Steel-Cut Oats

Steel-Cut Oats are oat groats that have been chopped into two or three pieces by a rotating steel blade. Unlike rolled oats, they are not steamed, and so take longer to cook. (Note: Quaker, however, does steam their Steel-Cut Oats for the North American market.)

Oatmeal lovers love them because they are chewier than rolled oats. Rolled oats are preferred in North America; steel-cut in Ireland and the British Isles.

Cooking Tips

Two parts of liquid to 1 part steel-cut oats. You can use milk or water as the liquid.

Some like to add a dash of salt.

Steel-Cut Oats, because they haven’t been partly precooked by steaming, take longer to cook than rolled oats. If you’d rather have that time in the morning to get ready for the day than standing at the stove stirring, cook them in a double-boiler. Bring the water in the bottom of the double-boiler to a boil, place oats and liquid in top of double boiler, cover and lower heat on the burner to a minimum. In 30 minutes, remove cover, stir and serve.

Or even better, simply zap in microwave for 3 to 4 minutes.

Equivalents

50g = ½ cup

Storage Hints

Store Steel-Cut Oats in cool place away from light. Because they haven’t been steamed, they can go rancid more quickly than rolled oats. (Finding a cool place in Irish or Scottish houses isn’t usually much of a problem.)