Oatmeal -- figuring out what I bought earlier

[protagonist]

Also, is there really a difference between brands of steel cut oatmeal (or quick vs. regular)? What would explain it if so? As another member stated above, the only ingredient is steel-cut oats.

Here is a partial, and very significant, answer to your question, from above:

I prefer steel cut oats because it has a nuttier chew and mouth feel and holds up better with syrup, fruits, and nuts.

It's the "eating quality", along with the taste.
The little "grains" (that were "cut" but not squished into nothing-of-note) that really add to the taste and chewing experience.
In comparison, from quick cooking oatmeal to instant oatmeal, just think of those as different degrees of... pre-digested steel cut oatmeal.

Or think of the difference between a nice rib-eye steak and ground beef.
(That's not really a fair analogy, because good ground beef IS worth eating, and we'd choose it specifically sometimes, even though overall, the steak is better. But neither of us would ever specifically request any version of the more-processed oatmeal if steel cut oatmeal were available. Indeed, if only the processed version of oatmeal were available, we'd order something entirely different.)

You might want to try it to decide what *you* prefer.
Obviously, from above, there are different preferences, as usual

RM

I'm about to eat crow. (an aside...I wonder if it really tastes as bad as the cliche suggests...):

I made my quick cooking steel cut oats in an Instant Pot this morning and I was surprised to find that they turned out to taste (and feel) SIGNIFICANTLY better than my microwave recipe above that has been my go-to for years.

How I did it:
Put 1/4 cup quick cooking steel cut oats , 3/4 cup cold mixed oat milk, vanilla extract, and maple syrup- added 5 spice powder, plus raisins and a sliced banana in my 3 qt. Instant Pot
Set Instant Pot on Pressure Cook-High for 3 mins.
Natural steam venting
Once cooked, transferred to a microwave-safe bowl, added blackberries and mixed nuts, stirred and microwaved for 20 seconds to warm it (and the berries).

Delicious! The consistency was more granular and more uniform than when a similar combo is prepared via microwave. Quite an improvement, actually!

When I shop again I will buy some regular steel cut oats and see if I prefer them to the quick cooking ones (I will add a minute in the pressure cooker).

Thanks for all the ideas!

[jabberwockOG]

One easy way to significantly reduce the time to cook steel cut oats in the morning is to soak them beforehand overnight.

This works well and produces very nice texture and is quick to cook. Fill container with how much oats you normally would cook, add just enough of your preferred liquid to cover (I most often use almond milk). Place cover over container and in frig to soak overnight. Then add seasoning and any other ingredients - cinnamon, raisins, chia, etc., and cook as normal - but in less than one third to half the time.

[bloom2708]

In order.

Full oat groat
Steel cut
Rolled
Quick
Instant

Steel cut is closest to whole.

I like to soak overnight in almond milk. Then warm in the morning. Add blueberries or strawberries etc.

[Spedward]

Costco often has massive bags of Bob’s Red Mill steel cut. When you see them you need to snatch them up - out Costco tends to have ever 6 months. We just grab a 6+ month supply when we see it there just to be safe (our kids think we are nuts).

[nordsteve]

(our kids think we are nuts).

That won't change if you stop buying bulk oats

[tooluser]

Also, is there really a difference between brands of steel cut oatmeal (or quick vs. regular)? What would explain it if so? As another member stated above, the only ingredient is steel-cut oats.

I've had these: "Handmade Toasted Stone Cut Oats" https://ansonmills.com/products/38
They are very good. They are very fresh.
They are toasted before hulling, which really does add more flavor compared to McCanns.
They are not cheap, and I have only consumed one 12 oz bag, $5.95. At some point I will buy them again.
(They have good grits and rice too.)

[Spedward]

(our kids think we are nuts).

That won't change if you stop buying bulk oats

True. One of the many things that lead them to that conclusion...

[protagonist]

According to one independent reviewer, after reviewing a half dozen or so steel cut brands, for what it's worth (and I have no idea how much that is): (prices at my local Stop and Shop)....

