The Everyday Kitchen

Are you an oatmeal person? Love that bowl of steamy goodness in the morning? For some reason I never became an oatmeal convert. Perhaps because of the gooey texture of the oatmeal that I had always been served. Regardless, I always passed on oatmeal. That is until I read about steel cut oats in a Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine. They sounded interesting. Whole oats, cut into tiny pieces, claiming to have a toothsome texture to them even after being cooked up.



I soon found those steel cut oats in the grocery store, and they were actually produced by a local company around here, Bob's Red Mill.



I've been hooked ever since. They are hard to explain other than they are full of flavor, do not cook up into mush, and feel as if you are actually required to chew in order to eat them. I know that sounds funny, but they're pretty incredible especially after sprinkled with a few nuts, a dash of cinnamon, a touch of brown sugar, and your choice of fruit.



There's no real rule to cooking them up other than allowing more time than quick or old-fashioned oats take. You can count on anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes based on the texture you prefer. But to make things super simple, I put my one cup of steel cut oats, a good sprinkle of salt, and three cups of water into my crockpot. Put on the lid, set it to high, and let it do its thing for close to an hour. They come out perfect every time. A stir now and then won't hurt either. And want in on a secret to make them even more delicious? Give the oats a quick saute in a tablespoon or so of butter before you add your water to them, regardless of which method you choose to cook them, and they take on a goodness that's hard to describe. Although the directions on the bag do call for water as the cooking ingredient, other recipes use a combo of milk and water instead.



A perfectly tasty and perfectly healthy breakfast option, for oatmeal lovers everywhere or for someone who's picky about their oatmeal like me.