Secret to Making Steel Cut or Irish Oatmeal Fast

Yes, you too have time to make creamy Irish Oatmeal on a busy morning.

There’s a trick that requires forethought, but no extra steps. First, do I need to tell you how good this is? You may never eat from that round cardboard box again.

If you don’t know yet, Steel cut oats are whole grain groats (the inner portion of the oat kernel) which have been cut. (From Wikipedia) They are nuttier and chewier than oatmeal, and as a result, they take a long time to cook. Other names: Pinhead Oats, Scotch Oatmeal, Irish Oatmeal (My Irish friend, by the way, call this porridge.) This is boy 2’s favorite.

Recipe:
Steel-cut Oatmeal (Or Irish Oatmeal)
4 cups milk (not water)
1 cup steel cut oats
salt — to taste
Reserved milk, 1- 1/2 cups

• The night before — while you’re cleaning up the dinner dishes, pour all ingredients into a saucepan.
• Cover, and put in the refrigerator so that the milk can soften the shell of the oats.
• In the morning, pull out saucepan, and heat up on stove.
• Boil for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking on the bottom.
• Remove from heat, let sit for a couple of minutes.

Stir in reserved milk to prevent the crust from forming.

For variety, add dried fruit, chopped apples or pears, and cinnamon.
Here’s another way to make overnight oatmeal, in the slow cooker. However, you must use water instead of milk. More, about steel cut oats and cooking them, here. If you forgot to soak the oats overnight, you can always try this one, The Secret to Making Smooth Creamy Oatmeal.