The best: Flahavan's ($8/24 oz)
Second best: Bob's Red Mill (~$4/24 oz)
The worst: McCann's ($6.69/24 oz)

The others fell in between.

Funny how they all come in 24 oz. quanta. Perhaps in the 17th century in England they standardized 24 oz. as "one oatweight", or something like that.

Oatmeal is cheap enough per bowl that I think I will splurge on Flahavan's.

[ResearchMed]

According to one independent reviewer, after reviewing a half dozen or so steel cut brands, for what it's worth (and I have no idea how much that is): (prices at my local Stop and Shop)....

The best: Flahavan's ($8/24 oz)
Second best: Bob's Red Mill (~$4/24 oz)
The worst: McCann's ($5.69/24 oz)

The others fell in between.

Funny how they all come in 24 oz. quanta. Perhaps in the 17th century in England they standardized 24 oz. as "one oatweight", or something like that.

Oatmeal is cheap enough per bowl that I think I will splurge on Flahavan's.

Hmmm... thanks.
We might do well to give another brand a try.
Once we "discovered" steel cut oats back in the old days, it was McCanns that was recommended. We were so pleased with it, that we never tried another brand.
Time for a blind tasting

Rm

[Bogle7]

My mother would say: “have you examined the stool from your bowel movement?”
She was born in 1922 and a registered nurse.

[beergod]

Trader Joe's has or had the McCann Steel Cut Oats in the metal cannister: https://www.amazon.com/Mccanns-Irish-Oa ... 00KOB9IIK/

These take 30 minutes to cook and result in an oatmeal that gives a little pop as you bite into it. It is very satisfying. That might be what you're looking for.


=====================
If you want something that cooks quicker, I've been eating this instant oatmeal: https://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Gl ... B07BRY92KY

The extra thickness gives a little more chew. If you cook it with water and salt then add milk at the end it mimics the creaminess of non-instant oatmeal at a fraction of the time.

[protagonist]

Time for a blind tasting

Rm

I like doing those as well, but given your username, I assume your methodology is better than mine.
Here is the link to the "study" I quoted. It would be interesting to see if you replicate her results. https://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/201 ... -test.html
Let me know what you discover. *smile*

It could be an interesting study in behavioral economics as well.
Given that Flahavan's costs twice as much as Bob's, how much better would Flahavan's have to subjectively be than Bob's to convince consumers to choose it over Bob's?

[MrBeaver]

My obligatory endorsement of the best $60 (now $100) investment I’ve made in my life, an oat roller:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7QXV5A/

Since getting this, I wake up with more spring in my step, eat more healthy, and am more productive. For those who prefer steel cut, go for it. But to me there is far more ‘flavor freshness’ in freshly rolled oats than steel cut oats in a bag. My oat roller has four different thickness settings which provides more variety also.

[ArtsyProf]

organic steel cut oats, brand: Now foods, online with free delivery from iherb, look for discount code online.

[onthecusp]

I prefer Bob's Red Mill regular steel cut oats (not quick cook) to McCann's.

How long does the Bob's Red Mill regular steel cut oats take to cook? Same question for McCann's, if you happen to know. Thanks in advance!

That depends upon whether you like it al dente or mushy.

Here's Bob's official recipe:

For Stove Top Cooking

Bring 3 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil then add 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats.
Reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook 10 - 20 minutes (depending on how chewy you like your cereal). Stir occasionally.
Remove from heat and let stand covered for a couple of minutes. Yields about 3 cups.

That's the recipe I use for what ever brand we happen to buy. Steel cut/not "quick cooking".
We like it at the 10 minute mark.

I do half recipe now for my wife and me. It finishes just a minute or so after the coffee finishes.
I do like the idea upthread of putting some in the refrigerator for another day.

I'll put a small hand full of walnuts in before the water comes to a boil. She likes a tablespoon of vanilla yogurt and a little milk; I like a little butter and even an egg in it occasionally. We have some silicone poaching cups so very easy and 5 min to a perfect soft center and no peeling a soft boiled egg.

