I would love to know if anyone has a method that would be something along the lines of put boiling water and oats into a vacuum sealed container and wait 30 minutes. I might just have to try a few different variations of this and see if anything sticks.

@loudlyquiet - You mean, like in a thermos? This is an interesting idea! I'm not sure how it would work with steel-cut oats because I think allowing for some evaporation is key. But maybe if you started with slightly less water? Let us know if you do any experiments!

Even slower and easier: put the oats and salt in a baking dish. Add three cups boiling water (or some combination of water and milk). It can also be nice to add a pat of butter. Bake in 300 degree oven for 45 minutes (or until most of the moisture has been absorbed by the oats), stirring once about 30 minutes in.

You can do almost exactly the same thing for brown rice. So much easier than having to stir all the time.

I made mine on the porridge setting in my fuzzy logic rice cooker. They came out perfectly. Its great for me because I can put the oats and water in the night before and tell my machine when I want them to be ready. Since I have to be at work at 7:00 am, I don't want to have to wake up even earlier just to cook up some oatmeal. This way I have a fresh hot batch ready for me when I wake up.

Exactly like in a thermos, one that is stocky and wide enough to eat right out of.

I do think that starting with less water and maybe waiting longer. It does hold the heat for a long time, maybe more like 50 minutes (more like the baking version).

I'll definitely be trying it as the next few mornings are supposed to be as cold as the last few.

I just made some steel-cut oats this weekend, and I believe 30 minutes on medium-low with a cup less water would result in some bone-dry, crunchy, burnt oats indeed. I use the four cups of water and only boil for a minute or two after adding the cup of oats, then turn down to lowlowlow and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. At the end I stir in a cup of milk and simmer that down until the oats are creamy and chewy but not crunchy.

Truthfully with as many posts about steel cut oats as this site has, you should just do a weekly update on steel cut oats. Or maybe an entire Steel Cut Oats section, along with Kitchen Tours and Recipes.

slowest and easiest: the slow cooker overnight. add 1 cup of oats to 3-3 1/2 cups of water. cook on the lowest setting for 7-8 hrs add the salt at the end of cooking time. i also like to give the slow cooker a coat of cooking spray to prevent sticking.

a nice warm breakfast is ready when you wake up!

we've been trying to perfect an overnight version in the slow cooker but can never seem to get it right. if anyone has any tips we'd be forever appreciative.

instead of more adding water at the end I dump in some home canned peaches or pears with the syrup and a handleful of candied ginger. That's all the sweetness needed.

can you use milk with steel cut oats? i use it with my oatmeal because it adds more protein but have never even made steel cuts before. this post is intriguing me though!

Steel cut oats the best! Even better are oat groats, the whole oat. My method requires night before thinking and practice remembering to do this. One cup steel cut oats, 4 cups water brought to a boil. Put on the lid and turn off the heat. By the morning there is a pot of cooked oats waiting to be eaten. Put your portion in the microwave to reheat with your favorite toppings. I'm eating in ten minutes with my cup of tea and a piece of toast.

If you are cooking oat groats, you will need to simmer the groats for at least 5-10 min. before putting on the lid and turning off the heat under the pot.

I make a batch almost every weekend by dumping some in the bottom of a saucepan, covering them with ~2" of water, bring it up to a boil, cover and turn off the heat, and let it sit until morning. When I wake up, I bring the whole thing back up to a boil (or a sputter, as it's so thick) adding more water if necessary.

Leftovers are fantastic. Just nuke and add fruit (underripe fruit can be nuked with the oats to juicy up). I also stir in nuts and seasoning (think beyond cinnamon to other things like oregano, chili, Chinese 5 spice, etc!)

My preferred method is the slow cooker/crockpot as well. I usually add more liquid (my preferred ratio is 4:1) along with 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed, a sprinkling of cinnamon and some dried fruit.

