Ten-Minute Steel-Cut Oatmeal
(from nchambers’s recipe box)
Serves 4
The oatmeal will continue to thicken as it cools. If you prefer a looser consistency, thin the oatmeal with boiling water. Customize your oatmeal with toppings such as brown sugar, toasted nuts, maple syrup, or dried fruit.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Most oatmeal fans agree that the steel-cut version of the grain offers the best flavor and texture, but many balk at the 40-minute cooking time. In this recipe, we decrease the cooking time to only 10 minutes by stirring steel-cut oats into boiling water the night before. This enables the grains to hydrate and soften overnight. In the morning, more water (or fruit juice or milk) is added and the mixture is simmered for four to six minutes, until thick and creamy. A brief resting period off the heat ensures that the porridge achieves the perfect consistency.
Source: America's Test Kitchen Season 13: Breakfast Standbys (from RecipeThing user Bethany)
Categories: Eggs and Breakfast
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
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Bring 3 cups water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Remove pan from heat; stir in oats and salt. Cover pan and let stand overnight.
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Stir remaining 1 cup water into oats and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until oats are softened but still retain some chew and mixture thickens and resembles warm pudding, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir and serve, passing desired toppings separately.
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TECHNIQUE – KNOW YOUR OATS: The cereal aisle stocks a variety of oat products—but not all of them make for a good bowl of oatmeal. GROATS: Whole oats that have been hulled and cleaned. They are the least processed oat product, but we find them too coarse for oatmeal. STEEL-CUT OATS: Groats cut crosswise into coarse bits. We strongly prefer them in oatmeal; they cook up creamy yet chewy with rich, nutty flavor. ROLLED OATS: Groats steamed and pressed into flat flakes. They cook faster than steel-cut but make for a gummy, lackluster bowl of oatmeal.