Steel-Cut Oats, the Oat Lover's Choice

[skinnyboipgh]

The Goodness of Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a staple of most bodybuilding diets for good reason. Before you even consider its nutritional merits, it has to be one of the all-time best-tasting breakfast foods. It is one of my favorite cereals for sure, though oat bran, flaked whole-grain rye (Cream of Rye), and milled farina (Cream of Wheat) are also good. Oatmeal is high in fiber and low in fat, has protein, iron and no cholesterol. In fact, it has even been shown to lower serum cholesterol.

Oatmeal tastes rather plain on its own, but its subtle nutty flavor perfectly compliments honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and just about any type of fresh or dried fruit. Some chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts are also a good addition to the cereal.

How Are Steel-Cut Oats Different from Other Types?

There are many types of oatmeal that you can buy, though all are made starting with the same thing, whole-grain oats. Steel cut oats are whole oat groats (berries) with all the bran, endosperm and germ are intact, that have been sliced across the grain into smaller pieces. They're also called "Irish style" oats and sometimes "pinhead" oats.

Rolled oats are oat groats that have been precooked by steaming, flattened between steel rollers and flaked for easier cooking. Quick cooking oats are regular rolled oats that have been chopped into smaller pieces and "instant" oats are basically powdered oats.

Regular or "old fashioned" rolled oats cook up with a smooth but somewhat chunky texture and have a slightly nutty flavor. Quick oats are similar, but have a smoother texture because they are more finely divided 2 start with. "Instant" oats are the most highly processed type and make a cereal that is more of a sticky paste, without noticeable chunkiness.

If you are just going to chug your oats down in a shake, the kind you eat probably doesn't make much of a difference, and you can even skip cooking them if you use any type of rolled oats. The nutrition is basically the same for all types, except instant oats have less fiber. However, IMO for the true oatmeal lover who likes a slightly chunky texture and nutty flavor, steel-cut are the best way to go, with old-fashioned rolled oats being the next best option.

Since steel-cut oats are minimally processed, they take longer 2 cook than other precooked types, but IMO they are worth the trouble. The oatmeal comes out creamy, yet the individual pieces of oats are chewy and have a more nutty flavor than even old-fashioned rolled oats. The texture is unlike any bowl of breakfast cereal you've ever had. To me it seems sort of like short-grain brown rice to me, except it has a better flavor.

Most Convenient Way to Cook Steel-Cut Oats

Following the typical package directions for cooking steel-cut oats is kind of a pain, bringing oats and water to a boil, reducing heat and simmering them for a half-hour, having to stir fairly often to keep them from sticking. But there is a better way! I recently found a new cooking method on the web that is a lot less trouble.

Now I just get 4 cups water + 1/2 tsp lite salt boiling in a pot, add 1 cup steel-cut oats, return the pot 2 a boil, then cover it and turn off the heat. This is a good time to add a handful of raisins, dried cranberries, dried apple slices, hazelnuts, a little vanilla, cinnamon or whatever other flavorings u want 2 add. If u like a creamier texture, try replacing 1 cup of the original 4 cups of water with milk or buttermilk.

The steel-cut oats will be cooked perfectly after the pot sits for about 45 minutes if you want to eat some right away, or you can just let it cool completely overnight. Boiling sterilizes the pot sufficiently that it will keep just fine until you get up the next morning.

I microwave what I want to eat the next morning and put the rest in the fridge. If you want it to keep a long time in the fridge, it helps to divide the oats up into serving-size airtight containers so you don't have to keep opening the pot. Cooked oats will keep in the fridge for a week no problem.

From then on I either eat my oatmeal cold or microwave and eat. But refrigerated oats do get somewhat gelatinous and stick together in a big mass. If that bothers you, mash in some milk and then microwave to restore a creamy texture (like it had when it was first cooked) when you heat up each serving of oatmeal.

More Cooking Tips

Pretoasting Steel-Cut Oats

For added nuttiness and faster cooking, you can toast the dry oats for a couple minutes in a pot over high heat before adding the water and cooking. You can also pretoast them in bulk using your oven. Dump out your container of steel-cut oats in a roasting pan and put it in a preheated 300 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes. Allow to cool and return the oats to the container. Keep it tightly covered and store in a cool place. Toasted oats cook in about half the normal time.

Cook under Pressure!

When the pressure is on for a quick bowl of oatmeal - Rely on your pressure cooker! In approximately 5 minutes, pretoasted steel-cut oats will be cooked to perfection. All you need is 1 cup of pretoasted steel-cut oats, 3 1/2 cups of water and a little salt.

Where to Get Steel-Cut Oats

Steel-cut oats aren't produced on the huge scale that rolled oats are, so they tend to be somewhat more expensive. You'll probably get the best deal buying them in bulk from a health food store.

Of the branded products, McCann's Irish Oatmeal is the most famous kind, which you can find in most supermarkets for around $6-7 for a 28-oz tin.

You can get steel-cut oats at Amazon.com, McCann's 28-oz for $20.00 here:

http://www.amazon.com/McCanns-Steel-...283839-3467067

Honeyville 70-oz for $9.49 here:

http://www.amazon.com/Steel-Cut-Oats...283839-3467067

Or even a 50-lb bag for $49.99 here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...met_25280662_1

In all cases they say the shipping is $4.49 per order.

[King_Marmoset!]

This thread should be called, "Steel-Cut Oats: One Thread To Rule Them All!"

