Cut oat porridge - how to cook steel cut oats

Every autumn, the mountain village of Carrbridge in Scotland hosts an interesting competition that attracts porridge fans from all over the world - the World Porridge Cooking Championship.

Myllyn Paras took part in the Championship in 2021 and for the second year in a row sent participants from Russia to Scotland so that they could compete for the title of “World Champion”.

As part of the competition, participants must prepare traditional porridge using only water, salt and chopped oats.

It’s surprising that with limited ingredients, each participant has their own secret for preparing the most delicious porridge from chopped oats. Some use special water from mountain springs, another is confident that constant stirring will bring him victory, a third uses special salt, a fourth uses special utensils.

Since our participants annually represent Russia at the International Porridge Cooking Championship, we decided to understand the technique of preparing everyone’s favorite breakfast dish and conducted a small experiment with the product STEEL CUT OATS cut oats from the Myllyn Paras brand.

What are STEEL CUT OATS cut oats? How is it different from oatmeal?

STEEL CUT OATS cut oats are made from whole steamed cut oat grains. The main difference between cut oats and rolled oats is that the groats are not flattened. At the same time, all the most valuable parts of the grain are preserved - the shell and germ, containing dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Cut oats require more cooking time compared to rolled oats - 20 minutes. Next we will tell you a couple of life hacks on how to reduce the cooking time of STEEL CUT OATS cut oats.

Orange mood

Category: Desserts Cakes No-bake desserts

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What kind of oatmeal do people prefer in different countries?

Different countries around the world have their own culture for preparing oatmeal.

The birthplace of oatmeal is Scotland, whose cuisine is simple and ordinary. They prefer to cook traditional breakfast porridge from oatmeal, often from steel cut oats, using the simplest ingredients: water and salt. To stir the porridge, a special kitchen tool is used - a small wooden stick called a spurtle.

But the Scots eat oatmeal not only for breakfast, but also prepare many dishes from it. Oatmeal has a cult following here. For example, the famous Scottish dish haggis is lamb tripe stuffed with minced meat, liver and oatmeal. The scar is then sutured and boiled for about two hours.

In the US, oatmeal is made from flakes with large amounts of sugar or syrups added. Most often, Americans choose instant oatmeal, that is, instant oatmeal, so as not to waste extra time in the morning preparing breakfast.

In Russia, they prefer Hercules oatmeal, which is cooked for 15-20 minutes. More often, porridge is prepared with milk or a ratio of water and milk (usually in equal proportions). The most popular additive to porridge is butter. Instant porridge can also be seen in the Russian diet. They are added to baked goods or prepared as quick breakfasts when there is not enough time in the morning.

Steps

Method 1

Cooking oatmeal on the stove

1
Boil the water.
Pour three cups of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. If desired, you can boil water in the microwave.
2
Add the raw oats to the pan, add a pinch of salt, bring to the boil and continue to cook, stirring the oats with a wooden spoon.
3
Cook over low heat, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.
Check for doneness after about 20 minutes of cooking.[1] If you want to chew your oats longer, cook for less time; if you prefer softer oats, cook for longer.
- Do not stir the oats while they are boiling.
4
Add milk.
Stir everything using a wooden spoon. Let the oatmeal simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
5
Remove oatmeal from heat and spoon onto plates.
Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, maple syrup or fruit.

Method 2

Cooking oatmeal in the oven

1
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2
Boil the water.
Pour water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. If desired, you can boil water in the microwave.
Read also: Baked beans: recipes and cooking features
- Please note that some water will evaporate when boiling. To have 2 cups of boiling water for oats, you need to use 2 and 1/4 cups of cold water.
3
Meanwhile, place a medium saucepan on the stove at medium heat.
Place the butter in a saucepan and let it melt.
4
Add the raw oats to the pan.
Mix it with the butter with a wooden spoon. Cook the oats, stirring occasionally, for about three minutes, or until browned.[2]
5
Pour boiling water into the pan with oats.
Stir with a wooden spoon.
6
Add cinnamon, apples, salt and milk.
7
Spoon the mixture into a greased glass or metal baking dish and place in the preheated oven.
8
Cook the oatmeal for 50 minutes to one hour.
Check after 30 minutes to see if it's burning. The oatmeal is ready when it's browned on top.
9
Serve with cream, fresh apples or toppings of your choice.