I was just on momlogic.com and came across this recipe for steel cut oats in the slow cooker. Put them in at night and have them done in the morning. I think this is a great idea for those of us that need and want instant breakfast.
------
Breakfast on the Go: Skip those sugary packets of instant oatmeal and opt for steel-cut oats because they're so much more delicious and healthy for you. Moms tell me that they don't have the 30 minutes to cook this oatmeal in the morning. Here's a fast fix: The night before, toss the oats in your slow cooker with the berries of your choice and even some almonds. Set at a low speed. You will wake up to a delicious smell and your family's oatmeal is ready to eat. Specifically, take one cup each of steel-cut oats and mixed berries, four cups of water, and add a tsp of cinnamon. Cook on a low setting for eight hours.

Read more: http://www.momlogic.com/2010/01/easy_meals_for_moms_on_the_go.php#ixzz0bffcPJSu

The porridge setting on the rice cooker and a programmable coffee pot are the only reasons I have time for any breakfast in the morning. And they're like heaven! My topping preference is brown sugar and raisins.

I recently made a plenty-of-leftovers batch of oats while I sick. Trying to avoid the gelatinous mass, I cooked the oats in more water than I usually would, then drained and rinsed them. The grains stayed separate even after refrigeration, and the lack of, well, <I>goo</I>, made the texture a lot more pleasant, especially when I added pumpkin puree, as I most often do.

I also do the overnight method on the stovetop - but I use 6 cups of water to 1/5 cups oatmeal - and I boil for one minute, shut the fire, cover and leave it. In the morning I add all options but dairy. Usually some brown or raw sugar, and raisins and cranberries but sometimes I use dried apples. For each serving, I add some heavy cream (YUM!) and microwave to heat. It makes enough for nearly a week since I am one person.

make that 1.5 cups - not 1/5!

Doesn't anyone else toast their oats first? Either a big batch in the oven (like you would toast nuts) or on the stovetop (sometimes with a bit of butter). Whichever way, remember to stir and keep an eye on it though.

It really brings out the flavor, adds a nice depth, and cuts down on a bit of the cooking time too.

i use the previous kitchn post method, toast 1 cup oats, add 3 cups water, bring to boil, turn off pot, put lid on it, go to bed. oats are ready in the morning, perfect, and i take them to work with me.

Help! Could someone please explain exactly what's meant by "steel cut oats" and also "oatmeal"?

I'm a Brit living in Aus, so I want to double check my understanding, plus I've never heard of steel cut oats. I'm familiar with oatmeal, by which I mean ground up oats, almost like a really coarse flour in texture; the other oats I get regularly are rolled oats - basically flat oats, because they've been rolled!

I'm learning the language, for example I know that cornstarch is what we call cornflour, and your confectioner's sugar is our icing sugar, but steel cut oats still has me stumped!

We call ground up oats "oat flour", I think.
Oatmeal is usually whatever form of hot cereal you make with oats; steel cut, rolled, or otherwise.

Rolled oats and quick oats are basically the same, except quick oats have been treated with something (probably steam) to make them cook faster.

Steel cut oats are whole oats that have been lightly chopped with a steel blade. Here's a picture: http://www.nutsonline.com/cookingbaking/grains/oats/steel-cut.html?source=googlebase

They're better than rolled oats because they've got more texture, and some people think that they're also better because they are less processed than the rolled oats. They just take for freaking ever to cook.

My dad cooks his by boiling water the night before in the kettle, and adding it to the oats, then covering it and letting it sit overnight. He just heats it in the micro to serve.
I make mine in the crock pot.

FoodieGreenie, if you lived in the UK you were probably able to buy 'Irish' steel-cut oats in the grocery store, they're often sold in an iconic metal canister. However, I don't think you have steel-cut oats in Australia. I'm living in Fiji and all our oats from from Australia and they're either rolled or quick-cook (what you referred to as 'ground up oats', which I think are rolled and then broken up further so they cook faster).

Steel-cut oats are just that- the oat is not rolled but is instead kind of chopped up so they look like little nuggets rather than flakes. They have a much chewier texture and a richer, nuttier flavor.

For Americans, 'Oatmeal' can refer to any of these kinds of oats once they're cooked and ready to eat.

I cook my steel oats in milk using the microwave. It takes a few rounds of microwaving at 33% power, waiting and rezapping, but the end product is perfect. I'm in the Salt & Pepper topping camp for seasoning my breakfast cereals. Sweet toppings have never appealed to me early in the morning.

maybe my crock pot just sucks but i always get burned spots on the low setting when i do overnight oats. maybe it's time to trade up to a fuzzy logic rice cooker!

deliriumsama & chevere: thank you!

