Actually the way I eat oatmeal these days is pretty unconventional but I was told to eat this to keep things regular and this stuff works beyond belief....just send $9.99 to the address below and I'll be more than happy to tell you my top secret solution to..well you know...HAHAHA! But seriously, I dump 1/2 Cup minute oats in a bowl with approx. 1/2 cup milk, allow to sit a couple minutes, maybe throw in some chopped walnuts or raisins etc and EAT. Reguired no cooking, tastes a million times better than cooked oatmeal...no muss, no fuss! This totally cured my chronic problem I've had most of my life!

OH and as far as steel cut oats...they take at least 30 minutes to cook...actually more like 45 minutes. Personally I don't like the taste of cooked oatmeal...any of it.

Well, not like that.

Why don't you put the steel cut oats in the crockpot, so it's already done by breakfast? Try this method...

Here is a link that might be useful: Overnight Oatmeal

I like Quaker old fashioned oats cooked so they still have a little of a chewy texture. With butter and salt.

Love steel cut oats...cooked about 15 minutes.....so there is still some Chew....

I like my oats soft and a bit creamy. With milk, raisins and a touch of Maine maple syrup. I don't like them tasting or having the texture of horse feed. Even on the can of steel oats the recommended cooking time is 30 minutes. NancyLouise

Nightly eater of oatmeal, and right now I enjoy adding sunflower seeds for a crunch!

I love oatmeal. I make the regular Quaker Oats with water. I put the oats and water and some raisins in the MW the night before, then nuke it in the morning, being careful to not use too high a heat so it doesn't cook over. I pour milk and sweetener on it to eat it. I'd love to put brown sugar on it but there is enough sugar with the raisins.

My friend cooks them with the milk and adds nothing after. He also cooks it with banana slices and raisins for sweet.

I've been using this "interesting" uncooked oatmeal recipe the last couple months, and naturally, I've tweaked it some ;-). I make 1/2 a recipe in a quart jar and use it throughout the week when I want a bowl of oatmeal. -Grainlady

OVERNIGHT OATMEAL
(Source: Secrets of Salt-Free Cooking - by Jeanne Jones)

[Grainlady note: You can eat this recipe cold, but I cook a single portion - 1-minute on high in the microwave, stir, heat 30-seconds more. Top with milk, kefir or yogurt and sweetener of choice.]

2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (I've made it with steel-cut oats and whole oat groats I've flaked at in my flaker mill)
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1 c. raisins (I also like orange-flavored dried cranberries)
1 t. ground cinnamon
3 c. water

Combine all ingredients, except 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. It is delicious served with milk or yogurt, or even with cottage cheese and sliced fruit.

Makes 5-cups
1/2 c. contains approximately:
1 starch portion
1 fruit portion
1/2 fat portion
133 calories
5 mg sodium
(I add 2 T. whey, kefir or plain yogurt for a lacto-fermentation, which makes oats easier to digest).

like arkansas_girl I eat my oats uncooked, but I use old fashioned, and don't let them sit at all.

Moni

"How do you like your oatmeal?"

Old Fashioned oats.
In cookies ! !
With raisins and walnuts!

Growing up, I HAD to eat a bowl of cooked oatmeal,
Every single winter school morning.
Whether I wanted it or not.
My mother cooked it until it was slimy mush.
I hated it! ! !

For years I wouldn't touch the stuff with a 10 ft pole.
Except in cookies, oatmeal bread, and Oatmeal cake.

One day a few years ago,
I poured the boiling water over the old fashioned oats,
Preparing to make oatmeal bread.
For some unknown reason,
I tasted a spoonful before I added it to the bread dough.
YUM! ! !
So now, if we ever have any cold winter mornings,
That's how I eat a bowl of oatmeal.
Boiling water poured over old fashioned oats,
Let it set a bit,
Toss in some raisins and walnuts,
Maybe a bit of milk or cream,
And enjoy.

One of these days I'm going to get some steel cut oats,
And try them.
I've seen them in the stores,
But I've never cooked or eaten any.
Seems like they ought to be good, though.

Rusty

Moni, don't they just taste so much better? I think so! Sometimes I eat rolled oats too. Kinda just switch it up.

I'm a raw oat fan, too. I soak them in milk or half and half and stir them into my Greek yogurt. I also like cooked savory oatmeal, with sriracha, sesame oil, and an egg on top. Baked oatmeal cut into bars is an easy make-ahead alternative to cooking it every morning, and the oatmeal is pretty soft. I wonder if the family would like that.

I make mine like Rusty for the same reasons - they get slimy and gluey when boiled and stirred.

Boiling water over a handful of rolled oats (thick cut if I can find them) covered with a plate and left to steam for 5+ minutes.

