Mine is not really a recipe. First, I only use steel cut oats. For the liquid, we like half water, half milk. Sometimes I add dried apples during the cooking process. Put it in and cook on low. Sometimes we might add some pumpkin or whatever too.

My favorite way of doing oats in the crockpot is to do a water bath method. We place the oats and liquid in a bowl that fits in the crockpot and add water half way up the outside of the bowl. It is less likely to over-cook this way.

I only use steel cut oats and soak them in water overnight. I believe I use three parts of water for one part of oats. I then simmer the oats the next morning for about 20 minutes and add butter, cinnamon, and sugar to taste. For 1/2 cups of oats, I add no more than a pinch of salt, but it can be omitted.

If you want to make it in a crock pot overnight, leave the pot turned off overnight and turn it on in the morning. I never cook mine more than 20 minutes.

I also soak my steel cut oats overnight and then quick cook them in the morning, but I've also made oatmeal in the crockpot. The problem is that many recipes want you to cook for 4 or 5 hours, and my crockpot doesn't have a timer so I can set it to turn on later. I'm definitely not setting an alarm to get up and turn the crockpot on!

I put in one cup of steel cut oats (not rolled oats, be sure it's steel cut), and 3 cups of water, because I like firmer oatmeal, not thin or runny. You can add more water if you like yours thinner. The kids like me to add about 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of milk and a little vanilla, plus a tablespoon of butter and some dried cherries. Cook it all on low overnight, about 8 hours.

Sometimes I stir in a couple of spoons full of peanut butter and chocolate chips after cooking, or add a cup of chopped apple before I cook it and sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts when serving. I like mine with maple syrup, the kids like brown sugar.

Annie

Perhaps this can be adapted to a crockpot-

http://www.recipedatabase.eu/recipe_1322477_creamy_oatmeal_jim_leff_s_way.php

--If you need a timer for your crock-pot, use a timer used to set Christmas lights or to light lamps when you are on vacation.

How about a recipe that is "better" than overnight in a crock-pot.... Better for you (reduces the hard-to-digest phytic acid in oats), and as a bonus, no crock-pot or pan to clean ;-)!!! I make this recipe in a 1/2-gallon canning jar (or it will fill 1-quart and a pint jar).

A couple generations ago there were instructions on the oatmeal box for soaking oatmeal overnight before cooking the next morning. Another bonus - you can eat this overnight oatmeal recipe cold (nice for summertime oatmeal), or just heat it by-the-bowl in the microwave. Make enough for several days and keep it in the refrigerator.

OVERNIGHT OATMEAL

(Adapted from "Secrets of Salt-Free Cooking" by Jeanne Jones)

2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 c. chopped almonds

1/2 c. raisins or currants (or other dried fruit like Craisins, chopped dried apricots, chopped prunes, chopped dates....)

1 t. ground cinnamon

3 c. water

[Grainlady note: I also add 2 T. of Hodgson Mill Buckwheat Creamy Hot Cereal and 2 T. of one of the following - plain yogurt, plain kefir, whey, or buttermilk). The addition of these two ingredients will aid in breaking down the hard-to-digest phytic acid found in oats. I also like to add chia seeds - about 1 T.]

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Add the water, mix well again, cover and refrigerate overnight before serving. This mixture will keep for 2-3 days. This is a low-sodium recipe. Add salt if you'd like.

Makes 5-cups

Mini-version:

1/4 c. old-fashioned oats (I also use Millville Quick Cook Steel-Cut Oats I buy at Aldi)

1/4 c. dried fruit

1/4 c. chopped almonds

1 t. buckwheat cereal

3/4 t. chia seeds

3/4 t. cinnamon

In a 1 c. glass measuring cup, add 1-oz. yogurt or kefir, then fill to the 1/2-cup line with water. Mix all ingredients in a pint (or 1/2-pint) jar. Add lid and soak overnight. You can eat it as is, or microwave and eat hot.

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Overnight method for steel-cut oats:

Bring 4-cups of water to a boil in a pot. Turn off the heat and add 1-cup of steel-cut oats, (optional additions: 2 T. buckwheat cereal, and 1-2 T. of one of the following - plain yogurt, plain kefir, buttermilk, or whey). [Grainlady note: the buckwheat cereal and dairy products are optional, but aid in making oatmeal easier to digest due to the high amount of phytic acid found in oats.] Stir to mix. Cover pot and leave overnight at room temperature. The next morning cook the oatmeal on low for 9-12-minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Grainlady

Grainlady, I'm intrigued. We don't eat oatmeal because it always turned out gummy or the wrong consistency (too thick or too thin). Can you clarify--the first two recipes require overnight refrigeration but the second is left at room temp? If so, is that safe for the dairy additions? Is the buckwheat cereal cooked or raw before mixing in? Thanks!

nannygoat18-

--The first two recipes (which are the same recipe using different amounts) are refrigerated because that's what the original recipe calls for. I make the recipe at room temperature (overnight), but will refrigerate it after the overnight soak if I'm using the larger amount for several meals. The live active cultures in the dairy will be performing lacto-fermentation, much like making yogurt or kefir. It isn't spoiling, it's fermenting using "good" bacteria - whether refrigerated or room temperature. If you feel more comfortable refrigerating it, then use that method.

--The buckwheat cereal is dry from the box - I use Hodgson Mill brand. You can add crushed raw buckwheat (it will crush under the pressure of a rolling pin), buckwheat flour, and sometimes I'll use sprouted and dried buckwheat - crushed (all buckwheat ingredients I commonly use and store in my pantry). I use buckwheat because it's gluten-free like the oats (I'm gluten-sensitive).

**The reason for the buckwheat added to oats is: "...oats are so low in phytase (the enzyme that helps to break down phytates), that soaking them in warm water mixed with an acid medium [the fermented dairy products which contain live enzymes] is not enough to adequately break down the large amount of anti-nutrients that naturally occur." Therefore, adding a small amount of buckwheat aids in this process. If you aren't concerned with phytates, then leave the buckwheat out. For more information and where I got the quote above: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/03/how-to-soak-grains-for-optimal-nutrition/ I follow the methods

**For anyone who has problems digesting large amounts of grains (this often is a problem for newbie vegans/vegetarians who switch to grains/seeds/beans in their diets) -- using fermenting, soaking, or sprouting method may make it easier to digest because it neutralizes the hard-to-digest phytates. The phytates are contained in the bran of the oat (and other grains). Back when oat bran diets were all the rage, frequent ingestion of unsoaked oat bran would lead to mineral loss because of the chelating (or detoxifying) effect. People were eating large amounts of oat bran with every meal (as a cooked cereal, in muffins/breads, toppings and add-ins), and eventually could encounter mineral losses, allergies and irritation of the intestinal tract due to too much oat bran/phytates.

Interesting history - "In Scotland it was the custom to prepare oatmeal in large batches and pour the cooked cereal into a drawer in the kitchen hutch or dresser! Squares of congealed oatmeal could then be cut out as needed and reheated by adding a little water. This process allowed the oatmeal to ferment a second time [the first fermentation was the overnight soak with a sour milk medium in the soaking water before it was cooked]." (Quote source: Nourishing Traditions - by Sally Fallon).

-Grainlady

Really appreciate the detailed explanation (DD has bloating issues) and historical tidbit.

And I thought scrubbing a oatmeal pot was bad-a drawer is nightmarish.

WOW!! Thank you for all of these. I guess it is the time of year, I am craving oatmeal. We went away for the weekend, and the hotel had it for breakfast! They couldn't keep up with it, so many were eating it.