Hello everyone,
funnie, thanks for posting your experience with cooking oats. we're all looking for ways to make eating healthy more convenient.

The original post mentioned "instant, regular, and real" oats. Perhaps some of the other posters may have been confused. There are several different types of oat products but many go by the name "oats or oatmeal". Here is what I found recently:

Oat groats: unflattened kernels that are good for using as a breakfast cereal or for stuffing
Steel-cut oats: featuring a dense and chewy texture they are produced by running the grain through steel blades which thinly slices them.
Old-fashioned oats: have a flatter shape that is the result of their being steamed and then rolled.
Quick-cooking oats: processed like old-fashioned oats, except they are cut finely before rolling
Instant oatmeal: produced by partially cooking the grains and then rolling them very thin. Oftentimes, sugar, salt and other ingredients are added to make the finished product.
Oat bran: the outer layer of the grain that resides under the hull. While oat bran is found in rolled oats and steel-cut oats, it may also be purchased as a separate product that can be added to recipes or cooked to make a hot cereal.

Also, this web site has a good set of descriptions: http://www.foodsubs.com/GrainOats.html

I hope this helps and if anyone has any more experiences or tips to share it would be helpful to us all. Thanks for your input.

I got a real chuckle out of reading these "Oatmeal Tricks" posts. Are you familiar with the terrm "oxymoron"? You probably are, but if you're not, it's a term used when contradictory terms are combined in a sentence, such as "jumbo shrimp" or "deafening silence". Notice the number of people who "cook old fashioned oats in the microwave"? To me that's funny! Is everyone so pressed for time they can't cook old fashioned oats the old fashioned way - boil for seven minutes on the stove top?

Honestly, I cook old-fashioned oats every morning and it takes just a few extra minutes. you could boil the water while you brush your teeth, and let them simmer as you gather your belongings for the day. Just one special way I make mine is, to boil them in water (no salt added), once I pour the oats into the boiling water and let them simmer for 5 minutes I add just a tad (maybe a tbsp of Fat free non-dairy creamer) This adds flavor and a creamy texture to them.

Hi, I notice so many of you say you eat Steel cut oats. Where do you buy these oats and is there a name brand out there too look for. I would love to try these oats, but I don't have any idea where to get them. I usually eat the old fashioned oats and enjoy them alot.

http://www.mccanns.ie/pages/products.html

I buy in bulk at Vitamin Cottage. Much cheaper that way.

I love to microwave my individual servings of oatmeal with fruit and flavorings such as cinnamon. I make sure the bowl is large enough then go for it. And since I am the dishwasher, I save myself the pain of having to wash an extra messy pot.

Jan

Brian, 7 minutes in the morning wouldn't be a problem for many...steel cut oats take 30-40 minutes to cook, which is a bit long when you need to get to work in the morning and like staying in bed a little longer, like me.

If you have a crockpot, why not put the steel cuts oats and water in the crockpot and turn it on when you go to bed, then the steel cut oats should be ready at breakfast time for you.

lbsbgone

Exactly! I was going to reply to Merrylegs, but you beat me to it. I use to enjoy wheat berries for breakfast. That's those hard grains of wheat. Now if you tried to cook those things in the morning, I'm sure it would take an hour or so. What I did was put them in a thermos at night, fill with boiling water and put the lid on. In the morning they'd be hot and plump and juicy. Now I've never tried this trick with steel cut oats, but I'm sure it would work just fine. Zero prep time. Or as lbsbgone said, use a crock pot.

Someone a while back asked where to find steel cut oats - they're also sometimes called "Irish oatmeal" - I can get them in a tin in my grocery like that.

I like the steel cut/Irish oats becuse they're chewy - rolled oats are too gloopy for my taste. Cooking the steel cut in a crock pot is a good idea - except that my smallest crock pot is 3 quarts! I don't think I would want even 1.5 quarts of oatmeal, and the pot directions say to fill the pot at least halfway to achieve correct cooking temperatures. Perhaps I need to find a smaller crockpot.

Ciao!
Solarmama

What a great thread. I have gotten so many great ideas!

I am in favour of making a batch and saving it for a few days b/c I get IMPATIENT waiting for my oatmeal to be done.

I want to try and mix other things with the oatmeal like wheat bran or oat bran, flax seed and the like. Perhaps even some fruit. Would that work to keep in the fridge for a few days? Hmm what about sweetening it?

Thanks!
Cyndy

Whats wrong with instant oatmeal

I like Scottish porridge oats ... which are not the same thing as Scottish oatmeal, which is very finely cut ... the porridge oats are huge and firm and I don't have any problem cooking one serving in the microwave; I just zap them for a minute or so ... and don't let it boil over ... these are NOT instant oats, I guess I just like them kind of chewy. I put Splenda in sometimes, lately since Sugar Busters, I haven't needed the sweetness.

I don't eat instant because it's too high on the glycemic index, too low in fiber ... too processed and spikes my insulin, also can't stand the taste and texture, might as well eat grated cardboard ... but that's just my opinion.

How much fiber does the regular oatmeal have?

A real timesaver for me and my busy schedule is cooking the oatmeal in the crockpot. Set it all up the night before and put it on low. You awake to the most delightful smells My favorite ways of having it are peanut butter and cocoa (tastes like a peanut butter cup) or with pumpkin and all the pumpkin pie spices (lots of Vitamin A and added fiber and it tastes like Pumpkin pie) or Bananas and walnuts or cinnamon and pecans. It's nice too because I can make a big batch and everyone can scoop out what they want as we all get ready at different times. The best part is the kids and the DH like it and its a much better breakfast than the cold cereal or coffee and donuts that they used to eat.