I have a container of steel cut oats. They do have to be cooked, not steamed as above. Yes, I tried. It was a bowl of raw-tasting crunchy stuff. I cooked some but the result was a pot of slime from the stirring and long cooking. I will try the crock pot method that Shaun posted - someday when I remember to prep food at night.

"Find a bowl that:
1) Holds four cups of liquid
2) Fits inside your crock pot with the lid on.

Measure out one cup of Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. Pour that into the inner bowl. Add the four cups of water. Stir.

Fill the crock with water to a little more than halfway. Set the inner bowl in the crock and see how high the water rises with the displacement. Add water in the crock if necessary.

Place the lid on your crock pot. Set on low. Go to bed.

When you awaken the next morning, your oats will have cooked to perfection overnight in the steamy bath.

You can add all your favorite goodies the night before and let them cook along with your oats, raisins, nuts, etc.

By using your crock as a double boiler, the oats don't get all crusty and burnt on the sides of the crock pot, as they do when you cook the oats in the crock itself. Put the oats in their own bowl, and there's no waste, no lost oats. No soaking and scrubbing the crock pot."

I put a scant 4 c. water, 1 c. steel cut oats and 1 package of craisons, flavored either with blueberry, pom or cherry infusions, in my small crock pot when I go to bed at night. In the morning I have a hot, delicious concoction for breakfast. I add a touch of sweetener and a bit of cream and its heavenly. The remainder I put in the fridge and dish out a portion each morning then nuke for two minutes. Great breakfasts for several days.

Like Rusty's Mom, my Grandmother cooked oats until they were slimy. I hated 'em and couldn't eat them without gagging.

Now I make steelcut oats. I've done them in the crockpot and they are good, but I cook mine closer to 30 minutes when done on stove top. I did get some Bob's Red Mill Scottish oats and those only cook 10 minutes, a bit different than the steel cut oats I bought before. I don't want them soft like custard, I do want a little chew so I feel like I'm actually eating something besides slimy oatmeal mush.

My favorite way to eat oatmeal is actually rolled oats in homemade granola with some yogurt, but I'll make a big batch of steel cut oats and refrigerate leftovers, warming them in the microwave later. Nothing on them when I eat them except a drizzle of local maple syrup.

Annie

I just rediscovered maple syrup. I can't believe it's been languishing in the fridge! It's so good on vanilla ice cream.

Every morning, I put 1/2 cup of the Quick Cooking Oats into a little Glad bowl, shake some cinnamon on it, and put the lid on it. Once I've been up for a couple of hours, I'm at work. I add a little water, cook for a minute and a half in the microwave. Our workroom smells like oatmeal and cinnamon, and everyone comments on how "homey" it smells! I add a packet or two of Equal and a little bowl of either blueberry or peach applesauce, and mix well. MMMMMMM!!!!!! I use the natural, no-sugar added applesauce cups put out by Mott's and Treetop.

BTW, it's a little lumpy but does not need chewing.

Donna

One cup of milk, half a cup of oats, boil until soft and creamy. Serve with a dab of butter and some cinnamon sugar. Mmmm!
Or eat the dry rolled oats straight out of the box, like nuts :-)

Oh, and I throw in a handful of raisins.

Creamy with golden raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon. I nuke a bowl of Quaker Quick 1-minute most mornings. I keep a couple of those big round boxes on hand. Very satisfying, very sustaining, very quick.

Steel cut oats baked! 2 cups milk (any fat level), I use fat free, 2 cups water, 2 cups steel cut oats stir together in covered oven proof container. I use a 2 quart Le Creuset to make sure it is large enough for no boiling over. Kosher salt added if desired. Bake 350 for about 40- 45 minutes. Stir to combine as liquid will rise to top. Decorate as desired.....brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, maple syrup, raisins, craisins, nuts, yogurt, whatever your heart desires....Yummy!
I make and store in serving size portions in fridge, microwave as needed.

In a cookie, with raisins ;-)

I'm with Rusy and Mudlady--in oatmeal cookies!
But actually, I do like some firmness to my cooked oatmeal. BF and I differ on oatmeal. He likes his totally creamy. I can't do that! I can barely gag down the instant oats. But as for steel cut ones, I do like them cooked through. I don't like my grains crunchy. That's why if I do the long cooking ones I soak or do overnight.

Bob's steel cut from Costco. Soaked overnight and cooked for 10 mins with some agave and a pinch of salt. Or sometimes with plain homemade yogurt salt and pepper.

Thanks for all your wonderful responses. It looks like the camp is split between the chewy (horse feed in my opinion) and mushy (slimy in other's opinions).

I will try the crock pot method of steel cut oats. I like the breakfast readiness idea!

I like my oatmeal in cookies. Not a fan of "porridge" .

But Moe loves cooked oatmeal. In fact, I made him oatmeal for breakfast.

