Easy steel-cut oatmeal breakfasts for a week
'Cause I keep forgetting to write it down for Kath... AB's version is nice, but I hate that the oatmeal always scorches in the bottom of the crockpot and then takes forever to get out. This version is scorch-free and scour-free! And the great thing about this version for a single person is that from one night's prep you get most of a week's instant-microwavable oatmeal that still has the taste and creaminess of real steel-cut oatmeal.
4 cups water
1 cup steel-cut oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt
A flavored tea bag or two (optional, your choice of flavors)
Your favorite spices (I usually go with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, some crystallized ginger, and some dried orange peel, being a sucker for things that taste like spiced cider)
Your favorite dried fruit (I usually go for a blend of cranberries and blackcurrants)
Tea kettle
Large-ish pan with a lid
Night before:
Get the water boiling in your kettle (it's just faster).
Pour the boiling water into the pan. Stir in the oatmeal, salt, and spices, put in the tea bag(s), and simmer while stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.
Take out the tea bag, put the lid back on, and leave on the stovetop overnight. (Don't keep this directly on the hot burner you just used for the kettle, or it'll probably boil over.)
Next morning: 15 minutes-ish
Stir in the dried fruit.
Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook while stirring occasionally for 6-10 minutes (taste test to make sure the oatmeal's nice and cooked through).
Divide into 4 bowls. Put 3 away for later use; top the 4th with whatever you like and eat.
Next 3 days: 2 minutes-ish
Stir a splash of water into the day's bowl. Microwave for 1:20 to 1:40 depending on your microwave strength and the amount of oatmeal. Once it's hot, top and eat.
Presumably this would also work with 6 cups liquid and 1 1/2 cups oatmeal to make a week's worth of breakfasts, but I don't have a pan the right size for that...
4 cups water
1 cup steel-cut oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt
A flavored tea bag or two (optional, your choice of flavors)
Your favorite spices (I usually go with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, some crystallized ginger, and some dried orange peel, being a sucker for things that taste like spiced cider)
Your favorite dried fruit (I usually go for a blend of cranberries and blackcurrants)
Tea kettle
Large-ish pan with a lid
Night before:
Get the water boiling in your kettle (it's just faster).
Pour the boiling water into the pan. Stir in the oatmeal, salt, and spices, put in the tea bag(s), and simmer while stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.
Take out the tea bag, put the lid back on, and leave on the stovetop overnight. (Don't keep this directly on the hot burner you just used for the kettle, or it'll probably boil over.)
Next morning: 15 minutes-ish
Stir in the dried fruit.
Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook while stirring occasionally for 6-10 minutes (taste test to make sure the oatmeal's nice and cooked through).
Divide into 4 bowls. Put 3 away for later use; top the 4th with whatever you like and eat.
Next 3 days: 2 minutes-ish
Stir a splash of water into the day's bowl. Microwave for 1:20 to 1:40 depending on your microwave strength and the amount of oatmeal. Once it's hot, top and eat.
Presumably this would also work with 6 cups liquid and 1 1/2 cups oatmeal to make a week's worth of breakfasts, but I don't have a pan the right size for that...