3/4 t. chia seeds (optional)
3/4 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. water
1-2 T. kefir or yogurt

Stir mixture, place lid on jar and refrigerate overnight. The next morning I place approx. 1/2 of the contents in a bowl and add a little water or milk. Microwave on high for 1-minute. Stir. Microwave on high for another 30-seconds. Add some palm sugar, more milk if necessary, and serve.

This is the original recipe that inspired the recipe above, but it calls for Old-Fashioned Oats. A friend shared this recipe with me and she eats it cold from the refrigerator.

OVERNIGHT OATMEAL
(source: Secrets of Salt-Free Cooking - by Jeanne Jones)
Makes 5-cups.

2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1 c. chopped raisins
1 t. ground cinnamon
3 c. water

Combine all the ingredients, except the water, in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the water, mix well again, cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. It is even better if you wait 2 or 3 days before serving.

Delicious served with milk or yogurt, or even with cottage cheese and sliced fruit.

Nutrition:
1/2 c. contains approximately:
1 starch portion
1 fruit portion
1/2 fat portion
133 calories
5 mg. sodium

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Cooked Oatmeal Scones

Seeing FOAS's recipe reminded me how long it has been since I've made or had goetta. Growing up in Cincinnati, it was a common addition to the family's Sunday breakfast.

This dish was originally concocted by immigrants to the Cincinnati area from northwest Germany as a way to stretch a small quantity of meat to feed a large number of people, but it is virtually unknown outside of Cincinnati.

Goetta was listed a few years ago by Saveur Magazine as one of their "100 Favorite Foods, Places and Things."

My mother would always make it using already-ground meats and quick oats as a time-saving measure, using the following recipe:

GOETTA

1 pound Ground Beef
1 pound Pork Sausage with Sage
dash salt
three bay leaves
2 quarts water
1 large onion chopped fine

6 cups of Quaker Quick Oats

DO NOT BROWN MEAT!
Place meat in cold water in pot. Use potato masher to break the meat into little pieces and add salt and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low boil for 15 minutes. At the same time in small skillet, cook onion in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent.
Reduce heat to low and add oats to take up the water. Stir to make sure all of the oats are mixed in and cooked. Add and stir in onion. Remove and discard bay leaves.

Pour goetta into two rinsed loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and cool overnight in refrigerator. (It also keeps well in the freezer.)

After refrigerating, slice about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick slices and fry in shortening until browned for crispy, tasty goetta -- serve with eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I have a small crockpot I use specifically for these. Before I go to bed, I put in 4 c. water, 1 c. steel cut oats and a package of dried cranberries. In the morning they are perfectly done. I spoon them into a bowl, add a bit of Splenda and a bit of cream. Breakfast heaven! I know skim milk would be healthier, but I can't resist the bit of cream. I really like the cherry infused or pom infused dried cranberries. I usually just dish out what I need for each breakfast and microwave it on high for one and a half or two minutes, then refrigerate the remainder. This provides breakfast for me for four to five mornings.

DH and I love Steel Cut Oats. They are nutty and chewy....
I put them in a small slow cooker sprayed with Pam overnight
I add cinnamon, vanilla and Agave syrup. They are ready in the morning....Add some raspberries, blueberries or strawberries in the morning. I also add walnuts.

Linda

Try toasting them in a dry skillet before cooking. Adds a great color, nutty flavor and keeps them from getting so gluey. I do that, then pour boiling water over them (just enough to cover) and let sit without stirring until water is well absorbed....can put into refer overnight or let sit while you get ready for work, add a bit more water and nuke for 2 min or so (for a single serving). They are perfect every time.