Overnight Oatmeal - crockpot version

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I would like to make oatmeal overnight but I do not have a bowl that fits into my crockpot properly. Has anyone just made the oatmeal without the water bath, and was it okay?

I plan on using steel cut oats, fresh apples, dried cranberries, and brown sugar. Thanks, Diane.

 

[dis-happy]

I make it all the time!

Important hint: spray the crockpot with Pam first. Makes clean-up so much easier.

You'll have to experiment with your crockpot: usual oats to water ratio is somewhere between 1:3 and 1:4. I make it plain, so your extra ingredients may make a difference. Sounds good though!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I make it all the time!

Important hint: spray the crockpot with Pam first. Makes clean-up so much easier.

You'll have to experiment with your crockpot: usual oats to water ratio is somewhere between 1:3 and 1:4. I make it plain, so your extra ingredients may make a difference. Sounds good though!

Thanks, I will definetly spray then.

The recipe I found called for:

5 cups water (or milk and water)
2 cups steel oats
1/3 cup brown sugar

I am going to cook up the apples with some brown sugar tonight and have it in the refrigerator to stir in the morning about an hour before the kids get up.

Not sure when I should add the dried cranberries. I would like to put them in at the start, but I am wondering if I should wait til 1/2 way through?

Any other suggestions?

 

[dis-happy]

Unless you have a big family, that sounds like a LOT of oatmeal. Cut back to 1 or 1.5 cups of oats to start. Also, that doesn't sound like enough liquid...nothing worse than dry and crunchy oatmeal. I only use water; the idea of milk sounds gross to me...like it would spoil, but maybe not.

We just add raisins and brown sugar the next day but keep playing with it...dried cranberries sound yummy.

 

[dgthree]

Not sure when I should add the dried cranberries. I would like to put them in at the start, but I am wondering if I should wait til 1/2 way through?

Alton Brown's Overnight Oatmeal recipe (link below) has you adding the dried cranberries at the beginning of the cook time. I've used it before, and they come out fine.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-oatmeal-recipe/index.html

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Okay I will go with the 4 cups liquid to 1 cup steel oats. I would not use milk either in the crockpot... Doesn't sound good to me either, but if I was on stovetop I am sure I would...

I will add 1/2 of my normal amount of cranberries at the beginning. If it fails then I guess I will just have pink oatmeal. Right?

And just so you all know, I am so in love with Alton Brown..., keep telling my husband if anything ever happens to you...

 

[lunalibre]

I've made the crockpot oatmeal recipe several times. I have never made it
in a water bath. Definitely spray the crock with Pam!!! I use this recipe:

http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/crockpot_oatmeal_recipe

It makes a TON of oatmeal, but it reheats quite well. I gave the recipe to my mother, and she tried it with milk and it was fine. Then I tried it and I won't go back to all water. I replace 2 of the 8 cups of water with skim milk and the oatmeal comes out very creamy. I was spooked about using milk at first, too, but then I got to thinking about how hot the crockpot gets, even on low, and realized it would be fine from a food-safety standpoint.

If you're going to cook the oatmeal longer than 8 hours, I'd add even more liquid.

Hot oatmeal really hit the spot over the winter!

 

[lovetoscrap]

I am so glad you asked this Tink! I have been wanting to do this too but had the same problem. I know that I had read that clean up would be a problem so I will try the Pam.

Can I make this and then refrigerate the leftovers to reheat? I am the only one that eats oatmeal.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I am so glad you asked this Tink! I have been wanting to do this too but had the same problem. I know that I had read that clean up would be a problem so I will try the Pam.

Can I make this and then refrigerate the leftovers to reheat? I am the only one that eats oatmeal.

Definetely. You take the left-over, put in a bowl. Add a little milk/water and heat in the microwave. We get a few days per batch as our servings are not that large...

I need to get my cholesterol down. I am really scared of the drugs they give you for it.

 

[dis-happy]

I find that 4 cups water a bit too liquidly. Try starting with 3 and 3/4 and see how it goes. A lot depends on the crock pot though.

I'll have to try the milk version now!

 

[dis-happy]

PS. Cooks Illustrated gave Quaker Mill's Steel Cut Oat very high marks...higher than McCann even. So save some $$$ and buy them instead.

 

[njsweetP]

I would love to try Alton's recipe, but can't you just use regular oatmeal (not the quick cooking kind) or is that the same as steel cut

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I make this all the time. I find that with the steel cut oats you do need more water - in fact I use 4 and 1/2 cups to one cup of the oatmeal. I don't like to use sugar, so I usually add cut up apple and cinnamon. It is wonderful to come downstairs in the morning to the smell of cinnamon-apple filling the whole kitchen. Yum!

Teresa

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

That it was delicious!!

Some facts:

I sprayed the crockpot and it cleaned up just fine, no gook at all.

After dinner I put everything in the crockpot except the apples, I turned it on at 10pm and it was done between 5-6am when DH got the kids up.

I used 4 1/3 cups water to 1 cup "steel" oats.

I like steel oats a lot!!

This recipe makes about 7-8 bowls for my family. We most likely have around under a cup per serving.

Oatmeal is fine on a warmer morning when made in the crockpot all night - actually my kids "thanked" me!!

Here is my recipe in case anyone wants to try:

Spray inside of crockpot with Pam
Toss dried fruit in (I used a large handful of dried cranberries), then add
4 1/3 cups water
1 cup steel oats
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

Turn on low 7-8 hours before serving.

I also made and apple compote that the kids added this morning.

4 apples cubed without skin
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar

Put lemon juice in pan, add apples. Cook over medium heat til soft. Mash to the consistancy you like. Take off heat, top with brown sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes, stir. (I left this on the counter overnight with no problem)

Hope this helps and answers any questions.

 

[acourtwdw]

We have recently start make oatmeal this way with steel cut oats. We do 1 cup oats to 3.5 cups of water. Put on crock pot over night and it's ready in the morning. Since there are only 2 of us, we put the leftovers in tupperware and refridge it. Just heat it up in the microwave when we need it.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We have recently start make oatmeal this way with steel cut oats. We do 1 cup oats to 3.5 cups of water. Put on crock pot over night and it's ready in the morning. Since there are only 2 of us, we put the leftovers in tupperware and refridge it. Just heat it up in the microwave when we need it.

Thanks for the suggestion, I forgot to add that. I got up today around 4 hours after the kids. I just put mine in the microwave and re-heated. And like I said before it was delicous...

I also forgot to add how inexpensive this is to make.

I bought the can of steel oats for $1.50

There are 4 cups in each can or approx .40cents per cup.
Adding the extra brown sugar, fruit was approximately $1.00.

So around $1.50 per 8 servings or .19 cents per serving....

NOW that is a budget breakfast!!!!

 

[dgthree]

I would love to try Alton's recipe, but can't you just use regular oatmeal (not the quick cooking kind) or is that the same as steel cut

There's no nutritional difference between regular oatmeal and steel cut, it's just a description of the way they are processed. The old fashioned oats are rolled to flatten them out into flakes, while steel cut oats are whole oats, chopped up a bit into smaller pieces, so they have more texture and chew when you are eating the oatmeal.

You can make old fashioned oatmeal in a crock pot. When I googled it, it looks like you should use less water, though - try 3:1 water to oats.