Not only do I now know what steel cut oats are, and have a couple of ideas of places to look for them (basically health food shops), as well as a good description for anyone who looks at me blankly, I've now happily added a new word to my vocab because oatmeal = porridge!

Very fond of porridge as a winter breakfast, made with rolled oats (will possibly start using steel cut if I find any), and milk. Leftover cream that needs using up can also find its way into the pot, and the whole wonderful creaminess gets served with a drizzle of golden syrup on top. Yum.

i like to substitute between 1/2 cup and 1.5 cups of the water for apple juice--if you only use apple juice, it's a little too apple-y (to me, anyway), but i find it really adds something and, if nothing else, one cup of apple juice is a serving of fruit for the day, which--let's face it--everybody needs more of! i also always toast them ahead of time with a little butter and a lot of cinnamon (because it's yummy, and also super healthy for diabetics, which i am). might try the slow-cooker method sometime soon! it would be nice to see a whole post on technique for that, since it seems like we're all a little unsure of how to go about that feat...

I make mine in the microwave, in a large lidded glass bowl, 1 cup oats 4 cups water, 15min on high, 30 min on half power, and they come out perfect every time. No worries about having to watch over and stir. Its not faster, but its foolproof. My favorite way to eat them is with two eggs over easy mushed into them. Yum.

This recipe is okay if you wake up wanting oats in a hurry, but I think the smoother, creamier, crock-pot overnight version is best!!

http://annkroeker.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/overnight-crockpot-steel-cut-oatmeal/

To those who'd like to do oats overnight in the slow cooker but have issues w/the crust factor: Use a water bath! Details here: http://wordstoeatby.blogspot.com/2009/06/overnight-steel-cut-oatmeal.html

Like Randi Lynne and debbiek, I use the crock pot water bath method. We have yummy oats every morning! The hardest part was finding a bowl to fit the crock pot...finally found a silicone one like this: http://www.amazon.com/iSi-Basics-Flexible-Silicone-Mixing/dp/B000S17162.

The recipe we use is:

1/2c Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats
1 pinch kosher salt
1c skim milk (we also tried whole milk but the final taste was not as good)
1c water

Put it all in a small bowl that will fit inside your crock pot. Fill crock pot about 1/3 full with water. Place the small bowl with oats, etc., into the water bath. Cover crock pot and cook on low. Feeds two adults.

The timing on this is pretty flexible...we have found that you need a minimum of 5-6 hours to get decent oats, but you can leave them cooking for waaaay longer and they still taste surprisingly good (12 hours or more!).

I've been meaning to try Alton Brown's Overnight Oatmeal for the longest time and recently got a slow cooker. Has anyone tried this yet?

Ingredients
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried figs
4 cups water
1/2 cup half-and-half

Directions
In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and set to low heat. Cover and let cook for 8 to 9 hours.

Stir and remove to serving bowls. This method works best if started before you go to bed. This way your oatmeal will be finished by morning.

I make either steel cut oats, or steel cut wheat daily - but in a pressure cooker. Its a tiny 1.5 liter hawkins pressure cooker - and I love it.

Rinse 1 cup oats, leave some water in, add two cups water. Pressure cook on high until first hiss [takes about 5 minutes], then reduce to lowest volume for TWO minutes. DONE. Eat with rice milk, almond milk, regular milk, nuts, fruits, honey, whatever you like.

With an end-to-end cooking time of ten minutes, you will be more inclined to make steel cut oats daily - as I do. Cooked in a pot on the stove, its turns into a cumbersome daily tasks. And what is cumbersome is largely avoided by people rushing out the door in the morning.

Yes, I cook steel cut oats in thermos.On the night before I just put boiling water, salt and oats in a small thermos, seal them off and and-vuala-there is a hot breakfast the moment I get up, I just add cream or milk, fruits and little bit of honey. Actually you can cook many grains the same way.

i use the 4:1 ratio like the container says, but i use coconut water for the liquid and use the overnight method. just before going to bed i bring liquid to a boil, stir in the oats, cover tightly and remove from heat. the next morning i reheat however much i need and store the rest for later in the week. my kids love this, and the coconut water gives the oats a sweet creaminess and 20 times the potassium of an added banana!

