Steel Cut Oats - Irish Oats

Steal Cut Oats are also known as Irish oats, Coarse Cut Oats, or pinhead oats. They are the grates which have been cut into 2 or 3 pieces by steel rather than being rolled. They resemble small rice pieces that are golden in color.

Oat Grates are the inner portion of the oat kernel after first hulled to remove the outer husk. They are a whole grain containing the fiber-rich bran, nutritious germ, and the endosperm (the bulk of the grain).

Oat grates are steel cut to minimize processing like grinding and boiling, so that the grates retain a high nutritional value when used in a variety of ways.

To use steel cut oats, you need to soak them in several changes of water before cooking, to make them cook more easily, you may also need to simmer for a time that depends on the period of soaking (simmer up to 15 minutes). 

The flavor of the cooked product is described to be more chewier and nuttier, and more fitting to cold winter than instant oats.

Flake oats that have been steamed, rolled, re-steamed and toasted, so that they will cook quickly. They have been lost some of their taste, texture and goodness.

- Oat cut grates can be soaked and then boiled in hot water or milk (porridge), when you add more water to make a soupy product you get Gruel.

- They can create a nutty flavor and add to the nutritional value of bakeries, thus they can be added to bread and other bakery products.

- They can be involved in soups and stews, as well as sweet and savory foods depending on the type of enhancement.

- They can be involved on homemade facial masks

- Add diced apples or raisins or bananas with milk and honey and you have a breakfast, that easily holds you till lunch time

1/4 cup serving size contains:
- calories .....................  150
- Total fat ....................     2 grams
* Polyunsaturated fat ...    1 gram
* Monounsaturated fat ..   1 gram
- Total Carbohydrates....   26 grams
* Dietary fiber ................     4 grams
* Soluble fiber ...............      2 grams
* Insoluble fiber .............      2 grams
- Protein ........................      4 grams
- Iron .............................      6% of daily value
- Calcium ......................       2% of daily value

It contains no sugars, no saturated fat, no trans fat, and no sodium.

- Get out a big oven-safe pot with a lid. Make it much larger than the contents
- Adjust oven racks to accommodate a big pot.
- Turn on the oven to 300º F.
- Add 4 cups of water to 1 cup of steel cut oats
- Cook for 1 hour
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir briefly. Make it after 3/4 hour of boiling
- You can add dried fruits while cooking but add some water
- Make a double or triple batch and store it in the refrigerator in a tightly-sealed container
- There are many wonderful toppings, that not only taste great but add nutritional value. Some favorites are raisins, cinnamon, walnuts, and milk. Some others, in more or less descending order of healthiness or lack thereof, are soy milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, cream, and butter.