Steel cut oats horror stories or favorite recipes go here

[ThomasQED]

Received a large bag and made some according to the instructions.

Is there any way to make these things palatable?

[HopeHoops]

1. Cut them with steel first.

:evilgrin:

[ThomasQED]

3. I just tried that!

Put them in the food processor to make smaller pieces, then popped it into the microwave and success! It 'sploded all over, so now I have about 2 tablespoons less than I did before.

I figure if I microwave them every day, I'll be rid of the stuff in a few months :-(

[HopeHoops]

5. Birds like them. But on a serious note...

Treat it like bulgur wheat. Soak it for a while in boiling water (boiled elsewhere and poured on top) and then use it in stews or cook it like rice. It is of course much coarser (no pun intended), but it does make a nice base for hearty vegetables in a stir fry or sauce (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, chard, beets, bok choi, etc.)

[ThomasQED]

6. I like both those ideas!

Thanks.

I'll try soaking it, and also give some to my daily bluebird visitor.

[HopeHoops]

7. Bluebirds are more bug eaters. They LOVE our garden. We often have 10 or more at a time.

There are high-tension wires running between our house and the next one over. The bluebirds sit on the tension line at the bottom and use that position to spot prey in the gardens. I've seen as many as twenty at a time, but five to ten is more typical. We had a bluebird house out for a few years but every time they had chicks, a damn sparrow would throw them out and take over the box. I finally gave up and ripped it out.

On Edit:

Speaking of bulgur wheat, there's nothing better as a meat substitute in chili. TVP is sort of chewy and even the MorningStar "ground beef" stuff isn't that great in chili (although it makes an awesome sloppy joe). You don't even have to be vegetarian to enjoy it. Just soak the bulgur wheat in boiling water (again, boiled elsewhere like the nuke-ya-wave), drain it, and add it near the end of the cooking cycle. Good shit, Maynard.

[ThomasQED]

8. Hmm, mine love peanuts

It never occurred to me that they might eat bugs, so the more i feed them the less bugs they eat.

Oh well, it's a lot more fun for me to watch him eat peanuts and oats from the devil than bugs.

(Now oats, transferred from microwave to stove, have boiled over and soiled that appliance as well...)

[HopeHoops]

9. I've never tried peanuts with them. The squirrels and chipmonks would probably whisk them away.

Still, they are primarily bug-eaters. They'll live on grain if they have to (peanuts?), but that's not their main diet.

[ThomasQED]

10. I put the squirrels' peanuts in a different container

I'm not sure if they eat them or not, they might just be burying them all over my yard.

[HopeHoops]

11. They won't grow. We have an oak tree out front. They bury the acorns. Those grow.

I don't need another oak tree so we pull up the saplings.

[ThomasQED]

12. Now I'm imagining a whole little army

of squirrel Johnny Appleseeds, planting trees where logging companies have devastated forests...

[HopeHoops]

14. If I ever own a squirrel, I'm going to have to name him "John Chapman".

I have a wild rabbit. He's over 5 years old now. Well, he/she - hermaphrodite. It wasn't normal from the early days. The girls like to sit on the blocks around the base of the oak tree and this kit kept coming out when they were talking. It fell out of the blocks so I scooped it up with a slotted spoon and returned it. It kept coming out.

After the other kits had left the nest, it was still hanging out - waiting to be eaten by something. It had no fear of humans so I finally decided to take it in. I took it to the vet because of a festering wound. He shaved the area and speculated that the mother had tried to kill it. His face was sort of smashed in (the bunny, not the vet) and he had a weird snotty breathing sound. I treated him with Neosporin three times a day and the wound healed. He's a cuddle, but never got larger than half the size of a normal outdoor bunny. That's DESPITE getting the best food available, including fresh greens and root vegetables twice a day. He's just small.

We named him "Clouseau" because the first green we gave him was kale and he fell over twice while eating it (ate around the side until he was on his side).

The mother must have been on to something. He had ejaculated twice on my wife when she was petting him (holding him on her chest). We just assumed he was male. One day, she found blood EVERYWHERE in his cage. I took him out and inspected him but couldn't find a wound anywhere. On inspection of the private zone, I not only found his penis (which I'd seen before), but there was a vagina next to it!!

I took him to the vet shortly after that and he not only confirmed the double genital situation, but found a SECOND vagina on the other side. That's one weird anatomical anomaly. It brings a whole new meaning to "go fuck yourself", and pretty well redefines "menage a trois", but so far he hasn't gotten himself pregnant. He's still going strong and still a cuddle. I hope he lives a long time.

[ThomasQED]

19. I think that post wins an award

for strangest end to a post about oatmeal.

Seriously though, I'm glad you grabbed him and that he's doing well.

I used to be a huge Pink Panther fan but I don't get why you would name him Clouseau?

[HopeHoops]

28. He fell over eating kale - TWICE even. The name just seemed obvious.

And my wife is a huge Pink Panther fan as well - the actual cartoon panther, not the live actors. She's got a lot of really cute tank tops (and nighties) with him on it.