You are the nutritional guru! I just bought oats for the first time yesterday. I'm still working on making them tastey.

[HooKdOnFoNiX]

bump

[bman2380]

bump

why the bump of a 2 year old thread?

[The718]

why the bump of a 2 year old thread?

Look at his username

[Becko-Malecko]

Since this just got bumped (weird) and I just tried steel cut oats for a carb up three days ago, perfect timing. They are delicious and make a welcome change from the usual texture. HOWEVER, I bought mine in bulk at Winco and brah, totally didn't read the cooking instructions since I am omnipotent; except it seems in the steel cut oats cooking department. Cooked those bad boys for about 5 mins and "OM NOM NOM". I'm sure I shall now die. Srsly. Worth the sacrifice though.......

[HooKdOnFoNiX]

why the bump of a 2 year old thread?

I was searching for how to cook steel cut oats and came upon this thread, I thought it was a good read so I bumped it for more people to read it

[bman2380]

I was searching for how to cook steel cut oats and came upon this thread, I thought it was a good read so I bumped it for more people to read it

thats cool then

[Mikeh78]

Thanks for the bump. Good info about steel cut oats.

[-NR]

I've never seen them in the UK

[Jrzimmer]

I eat these! Definitely going to try toasting them first, that sounds good. They do take a good minute to cook, but cooking then refrigerating has helped on time. The diet plan I'm on has me mix 1/2c of cooked oats, one packet of stevia and a tsp of natural peanut butter and woohoo is it good! It stays with me for a while too considering its not that much food.

[J-Cubed]

Gotta have my steel cut oats nom nom nom

[srsilvguy]

I bought a coffee grinder specifically for grinding up my steel cut oats. I add them to my protein shakes for a delicious malty shake.

[Confused212]

We dont get steel cut oats in da uk or at least i'v not found them but i do use some ultra fine oats that i bulk buy from myprotein.co.uk and they taste good mixed in my shake

[K11]

When I cook them, I add my egg whites in the last 5 mins or so, and add a little bit of SF maple syrup or splenda+cinnamon, sometimes with canned pumpkin. Very delicious and all your macros are in one convenient bowl =).

[Mikeh78]

Steel cut oats have become a breakfast staple and I found the easiest way is to cook them with 3 cups water and 1 cup milk like the article stated. They last all week in the fridge and I add some sugar free strawberry perserves to help with the taste. These are definately different that the old fashioned oatmeal I grew up on.

[da_spooky_1]

i agree, helps me out alot, give me so much energy

[DominicN]

the oat addict approves of this thread.

[greatguns8]

We dont get steel cut oats in da uk or at least i'v not found them but i do use some ultra fine oats that i bulk buy from myprotein.co.uk and they taste good mixed in my shake

Strange to see a few posters from the UK who haven't seen steel cut oats. Strange because when I first saw them a few years ago, the only brand I saw was McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. Maybe what we call Irish oatmeal is the same as steel cut oats. Not the soft, flat flakes that we call oatmeal in the States, the cereal is like little pebbles, hard and a little smaller than a barley grain. The pebble-oats have to be cooked for about 20 minutes. Is that what the Brits call Irish oatmeal? It's what we call steel cut oats.
McCann's are still available but expensive here (about $7 for a can, roughly 1-lb). Trader Joe's sells a cardboard box of steel cut oats, same size as Quaker Oats (maybe 28 oz) for about $2.75

[Confused212]

Strange to see a few posters from the UK who haven't seen steel cut oats. Strange because when I first saw them a few years ago, the only brand I saw was McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. Maybe what we call Irish oatmeal is the same as steel cut oats. Not the soft, flat flakes that we call oatmeal in the States, the cereal is like little pebbles, hard and a little smaller than a barley grain. The pebble-oats have to be cooked for about 20 minutes. Is that what the Brits call Irish oatmeal? It's what we call steel cut oats.
McCann's are still available but expensive here (about $7 for a can, roughly 1-lb). Trader Joe's sells a cardboard box of steel cut oats, same size as Quaker Oats (maybe 28 oz) for about $2.75

cheers i'll have a look around and see if i can find them if not there is always ebay to get them from

[oneunit300]

Stupid question, but a cup of steel cut oats for a daily value would be considered before you boil it or after with the water weight??

[jrm868s]

Stupid question, but a cup of steel cut oats for a daily value would be considered before you boil it or after with the water weight??

Measured as dry weight.

[Danger_Close]

this may be a dumb question. but i like to put all my oats in a blender and turn it to a powder, so i can just scoop it and put it in my morning shake. but is 30g of powdered oats the same as 30g of oats in their original state?

[hema456]

thank you

[hema456]

thanks

[cory2731]

this may be a dumb question. but i like to put all my oats in a blender and turn it to a powder, so i can just scoop it and put it in my morning shake. but is 30g of powdered oats the same as 30g of oats in their original state?

30g is 30g...no matter its form

[mlandis]

Good read, I've always wondered what the difference was.

[morgansd12]

Great article. You can cook steel cut oats in a rice cooker using the "porridge" setting. Set it and forget it.

[wp152wrester]

Lots of good info here I'm going to give these a try and get rid of the instant oats

[AdamRouth]

this may be a dumb question. but i like to put all my oats in a blender and turn it to a powder, so i can just scoop it and put it in my morning shake. but is 30g of powdered oats the same as 30g of oats in their original state?

Must be a troll?