Going to have to try some of the other additions above.

[runner3081]

Ahh, oatmeal. After being a long-time eater, I stopped for a few years.

Now I am back and am envious of everyone with their slow cooker recipes and what not here. I will need to try those! I do eat oatmeal for lunch though, not breakfast.

At the moment, I go with 1 packet of Kroger low sugar maple/brown sugar and 1 packet of Quaker low sugar maple/brown sugar with just a tad bit over 1 cup of boiling water.

[deserat]

For the really frugal, how about making oatmeal overnight in a thermos? I used to make the McCann's overnight in a thermos - pour boiling water and salt in the thermos, pour in the oatmeal, crank the top on the thermos, set it sideways and then wake up to warm perfectly cooked oatmeal.

Some recipes (one for overnight and one for 40 minutes):

https://www.food.com/recipe/steel-cut-o ... ght-285466

http://thermoscooking.com/steel-cut-oatmeal-recipe/

[rjbraun]

Thank you all for the input. Interesting stuff.

I went ahead and bought Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats (regular, not quick cooking). Just made a batch. We liked it and will likely order again, though I am curious to maybe try other brands or varieties that have been mentioned on this thread.

For example, Flahavan's was highlighted upthread. The closest Flahavan's product I could find was "Irish steel cut oatmeal", as shown in the link below. But the Bob's Red Mill product I bought was for "steel cut oats". Is steel cut oatMEAL the same as steel cut oats?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IEITN4O/re ... UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Flahavans-94560- ... 321&sr=8-4

[lazydavid]

I used to have steel-cut oatmeal rather regularly, but haven’t for probably 10-12 years. This thread inspired me to pick up a canister of TJ’s quick-cooking variety when I was there last weekend, and I have been enjoying quite well for the past week. Started with Pecans and dried cherries, but the cherries were too sweet, so I tried throwing some dried coffee fruit in during the cook, and it turned out amazing!

This weekend I picked up some of the traditional slow-cooking variety (O Organics from Jewel/Kroeger). Taste is actually exactly the same, but has a slightly better texture than the quick-cook (more “bite”). Going to try to figure out if it can cook mostly unattended while I shower after my morning workout, else I’ll probably stick with the quick-cook variety during the week.

[sixtyforty]

Thank you all for the input. Interesting stuff.

I went ahead and bought Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats (regular, not quick cooking). Just made a batch. We liked it and will likely order again, though I am curious to maybe try other brands or varieties that have been mentioned on this thread.

For example, Flahavan's was highlighted upthread. The closest Flahavan's product I could find was "Irish steel cut oatmeal", as shown in the link below. But the Bob's Red Mill product I bought was for "steel cut oats". Is steel cut oatMEAL the same as steel cut oats?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IEITN4O/re ... UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Flahavans-94560- ... 321&sr=8-4

If you look at the ingredients in Flahavans it says"100% whole grain steel cut oats".

[rjbraun]

If you look at the ingredients in Flahavans it says"100% whole grain steel cut oats".

Ah, thank you.

[dcb]

My obligatory endorsement of the best $60 (now $100) investment I’ve made in my life, an oat roller:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7QXV5A/

Since getting this, I wake up with more spring in my step, eat more healthy, and am more productive. For those who prefer steel cut, go for it. But to me there is far more ‘flavor freshness’ in freshly rolled oats than steel cut oats in a bag. My oat roller has four different thickness settings which provides more variety also.

An alternative to rolling your own. - A local entrepreneur has set up small milling machines in local grocery stores filled with oat groats. I can roll what I need for a week at $2.00/lb.

Here is how I make my morning oatmeal fix:

In a 20oz. double-walled plastic bowl I add 1/2 cup of rolled oats to 1 cup of water and a dash of salt. Microwave for 2.5 minutes, then add a teaspoon of brown sugar, 2-3 teaspoons of Trader Joe's 'Pecan Praline Granola mix (adds a bit of crunch), and a small handful of raisins or blueberries. Mix and enjoy.
DCB
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