[nolabear]

2. I kinda love 'em. What was the problem?

You can figure out how to make them the consistency you like. If you don't have weight issues, cooking them in milk helps. I put toasted almonds, dried cranberries and brown sugar and a dash of Molly McButter if I'm in a buttery mood. A little vanilla yogurt is nice. Have FUN with your oatmeal! :bounce:

[ThomasQED]

4. The first try had dried cherries, dried cranberries and walnuts

I cooked them on the stove for about 15 minutes (package said 10-15) and had to skim the snot off twice.

I just didn't like the texture. Too chewy and it seemed flavorless. Maybe I should have added sugar.

Today's attempt was with the microwave, see results above.

[Bunny]

13. Those things have to cook for longer than 15 minutes, I don't care what the package said.

Are you sure you're using real steel-cut oats? I've never seen any that you can cook for only 15 minutes, much less microwave. It takes at least a half-hour on the stove top, and the microwave is out of the question.

A good way to make them is in the crockpot, with the dried cranberries, nuts and other fruit. You can add brown sugar or maple syrup too. There are plenty of recipes online for slow-cooking steel cut oats, you can experiment with different variations. I really like them this way.

[Amaril]

15. Oooh, that sounds very yummy........

....for a cold, winter weekend morning! Will have to remember that.

[ThomasQED]

22. Yeah, they're Bob's Red Mill...

and no way am I cooking cereal for 30 minutes! I don't have a crockpot, but if you do it that way, don't you make a lot and then have to heat it up? Is it still "good" that way?

Feeding it to the birds looking better and better....

[Bunny]

25. Yes, it makes a lot. And I think it's good heated up, if you put the milk

in before you heat it.

[nolabear]

16. LOL! Well, that "snot" comment kinda says it all.

You have to learn to think of it as the creamy starchy goodness rising to the top. And I agree that you may not have cooked them long enough, though they will be chewier than processed oatmeal. That's why they're better for you. Maybe you could just bake them into cookies; I find that helps a lot.

[ThomasQED]

23. Ha!

When I quit drinking dairy milk I thought i was done skimming scum off food... cookie idea is good. Halloween parties coming up, maybe I will dye them orange and they will be doubly horrifying :-P

[Tuesday Afternoon]

17. put them in the blender and frappe to a fine meal ...

try it and let me know what you think.

[ThomasQED]

21. I put them in the food processor this morning

to try to cut down on cooking time. Didn't really work. Maybe you have to blend for 30 minutes and THEN cook for 30 minutes. In which case I'll just skip directly to lunch!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

32. Can you describe to me what was the result?

What do you mean: Didn't really work. :shrug:

[ThomasQED]

33. It didn't get cut much

I left it on for a few minutes and there was a bit of powder in the bowl but it seemed like most of the oats were still in their original size pieces.

It seemed like if I kept going, I'd end up with a bunch of oat powder and I'd be having gruel for breakfast.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

34. interesting. thanks.

I wonder if you had surged it, if that would have made a difference. Also, wonder if the cooked version would have had the consistency of Cream of Wheat (Farina). Thanks.

[Jean Louise Finch]

18. Here's a good no-cook, overnight recipe

It turns out a bit like Swiss Muesli, which I love. I make this in a small mason jar and just bring it to work with me in the morning:

No-cook, overnight steel cut oats from the Kitchn

[ThomasQED]

20. Argh, that photo...

I don't like soupy cereal. I eat dry cereal dry. But I will put some in water tonight and see how it is in the morning. Thanks!

[Jean Louise Finch]

24. Ha!

That is so funny - the photo made me drool. I hope you like it - apologies if you think it's awful, but at least you will have gotten rid of some more!

[ThomasQED]

26. No apologies necessary

I like the method, I will just make mine less soupy. Or strain it if necessary!

[hippywife]

27. We love them.

I buy Bob's Red Mill and the instructions say cook 1 cup in 3 cups of water for four servings. Youy need to cook them to the conistency you prefer. I cook them for about 15 minutes or so, until all the water is disolved no matter how long that takes, stirring often.


When I put it in the bowl, I add brown sugar, a little butter, some sliced almonds and dried cranberries.

They are the best thing on a cool morning. Yum! :9

[GoCubsGo]

29. Alton Brown's recipe...

It requires a crockpot. I cut the recipe in half, and use a small, appetizer/dips size unit. If you go that route, rather than using a full-sized one, make sure the smaller slow-cooker has a high/low setting.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-oatmeal-recipe/index.html

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.



He has another steel cut oats recipe here, not slow cooker:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steel-cut-oatmeal-recipe/index.html

Funny thing you should bring up steel cut oats. I just got Aldi's flyer for next week, and it's one of their special buys. Can't wait! I think I may have to try that no-cook version.

[ThomasQED]

30. Just made up a new recipe

Gonna get the hammer out and turn this stuff into normal oats!

[lizziegrace]

35. The second recipe is the one I use

toasting the oats before cooking really helps bring out some flavor.

[Duer 157099]

31. You can make a big pot and keep it in the fridge

and just take a bowlful each morning and nuke it to heat it up.

Then add brown sugar, maple syrup and some milk and enjoy! It's da bomb!

Unless you're pre-diabetic, in which case it's not so good that way.