Method 3

Making overnight oatmeal

1
Grease your slow cooker with a little vegetable oil.
If you don't lubricate it, it will be difficult to get oatmeal out in the morning.
2
Place oats, salt, milk and water in a slow cooker.
You can add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and/or nuts if desired.[3]
3
Mix all ingredients well.
4
Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn the temperature control to low.
Let the oatmeal cook overnight.
5
In the morning, remove container from slow cooker and stir oatmeal.
Spoon into bowls and top with your choice of topping. To avoid overcooking your oatmeal, check out these tips and tricks before you start cooking:
- Try the same recipe in the Instant Pot or slow cooker during the day, not at night. Keep an eye on the oatmeal and start checking for doneness after 5 hours. This way you will know how long it takes to cook in the slow cooker. If you have a slow cooker with a clear window on top, you can watch it cook. If you must open the container to check for doneness, be aware that this will add approximately 30 minutes to the cooking time.

What kitchen utensils are best to use for making chopped oat porridge?

At the World Porridge Cooking Championships in Scotland, one of the participants' secrets for cooking porridge is the use of special kitchen tools. And even the main prize of this competition is the “Golden Spurtle”, a stick for stirring oats while cooking porridge. Spurtle is made of wood and, according to the Scots, it can be used to achieve a more delicate and smooth porridge structure.

We decided to test this theory and prepared 3 porridges, which we stirred with three different kitchen tools: a metal spoon, a wooden spoon and a wooden spoon. The proportions in all three were the same.

About the benefits of peas

Since ancient times, peas have been the basis of nutrition for the ordinary rural population; in the army and even in the cities they were known and loved. It is rich in useful elements and substances. In particular, peas contain: lysine, tryptophan, cystine, methionine, B vitamins, vitamin C, PP, starch, carotene, antioxidants and much more. Due to the large content of useful elements and protein, pea dishes are especially appreciated by athletes and people who are engaged in heavy physical labor. In particular, pea porridge is a dish that wonderfully restores strength, satisfies hunger, and gives energy. In addition, it is very tasty and nutritious.

How often should STEEL CUT OATS oatmeal be stirred while cooking?

In the next experiment, it was necessary to find out how important it is to stir porridge made from cut oats during cooking.

We prepared several batches of oats, in the first case the porridge was stirred slowly and from time to time, in the second case the pace was fast and the frequency of stirring increased. The third batch was stirred just to prevent sticking.

We have found that the pace and frequency of stirring has a huge impact on the texture of the porridge. As the tempo and frequency of stirring increased, the oatmeal became thicker and thicker.

The reason is starch, the amount of which increases with rapid stirring. The most important thing is not to overdo it with thickness.

The most delicious, in our opinion, was the porridge with a medium consistency, which was stirred slowly but often. The starchy version of the oatmeal was too thick, without a noticeable grainy structure, and there was no "juiciness" to the porridge.

Oats will cure a diseased liver

And indeed it is. Oat decoction fights intoxication in the body. It helps eliminate toxins and free radicals from the body. Therefore, treating the liver with oat decoction is considered an indispensable remedy. To cleanse this organ, you should take only high-quality grains, which are best purchased in pharmacies. To make the product more effective, you need to know how to properly make an oat decoction. To prepare the drink, you need to prepare three glasses of washed grain and fill them with three liters of water, after which this composition must be boiled for at least three hours. You can stir it while boiling. After everything is boiled, the broth is squeezed out. It is consumed 150 ml 2-3 times a day, an hour before meals, for one month. For better results, this product can be used with the addition of milk.

For therapy to be more effective, you need to adjust your diet throughout the course. Completely eliminate fried and fatty foods from your diet. It is better to eat black bread with bran. Before preventive treatment of the liver, the body should be cleansed so that toxic waste does not return. At the same time, you need to be aware that when consuming oat decoction, benefits and harms are always interconnected, so if there are more severe forms of liver disease, then it is better not to start self-medication.

Roasted oats

Many housewives toast oats to achieve a rich, nutty taste, so we decided to test this method of preparing oatmeal.

After toasting, the oats acquired a nutty smell and a deeper brown hue.

When tasting the roasted cut oat porridge, everyone appreciated the pleasant nutty flavor, but the texture of the oatmeal did not change after toasting.

In order to achieve the taste of popcorn, you can fry cut oats in butter.

The effect of water on the consistency of oatmeal

Recipes for making porridge from chopped oats offer different ratios of water and cereal. We decided to play with the amount of water and used the following ratios:

1 cup water: 1/3 cup oats
1.5 cups water: 1/3 cup oats
2 cups water: 1/3 cup oats

Ratio: 1 cup water: 1/3 cup oats

With this ratio, in our opinion, the oatmeal turns out to be too thick, the delicate texture is lost, and the graininess of the porridge is more pronounced.

Ratio: 2 cups water:1/3 cup oats

The porridge turned out to be quite liquid; the excess liquid that the cereal did not absorb is clearly visible. The texture is blurry. This version of porridge does not fit the “ideal” description.

