My mom always put rolled oats into her meat loaf, and consequently I do the same. Of course, I hardly ever make it these days.....

Okay, I have to go to the store today, so I'll check out the cost per serving of the steel cut oats vs old fashioned.

I love steelcut oatmeal. Just fyi, the name says it all: it is simply whole oats, cut with sharp blades, so there is no processing, unlike all other oatmeals.

Because of the long cooking time I make a large batch & keep it in the fridge; in the morning I add some water (because it's so firm by then), put it on the heat & use a whisk & some muscle to get it back to the right consistency.

I like to add currants or raisins or chopped dates during the initital cooking phase. Also cinnamon, or allspice (my father has allspice trees where he lives and sent me a lifetime supply last Christmas, so for a while I was adding it to just about everything, and discovered it's great on oatmeal.

For sweetener honey is best by far, followed by maple syrup.

cheers,
Sue

Allspice... that's one I need to try.

I bought Bob's Red Mill brand of steel cut oats, from the health food section of my grocery store. The microwave directions say to cook 1/4 cup oats in 3/4 water for 3 - 5 minutes and let stand for 2 more minutes. Be sure to use a BIG bowl because they really do bubble up! I cooked them for 4 minutes and they turned out well but a little too chewy. I'm going to try 5 minutes next time to see if that makes a difference. Good stuff - I've got DH hooked on them too!

Here's something I tried when I was attempting the vegan raw food diet (and no, I didn't lose any weight or last very long on THAT program!)
You can do this with any whole grain. It would even work with oat groats, which are oats that heven't been cut at all. Just soak them overnight or until they become a chewy consistency. A raw foodist would then eat them just like that! Perhaps with some cinnamon or agave nectar (vegans don't eat honey because it comes from bees).
Here's the caveat, though - calories still count, and it's possible to chow down a massive quantity of soaked whole grains - at least it was for me! Measure out one serving at a time of dry whole grain and then soak.
This would be great for the summertime when it's 90 million degrees outside and who wants to stand over a hot stove?

-Michele (who now eats anything, especially what she isn't supposed to eat!)

Hi everyone.

Reading this thread inspired me to try Steel Cut Oats. I usually eat the Quaker Women's Nutrition Vanilla Cinnamon (can't be beat, IMO) but I am aware it probably isn't the healthiest (sugar, etc.).

Anyway, so I went to my local supermarket and found the oats in a can, and they were $7. Sitting next to it was a canister of "Irish Style" oatmeal. It had to be cooked in a similar fashion, and the nutrition label looked pretty much identical to the steel cut. The Irish style was only $2 and change, and being on a budget, I decided to try those first.

So, are these the same thing? Anyone know what the difference between the Irish and Steel Cut? Also, they had Scottish? Geez, I am Irish and Scottish ... you'd think I'd have a clue.

TIA!

Kelly

Well, today I was at a larger grocery in another town and I found both the can of McCain's (?) for $9.89! Fortunately, I went by their health food section and found the Bob's Red Mill for about $3. Whew. I bought some and will try them soon.

Garysbeargirl - my DH eats rolled oats like they were cold cereal! He often mixes them with other cold cereal, adds milk and there you go. He won't touch them cooked He will eat other hot cereals, and especially likes Maltex, which isn't available here. We get several boxes whenever we visit family on the east coast.

I know this is a really old thread but I was looking for ideas on how to cook my oats. I found mine at the Amish Bulk Food store. $.59 a pound! I was so excited. I did the simmer method this morning but I am going to do the overnight soaking tomorrow. Very tasty.

I HAD to get some after reading about all this commotion. I found it at my local health food store for $.89/lbs. I bought about 3 pounds and made 1 cup for dinner tonight. Boy was it tasty! I found my new favorite food. I think I could eat this all day.

I merged a couple of ideas on this thread to easily and painlessly make a pot of oats on the stove. I soak 2 cups of dried steel cut oats over night in 4 cups of water. The next day I add an additional 3 cups and bring everything to a boil, put a lid on it then turn off the heat. After about 1 hour all the water is absorbed into the oats and it is perfect for me. THen I just store it all up and I'm good to go for a while!