I use the old fashion oatmeal. Start in cold water and slow cooked for about 40 minutes.

Ann

I was an oatmeal hater for a loooong time until I had the real thing...steel cut oats. Love em.

I put water and oats in a pot and bring to a boil, turn them off, put a lid on them and let them sit until morning, then I finish them in the morning. I have to add more liquid, which could be more water or milk and then the sugar/cinnamon/nuts/dried fruit....whatever I'm feelin that morning. If the problem for DH is the time, then this will help; if the problem is that he actually likes horse-feed, then it won't.... :)

I love oatmeal the extra-thick style and barely cooked. I just cover with water, add dried fruit, and nuke for 1 min 30 seconds! The chewier the better!

Kaismom, my DH laughed and said that probably, he did not want to make the breakfast :).

Hint: It also works with rice cooker if you have one. My DD 7 does this every night. It is her chore to add a scoop of oats, add the water, a pinch of salt and set the timer. She is more *interested* in eating oatmeal if she cooks it :). She also gets to select the options of toppings (dates, flax, raisins, nuts, fruit, agave). She experimented last week and added the toppings before cooking and it was really yum. Her first recipe!

When I eat my oats, I call it Muesli. Here's how I fix mine:

For one serving of muesli, mix
one cup of old fashioned oats,
2 heaping table spoons of mix,
and one teaspoon of cocoa powder in a cereal bowl.

Next add milk to make the oats mix swim, and eat (you could use a fruit yogurt instead). This is a chewy crunchy mix!

Mix for adding to the oats:

1 box of yellow raisins (my preferred choice)15 oz
I package of roasted unsalted sunflower seeds 10 oz
1 package of sliced almonds 2 1/2 cups
1 package of mini chocolate chips 12 oz
2 cups of dried cranberries

I like the steel-cut irish oatmeal, and I cook it a little shy of 30 minutes. So it's slightly soft, but I can't stand pablum, so not that soft, and each individual oat can be seen individually, not mashed up. I think the analogy would be to pasta al dente, i.e. a little chew to the tooth, but not undercooked either.

I don't know why people say they don't eat old-fashioned oatmeal cause it's time-consuming in the morning. In the morning I go down to the kitchen, put the oatmeal on the stove, then go and shower and dress for work. By the time I shower and dress, the oatmeal is perfect. I think it's a time saver, actually, compared to, e.g. waiting in line at some diner or fast food place to get a warmed-over muffin, scrambled eggs that came from a powder, or instant cereal.

I top oatmeal with a little kosher salt, and a little sugar. Simple is best.

We make oatmeal (or rolled 5 or 7-grain cereal) often in the winter when the cookstove is going. Usually it's old fashioned oats with a handful of raisins and sunflower seeds, and a little salt and maple syrup...barely covered with water and set on the stove until the water is absorbed, just a few minutes so it still has texture. DH tops his with a little butter and brown sugar. I do the same, only I also pour on milk or cream.

Usually with just brown sugar and raisins or dates. And I like either old fashion oatmeal or McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oats cooked overnight in the slow cooker.

But our favorite way is Oatmeal Pancakes. Looking at the recipe makes me want to make a batch right now. You do need to use buttermilk, just doesn't taste right with regular milk.

Oatmeal Pancakes
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons well-shaken buttermilk, divided
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Soak oats in 3/4 cup buttermilk 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
Stir egg, butter, brown sugar, remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, and oat mixture into dry ingredients until just combined.
Heat a griddle over medium heat until hot and lightly brush with oil. Working in batches, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden-brown, about 1 minute. Flip with a spatula and cook other side, about 1 minute more. (Lightly oil griddle between batches.)

I also have a good recipe for Oatmeal bread. Great for PB & J sandwiches.
Clare

I'm a heathen, I guess because I love the Peaches n' Cream instant oatmeal. Have toyed with the idea of making my own using Old Fashioned oats but I need to find a good source for great tasting dried peaches.

I mix my oats (whichever I have on hand)with milk, resins and a pinch of salt, bring to boil and cook on low untill they reach texture I like. I adjust cooking time to match oats.
When cooked, I add sugar to my husband's portion, but eat my unsweetened.
My father cooks his oats also with milk and pinch of salt, no resins or sugar and adds V8 or tomatoe juice for topping. I like it this way too.

Olga

Kaismom, I'm with your husband on this one. I made them this morning, and 10 minutes was plenty of cooking time, but then I like them chewy. I won't eat them if they are soft, and I also do not like any salt in them, but I do add sweetener, unsalted butter, and a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon, although I consider the cinnamon to be optional. I might try adding raisins or other dried fruit in the future, although I would only add that when serving, as I would not want to end up with stewed fruit.

Lars