Ratio: 1.5 cups water:1/3 cup oats

Cut oats cooked in 1.5 cups of water have a smoother texture, the graininess is less pronounced, and the porridge looks more appetizing. In our opinion, this is the optimal ratio of cereal and water.

To make the perfect cut oat porridge, you can use a ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1/3 cup cut oats, understanding that if you cook the porridge a little longer than the package directions, you may need additional liquid to keep the porridge from melting. It was burnt and didn't become too thick.

Select and store correctly

In order for this healthy product to please you with its taste, you need to take care of its quality in advance when purchasing:

The cereal should not have a musty smell. The cereal should be cream-colored without black or other dark inclusions.
The packaging must have a packaging and expiration date.
The packaging must be sealed, without tears or other damage.
Always look for the product certification mark, which should be written on the back of the packaging material. It must have international quality standards.
The list of ingredients must indicate the presence or absence of gluten in the fresh product.
Store the dry component closed, in a cool room, out of direct sunlight. Moisture penetration is not allowed.

Soak STEEL CUT OATS cut oats overnight

The only downside to using cut oats is that they take longer to cook than rolled oats - up to 20 minutes. Not everyone is ready to spend that amount of time in the morning.

The simplest solution to this issue is to soak the oats overnight. In the morning, all that remains is to warm up the resulting mixture, which happens in a matter of minutes (usually about 5 minutes).

There are 2 ways to do this in the morning:

Rinse the swollen oats and cook in clean water. This will get rid of excess starch, which can give additional flavor to the porridge.

Cook the chopped oats in the resulting liquid; the porridge will be more viscous and smooth.

You can experiment and find out what type of soaked oats you like best.

Advantages of soda over yeast

It would seem that yeast gives volume to the dough. No wonder the Russian proverb says: “It grows by leaps and bounds.” But using baking soda for baking has several advantages:

Saves time: classic dough with yeast takes about 2 hours to prepare, with sodium bicarbonate - about 30 minutes.
Yeast is a fungus that promotes the development of putrefactive microflora in the intestines. Many people are familiar with the feeling of heaviness in the stomach and bloating after eating buns.
Soda costs less and is consumed more slowly.
Sodium bicarbonate is always on hand and has virtually no expiration date. And you need to monitor the freshness of the yeast and constantly replenish its reserves.
Yeast can cause an allergic reaction, while soda is hypoallergenic.

Is it necessary to put out baking soda in pancakes?

Yeast intolerance in adults

Some people absolutely cannot tolerate yeast in any form or dish: in baked goods, beer, kvass, wine - in everything that is produced by fermentation.

Their body reacts to fungi entering the digestive tract with diarrhea, bloating, cramps, attacks of nausea and even vomiting. Skin rash, runny nose, sneezing, cough, sore throat, headache and dizziness often develop.

It’s impossible to get rid of the disease, but you can still protect yourself:

exclude yeast-containing products from your diet;
in home baking recipes, use soda instead of yeast;
if unwanted reactions occur, take an antihistamine;
increase the amount of fresh vegetables, protein and complex carbohydrates in the menu.

Attention! Any health problems require consultation with a doctor. Do not self-medicate and do not neglect your own health.

Water vs Milk and toppings

At this point, we see no point in proving that porridge cooked in a certain liquid is the best. Most often, people already know which camp they belong to: those who like porridge with water or those who prefer to cook porridge with milk.

For example, in Scotland, people prepare STEEL CUT OATS cut oats only in water and can only decorate with a piece of butter.

Also, in many countries, oatmeal is made “overloaded” with ingredients to such an extent that it becomes a sweet dessert - very tasty, but no longer meeting the requirements of a healthy diet.

Ireland has found a great middle ground by using water or milk and combining them to make cut oats and then sprinkle a little brown sugar on top.

When it comes to oatmeal fillings, sweet ones often come to mind: fruits, berries, syrups, jams, nuts, yogurt and even sour cream. Everyone can choose a supplement to suit their taste.

But don’t forget about the so-called “salty” fillings: cheese, fried mushrooms, herbs, seafood. The combination of these ingredients with cut oats is simply delicious.

We advise you not to be afraid to experiment and mix this unique product STEEL CUT OATS cut oats with various fillings and additives. Chopped oatmeal combines amazingly with sweet jam and unsweetened grated cheese.

Lazy oatmeal

The name suggests that it is, of course, not the oatmeal that is lazy, but the one who cooks it. Yes, it couldn’t be simpler: in the evening, pour oatmeal with a fermented milk product (kefir, fermented baked milk) or milk, add nuts/dried fruits/honey to taste and put it in the refrigerator, and eat it in the morning. There is also a lean or vegan version of this dish: pour oatmeal not with milk, but with water, add grated apple and a little honey. Eat it with pleasure in the morning.