If you don't want to cook them all night but you don't want to get up in the middle of the night to turn on the crockpot, buy one of those little timers like you can use to turn the christmas lights on and off. Just plug the crockpot into it and set it for the time you want it to turn on.

Isn't it about six hours this should cook?

We eat steel cut oats every morning. Here's a very simple way to prepare them (I use Irish style from Trader Joe's). Note: These are not flakes like regular oatmeal, but hard little nuggets of oats. If you're not familiar with this kind of oats, steel cut oats have a much firmer, nuttier, consistency when cooked than regular oatmeal.

Put 1 cup of steel cut oats in a large saucepan, add 4 cups of cold water (if you like, you can add dried cranberries or raisins at this point.) Bring to a boil, stiring occasionally, immediately turn off heat and put lid on saucepan. Leave on top of stove overnight with lid on (don't forget to turn off heat!) The next morning give it a stir, scoop some into a bowl and heat in microwave for 1 minute. Add a splash of milk and sugar or sweetener to taste.

If you like it thicker, just use 3-1/2 cups of water instead of 4. Refrigerate the rest - it will keep for several days.

You're a genius! My husband will love this!