I poured my cup of oats into boiling water, added a pinch of salt, simmered for 1 minute. After the pot cooled I put it in the fridge with the intent of cooking on the stove the next morning. I didn't feel like waiting though so I just put some in a bowl and heated them up in the microwave the next morning. I didn't have to cook them on the stove. Easy peasy.

I put my oats (before cooking) in the cuisinart to make a fine powder. This way my porridge comes out in a pudding consistency. I also put in 1 square of dark chocolate or cocoa. The chocolate melts in the oatmeal and it is delicious.

VERY GREEN!!! leaving a slow cooker doing its thing over night to eat oats!!! People, smarten up already, no need to cook them to death. There are TWO ways of cooking creamy steel-cut oats without using that much electricity: let them soak over night and cook when you get up (ready in a few minutes) OR .... bring water to a boil AND ..,. let them soak over night(guess what ....ready in a few minutes). Most likely none of you has a good old gramma around. Cheers.

I've been using the overnight stove-top method for years, like several have already mentioned. It works for steel cut oats and cracked wheat.

This makes four servings:

The night before you want the cereal, boil three cups of water (my husband prefers 3-1/2) with a quarter or half-teaspoon salt.

When the water comes to a boil, add a cup of steel cut oats or cracked wheat.

Cover the pot and remove from the heat. Leave overnight.

In the morning scoop some oats into a microwaveable bowl and heat in the microwave for about a minute. You can also eat them cold with yogurt (homemade Greek yogurt if you have it) and fruit. Store leftovers in the fridge and eat within a week.

I like steel cut oats and cracked wheat, but my favorite right now is Scottish oatmeal (porridge). I usually cook that using the microwave directions on the back of the package:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/organic-scottish-oatmeal.html

For all those without a slow cooker, or those who are worried about a crust forming with a slow cooker (and don't want to mess with a water bath): I tried dumping the oats into boiling water and letting it sit overnight. It worked just fine, although of course the oats were cold when I got up. I scooped them out and microwaved them with some brown sugar.

I use my slow cooker to make the Steel Cut Oats all the time, I use 4.5 cups of water to 1 cup of oats. The secret is you must have a smaller narrower type of slow cooker , if you have the wide oval shaped cooker the water is to shallow and just burns away. I learned that one the hard way.
I add dried fruit,cinnamon,vanilla to my oats while cooking and they turn out perfect every time. Serve with maple syrup and either yogurt or milk.

I use the Alton Brown method on weekends and love it. During the week I put my steel cut oats in the crackpot, my kids love them. I add a 1/3 cup of Chiapas seeds to mine with about 1/2 cup of extra water. They make the oats even healthier and keeps my daughter regular

I ment chia seeds. Darn auto correct.

Y'all are missing out! Oat bran is the way to go, and it cooks up in a jiffy! Plus its the most nutritionally sound of the oat family - bar none!

Amen! Thanks for that wake-up call "chactada"!

I prepare steel cut oats this way: 1 cup steel cut oats, 4 cups milk, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/3 cup Splenda or other sweetner. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer on lowest setting possible so it doesn't boil, for 45-60 minutes or until desired texture. Stir every 20 minutes. It comes out creamy and like a hearty tapioca pudding. Wonderful fresh and hot. Store leftover in refrigerator. Rewarm with added milk for desired texture, and mix with fresh strawberries or blue berries. Add whip cream for a desert!

I recently switched over to steel cut oatmeal and have had a hard time cooking it. It kept coming out too stiff. When I found this recipe I was so excited I cooked a weeks worth now! As the time neared 20 minutes and then 30 I noticed the oats were hardly absorbing the water. I then remembered I had read the author say she must always have oats for the winters and thought immediately about gas stoves! Here in Florida most people, unfortunately use electric. I increased the heat to medium (5) and continued cooking for additional ten minutes. They are perfect! So for the people who do not use gas, cook at a medium temperature for 25-35 minutes. You will love them.