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Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup steel-cut oatmeal
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 2-3 tablespoons flavourful honey
Details
Servings 2
Adapted from food52.com
Preparation
Step 1
We'll admit that before this week, we were somewhat bemused by the recent slow cooker revival. Ying's porridge helped change our minds. We love her idea of using a slow cooker as a bain marie, and what better way to be greeted on a chilly morning than with a steaming batch of steel cut oats, ready for a dollop of rich, toasty almond butter and a swirl of honey. (If you don't have almond butter, any nut butter will do.) We'll take this over Wheaties any day. - A&M
In a 4-cup glass measuring jug, stir together the water, milk, steel-cut oatmeal and salt. Place in a large slow-cooker, add enough cold water to come halfway up the side of the jug (less is fine, because there's so little evaporation with a slow-cooker), switch on "low" and go to bed.
In the morning, stir in the almond butter and honey. There will be a tablespoon's worth of grain clumped together at the bottom of the glass jug; it is fully cooked, though, and needs only to be mixed in. Serve. You'll have a halo of warmth around you for the rest of the morning.
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Addicted as well! My favorite way to enjoy oatmeal! I frequently substitute dark maple syrup (usually grade B) for honey- yum!
We are addicted to this. We've been having it almost every day since it was published. It's fabulous. Thanks so much.
When I added more water "half way up the jug" it turned out soupy; was this in addition to the two cups of water called for in the recipe? Guess it depends on the style of slow cooker...
I just re-read my instructions and they could be clearer. After placing your jug in the slow cooker, you add water to the slow-cooker bowl (not the oatmeal jug) to create a water bath. Is that where the confusion lies? Having said that, it's a pretty loose oatmeal. When A&M made it in the video, the finished oatmeal was a lot thicker because they'd cooled it overnight then reheated it.
This is terrific. I have been looking for a way to add protein and fat to oats and this is wonderful.
You can also do this without the slow cooker - I use a regular pan, put the oats into boiling water, boil for a minute and turn off and just leave it sitting out overnight. Its done in the AM. If you're skittish about leaving food out, you can also refrigerate.
I do like lindachoi's boil and set method much better. It allows the steelcuts to still have a little bite. I tried the crockpot method last night and found it a bit gummy.
Made this last night and just finished a bowl this morning! It was creamy and delicious. I had to use skim milk and agave nectar but I don't think it made that much of a difference. I will definitely make this again!
I think it depends how you'll be using it. You can get programmable ones with meat probes that shut off the heat when your roast is done, but I work from home and am not a pot-roast kind of girl. Mine just has 3 settings (low, high, keep warm) and it's been great for all kinds of beans, stews, curries and puddings.
What a creamy transformation! Made the oats last night and can't believe I was eating the same grain. Husband usually makes it on the 'crunchy' side. For a recipe doubling the oats (1 cup) I only increased liquids by 1 1/2 times (the bowl was filled up). In the morning I added a bit more milk to loosen it up. Somehow, the almond butter taste in the oats begged for sliced bananas. Yummy!
This seriously makes me want to go out and buy a slow-cooker!
Do it, do it! Slow-cooking doesn't HAVE to be about dumping a sachet of instant soup mix over a semi-frozen roast...
Ha. You should try making confit in a slow cooker. It's a revelation.
Re: the porridge -- I really love nut butters in my oatmeal, and often stir in a spoonful.
Thanks, Kelsey! Nut butters make the oatmeal beyond creamy - it's my favourite way, though I also love the flavour affinity of maple syrup and blueberries. Now I'm thinking maple syrup and blueberries and CREAM.
I made your all-conquering chocolate cake last weekend. Wonderful - and even better on day 2.
Question for A&M: why were you "...somewhat bemused by the recent slow cooker revival"? It seems like cheating? It's a response to economics and helps cook cheap, tougher cuts of meat? I'm just curious, as a "recent slow cooker revivalist."
I use my rice cooker to make oatmeal. Simply set it up as you would for rice. In the time it takes me to shower, the oats are ready. The Irish steel cut oats are the best tasting. Nice thing about the rice cooker is that it keeps the oats warm once they are cooked.
This is my favorite way of making steel-cut oats. The bain marie really makes a huge difference. I use a slightly different proportion, though: 3 cups liquid to 1 cup oats. Details here: http://wordstoeatby.blogspot.com/2009/06/overnight-steel-cut-oatmeal.html
I use that ratio if I'm going to stir a lot of liquid into the cooked oatmeal, but this ratio produces the "right" texture (to me!) for adding nut butters and other dry flavourings. I'm a lurker at your blog, btw, and love your overnight chicken stock technique. It gives you such deep flavour!
Thank you so much for posting your link to your variation. I was trying to figure out whether I needed to put the lid on it and your post answered my question with the simple "Cover". :) Hoping for tasty oatmeal tomorrow morning!
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