Steel cut oats

[ChrisGreaves]

I am in the habit of boiling up a week’s worth of oatmeal and microwaving a bowl of it each morning for breakfast. Rolled oats, since you ask.
Now I read that I ought to know better at my age and be cooking Steel-Cut Oats like a knowledgeable adult.
So I trotted off this evening to Sobeys, Metro, Bulk Barn and Loblaws to gain some essential knowledge (“How much per Kilogram, please?”)
Bulk Barn stocks:-
Steel-cut oats at $2.40
Scotch oats at $2.40
Bulgar Wheat, medium at $5.30
Organic Farro at $9.90.
You just KNOW what I’m NOT going to buy, right?
But from those of you who still boil oatmeal, what, please, in your opinion would be the healthiest of these four choices?
And why would you say that?
(signed) “Nine-Ninety gets you a 3-egg and bacon and toast and coffee breakfast where I live” of Toronto.

[Rudi]

Scotch oats for me, prepped on the stovetop with sugar, butter and milk and some gentle background bagpipes over the hi-fi.

[BobH]

Steel cut oats. Every day at my house.

[ChrisGreaves]

Steel cut oats. Every day at my house.

Thanks Rudi & BobH.
I guess I'll try a 1/2 lb of each when I go shopping tomorrow.

P.S. Do either of you use these in cooking, e.g. in oatmeal cookies etc.?

[BobH]

We don't.

[Rudi]

I have made oats cookies before, but that's about it.
I don't cook/bake a lot at all so I'm fresh out of ideas for other uses.

You could put a sprinkling of oats on the top of a fresh baked bread.

[ChrisGreaves]

You could put a sprinkling of oats on the top of a fresh baked bread.

... and there I have been all these years wasting good butter and jam ...
Or just jam, if I'm short of butter.
But then I run out of jam ...

[John Gray]

What's so special about steel-cut oats?

[BobH]

Couldn't find the smiley.

[Rudi]

It's right under your nose...

[Skitterbug]

Steel cut oats. Every day at my house.

Thanks Rudi & BobH.
I guess I'll try a 1/2 lb of each when I go shopping tomorrow.

P.S. Do either of you use these in cooking, e.g. in oatmeal cookies etc.?

I use steel-cut oats in a food recipe called goetta. I've never used this type of oat for cookies.

John Gray asked what was so special about steel-cut oats. Checking our "favorite and trustworthy" WWW it appears that texture and flavor is the main difference. Well, and the oat is cut not flattened!

[ChrisGreaves]

I am in the habit of boiling up a week’s worth of oatmeal and ...

Home_DSCN4166.JPG

So this month I switched over to Steel-Cut Oats.
Quite nice, since you ask.
They are supposed to be “better” for me, whatever “better” means in this context.
As is my wont I boil up what I hope will be a week’s batch. But I mis-read the recipe. I mis-read the recipe as 2 cups water to 1 cup oats. On re-reading I see the ratio is not 2:1 but 4.5:1.
I ended up with closer to 7:1 to get a mixture that was fluid, and after pouring into TWO plastic tubs (instead of my usual one) I am now the proud possessor of two tubs of a somewhat solid mass of cooked oats, to which I add yet more water each morning...

When I cook up my next batch (next week) I shall be using water in the ratio of 7:1.

[Rudi]

7:1 sounds very diluted, even if you cook it up on the stove.

For more instant oats (the 2 minute kind (in the microwave)) the ration is approx. 2:1. On the stove top I would normally assume a 4:1 ratio as the stirring and simmering thickens the oats to a nice consistency.

I could recommend adding a bit of milk (and a dollop of butter) to your 7:1 tubed oats just before you heat it up in the microwave. The milk and butter will add some creaminess to it. Also consider a few raisins and/or dried fruit and a small spoon of brown sugar.

[Claude]

I only use oats in winter time, and then only for soup:

about 50 grams of butter, a little olive oil, slowly heat up until it sizzles.
add 150 grams of oats and fry them until they change colour.
reduce heat, add chicken stock, pepper and boiling water.
add fresh parsley, simmer for 5 minutes, serve.

[BobH]

That sounds good, Claude.

I'm going to give that a try/

[Skitterbug]

I only use oats in winter time, and then only for soup:

about 50 grams of butter, a little olive oil, slowly heat up until it sizzles.
add 150 grams of oats and fry them until they change colour.
reduce heat, add chicken stock, pepper and boiling water.
add fresh parsley, simmer for 5 minutes, serve.

I agree with Bob, this sounds good even if it is summertime here!

[Rudi]

Wow! I would've never thought of using oats for soup. Very interesting suggestion Claude, and maybe worthy of a try.

[Claude]

I do a similar method with semolina.

Or an egg soup: Boil chicken stock and parsley, thyme and basil. 3 eggs into bowl, pepper from a pepper mill and nutmeg from a nutmeg grinder, use a fork to mix it up (not an electric tool, beaten egg needs to be coarse. Once the stock is boiling, take off heat, pour egg mixture into it while lightly stirring the stock and serve immediately. Spices can be added to the egg mixture beforehand but I find that nutmeg and pepper.

There, that's another thread totally off topic

[BobH]

Another tasty sounding soup that I intend to try!

Thanks, Claude!!!

[ChrisGreaves]

7:1 sounds very diluted,...

I'll repeat the procedure tonight.
I use a little plastic 1/2 cup for measuring, so by the time I've added five of them I know about it. Adding another two makes an impact on me.
Perhaps I am boiling them too long, but i doubt this.

I bring the water to a boil, add the oats, then turn the hear off and let it just - well, cook.
Cheers
chris