Sep 4, 2010

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal (not a recipe yet)

We're big fans of the steel cut oatmeal at Jamba Juice, but I've been convinced that I can make it at home. I did my research and found some threads that said the cooked oatmeal can be frozen in individual portions. So I used Frugal Upstate's recipe as a launching point. It's got great texture, but I want to work on the flavors and especially the additions. Also, the timing is waaaay off. Maybe Jenn's slow cooker is older than mine, but my oatmeal doesn't take more than six hours, tops. I could never do it overnight.

So I have two tips for the time being: (1) experiment with cooking times and keep an eye on your slow cooker; and (2) if the oatmeal is sticking to the sides of the crock, stick the whole crock in the fridge - it will come off the sides much easier when it's cold.

I'm going to keep working on a recipe I'm proud to post, but in the meantime, I would love to hear your suggestions on what toppings to use. So far, we've used brown sugar, raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, bananas, and nut-free homemade granola (not my personal favorite, but I can't have nuts in the house for allergy reasons). Thanks!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I did slow cooker oatmeal for years but a friend converted me to her technique, which we love. Just before going to bed, put into a regular stovetop pot one cup of steel cut oatmeal & 2.5-3 cups of liquid (can use a cider/water mix, get creative!)if you like it on the thicker side, up to 4c liquid if you like it thinner. Bring to a boil (watch it, this happens quickly!), turn off the heat, cover and let rest overnight. In the morning, you will have oatmeal fully cooked and ready to reheat and flavor. My parents use this technique and throw in dried fruit at the beginning to soften and add flavor. As long as your pot is clean, and you leave the lid on overnight, this is completely safe. (My SO and I are both doctors and we're ok with this technique). Enjoy!

Camille said...

I use a light timer (the ones to turn your lights off or on at set times) with my slow cooker. So if the oatmeal needs to cook for 6 hours and I want it done at 7 AM, I set the timer for the lights to come on at 11 PM and go off at 7 AM. :-) Works like a charm!

Jenn @ Frugal Upstate said...

Yes-there were big issues with how well the crockpot oatmeal worked for different folks. The older crockpots do cook at a lower temp than new ones, and it really does affect the final product! I did a whole post on it with folks trying various methods to see what the issue was :)