I don't know if this is what you mean, but when I decide to have steel cut oats for breakfast, I always soak them overnight. They cook quite fast and I've heard are more digestible. I do pour off the soaking water and add fresh, but I'm not sure that is necessary.

I don't particularly like regular oatmeal (and would never eat instant or quick), but i love steel cut oats.

I make steel cut oats at least 3 days a week thru the winter for my grands breakfast. They love it.

Night before I add 1 cup steel cut oats and 4 cups water to the crock pot. Give it a stir and cook on low all night. You can add dried fruits, diced apples or nuts but wait until morning if your using brown sugar or cinnamon as the sugar and spices tend to burn.

This can be cut down...im feeding 6 here......I find one part oats to four parts water works best.

I do like to start steel cut oats the night before, but I cook them the next day.

Many recipes for "overnight" oats just call for soaking the oatmeal in yogurt, milk, whatever, and then eating them without cooking. I do not like them at all, they are nothing like cooked oatmeal.

Annie

I think the OP is talking about oatmeal that is NOT cooked at all, just soaked in milk (or juice, or whatever) with fruit and/or other stuff overnight. You cannot use steel cut oats for this. I have made overnight oatmeal several times. I love the concept, and wanted to love eating it, but IMHO no matter what you put into it for flavoring, it ALWAYS tastes chalky. So, if I want oatmeal on the go, I have to COOK it the night before and then put it into containers.

Edited to add, "Sorry, Annie, I did not see that you also answered the question".

I just soak quick cooking oats, almond milk, a bit of cocoa powder, a spoonful of peanut butter, and some honey and stir it all together and let it sit in the fridge overnight. I top it with chocolate chips or strawberries.

tennessee, do you heat that in microwave or eat it cold?

For real oatmeal, I like steel cut oats properly cooked, without stuff in it. Just a bit of salt. If I want butter on it, it's really because I"m craving the melted butter not because the oatmeal wants it. I like the slow cook idea. I'm not always in the mood for dealing with cooking in the morning.

I do like whole oats, or rolled oats, in yoghurt. I've been eating muesli with yoghurt since my teens. I actually like oats right out of the bag, and just oats in yoghurt in place of muesli. They're sweet, and yoghurt is sour, so they play well together.

The version of overnight oatmeal that I'm familiar with comes from the whole mason jar meals fad. It's raw oats, fruit, etc., as was mentioned above, in a jar with yoghurt (the jar should be full, with no big air space, though not actually sealed), chilled at least overnight, and meant as a grab and go breakfast. Like the kids can eat it in the car, or you can take it to work. It's nothing like oatmeal (which, to me, is thick, nutty and with individual grains in texture), though can be a bit like thick cold milky porridge (thin and soupy with the grains broken down). The oats do have a tendency dissolve. so you have kind of an oat yoghurt, rather than oats in yoghurt. It ends up stiff and thick, which makes it less messy to eat. It doesn't drip. Or at least it doesn't if it's still cold. I suppose it could get drippy if it warmed up.

My question was really about any way to get a head start on cooking oats for the next morning. The reason for the question is I keep seeing references to overnight oatmeal and wanted to know what different people were doing. I tried the oatmeal some time ago where you used raw oatmeal and some kind of liquid (milk, yogurt,etc.-can't remember) and I thought it tasted terrible. The texture was like raw oatmeal that had partially soaked up some liquid. I don't really need to cook it the night before, but thought if I could, I would.

Laceyvail: Thanks for the info on your soaking method.

Mamapinky0: I will try your method for steel cut in the crockpot. Sounds good and easy.

Annie: I think we have the same taste for "soaked" oatmeal How do you start your's the night before?

Donna_loomis: When you save cooked oatmeal for another day, do you eat it cold or reheat? I never thought of cooking ahead and refrigerating.

Tennessee_Swift: Yes, I have the same question as Marco: do you heat this in the microwave?

Pillog: I think the jar stuff you are describing is what I dislike. I just thought because I kept seeing overnight oats being mentioned that there was a popular method that I wasn't aware of.

Thanks for all of your responses. I think there is no magic overnight oatmeal!

Lizbeth, when I cook a batch of oatmeal to eat at work for breakfast, or sometimes lunch, I portion it into small canning jars, leaving a bit of space for anything I might want to add each morning, such as fruit. Then just grab and go to work. I like both hot and cold, but usually eat it cold.

DH always asks that I make a bit extra when I make oatmeal on the weekend, because he likes to have it cold for lunch sometimes, too.

Thanks, Donna. I'm going to try that. I love having things that don't require a lot of time or effort in the morning. I like having hardboiled eggs in the refrigerator for the same reason.

We just soak oats and milk overnight and zap in the microwave 1 minute in the morning.

I should have mentioned in my first post that I like my hot cereal, no matter what it is, with salt, pepper, butter, cream, and occasionally some grated cheese. I don't like sweet stuff in the morning, and never eat hot cereal with berries, sugar, syrup etc.

I am with the cooked oats crowd although I do remember a childhood family fad that was essentially granola ingredients eaten raw with milk.

I don't always do this - but if I soak my oats in water overnight and then cook quickly in the AM I like the texture best. Chilly morning today. Soaked oats with some dry shiso and soy sauce this morning. And a bit of sesame oil.

FWIW, I seem to recall seeing a method that involved putting oats, possibly steel cut, into a thermos with hot water overnight...

I like the crockpot idea.

And I like cold muesli, but then I live in Florida...

Lizbeth, I agree about the overnight jarred oat yoghurt. I don't care for it either, and I'm just fine with raw oats in oatmeal (freshly, not soaked), which is definitely not for everybody.

I ran across this article earlier and thought of this discussion - it's a list of 25 'overnight oats' recipes, mostly made in the fridge. Near the end of the list is a yummy looking crockpot recipe.

https://www.eatthis.com/best-overnight-oats-recipes/

You can precook steel cut oats the night before. Use a ratio of 1 part steel cut oats to 4 parts water, plus a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a heavy boil on the stovetop. Cover, turn off heat, and leave on the stovetop overnight. In the morning, give it a stir and reheat on the stovetop or spoon into individual bowls and microwave. I know some will have an issue with leaving the oatmeal unrefrigerated overnight, but I have been doing this for years and am unscathed.

Read this thread again last nite ...

then proceeded to dream about making 'overnight oats' ...

was very disappointed to wake up and NOT find them.

dave

^_^

Mama pinky,

if i were just making the crock pot version for one do you think I could use my mini dip crockpot.

MarcoPolo, Lizebeth, I eat them cold. Sorry I didn’t respond earlier, I havent been on here for a few days. Although they taste wonderful cold, I bet it would taste yummy warm. I’m just worried since they are already soaked, heating it’s would make it super mushy.

Lyban, it would depend on the temperature of your mini dip pot. Put some water in it and let heat fully, tfhen text the temperature to know. Some of those don't make it to 100 degrees F. Most new slow cookers have a low temperature above 140 degrees F. Just guessing, I'd think it would need to be at least 120 degrees. Or you could just try it and see... one portion of oatmeal isn't too expensive to play around with. :)

Thank you pillog. I just tested my mini crockpot and after one hour my I cup of water was at 140 degrees f. So I might give this a try.