Monday, May 4, 2009

Pressure Cooking Steel Cut Oats

Over at Pinch My Salt people are going ga ga over steel cut oats. And they have to cook them for at least 25 minutes.

I, too, like steel cut oats and in fact Alex of the Facebook group Lorna Sass is my homegirl reviewed my DVD and saw that I have a recipe for a cooked cereal. He asked about cooking steel cut oats. And the recipe for that is the same as any chunky grain cereal.

Take 3 cups of liquid -- I like to use 2 cups water and 1 cup nondairy milk. I add a cinnamon stick or two, the oats or other grain, and a pinch of salt. I lock the lid on my pressure cooker and bring to high pressure over high heat. I set my timer for 3 minutes. When the cooker gets to high heat, turn the heat down and get your timer going.

After 3 minutes, move the pot off the hot burner and let the pressure come down naturally. Open the lid carefully, and add what you like. I like to take out the cinnamon sticks, and add ground flax, raisins, chopped up apple, toasted walnuts or sunflower seeds, and a bit of agave or maple syrup for sweetener. It's a filling meal.
Remember that whole grains (or even steel cut ones) are good for you. If you don't want to make your own and dole it out for daily dishes which is a great idea, you can go to Jamba Juice where they are now selling organic steel cut oats. Unfortunately for me, they cook them in milk but at least they have them. Read more here.

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24 comments:

Colin said...

Thanks for the tips. I've been pressure cooking oats and cracked wheat, but I've wondered how others were doing it. How much oats do you use for the three cups of liquid you describe? 1 cup?

The Veggie Queen said...

Yes, use 1 cup of oats for 3 cups of liquid. Glad to hear that you're eating whole grains often.

Sharon said...

Success with pressure cooking steel cut oats for my breakfast this morning! But, I am the only one eating oatmeal. I made it with 1 cup of oats and 3 cups of water, but that leaves too much leftover. If I cut it in half, should I still use the large pressure cooker or the smaller one?

The Veggie Queen said...

Sharon,

I cook that amount just for me. You can eat it for a few days, or freeze it in breakfast portions. If you do want to make less, then I would use the smaller cooker since it's more efficient.
I like to cook a bunch of anything at once to save time and energy.

Glad to hear of your success.

Unknown said...

We were just looking for a way to cook steel cut oats in a bigger hurry in the morning and with less heat than conventional stovetop and this is just what I was looking for! We usually make ours with equal parts whole organic amaranth, which is a totally amazing combination. I like to cook it with organic Thompsons. Toppings include: ground sesame seed, organic coconut, hemp seeds and fresh home made organic soya milk. We also like to add okara to the oats, which is the pulp from soya milk making. You won't be hungry most of the day. Pressure cookers rock!

The Veggie Queen said...

Dog,

Thanks for finding this post. Happy to help you make your delicious sounding breakfast quickly with the pressure cooker.

I wish that we could share a bowl together -- sounds so good.

I love the idea of adding okara, which is a wonderful benefit of making your own soy milk or tofu.

Curious if you use a soy milk maker or do it on your own?

I may have to add amaranth to my oats because I'm not a huge fan otherwise.

Thanks for your comment. You already know how I feel about pressure cooking.

Jennifer said...

I'm wondering if you cook your oats directly in the pressure cooker. I have read about (and use) the pot-in-pot method - cooking oats in a bowl over the steamer rack inside the cooker. It seems like it would save a step or two to cook them directly in the pressure cooker, unless it makes clean up more difficult. Would appreciate any comments on either method, thanks!

Jennifer said...

I'm wondering if you cook your oats directly in the pressure cooker. I have read about (and use) the pot-in-pot method - cooking oats in a bowl over the steamer rack inside the cooker. It seems like it would save a step or two to cook them directly in the pressure cooker, unless it makes clean up more difficult. Would appreciate any comments on either method, thanks!

The Veggie Queen said...

Jennifer,

I cook my oats directly in the pressure cooker as I don't use the pot in pot method. I haven't found it to be incredibly useful the couple of times that I've tried it. I've worked on perfecting recipes right in the pot but have to say that not all oats are the same. Some take longer than 3 minutes, as much as 5. When you work with "real" food, things vary.
If you cook them in the pot, let me know what you think.
Thanks for asking.

Unknown said...

I have a Cuisinart Electric P/C and make 8 servings of steel cut oats at once (2 c steelcut and 7 cups water for 6 min). Before cooking, I add some kind of dried fruit (apricots/dates) and a bunch of cinnamon and a teaspoon of olive oil. I pour it into a rectangle shaped container and refrigerate it overnight; cut it into 8 serving 'blocks' that we simply reheat with almond or soy milk in the mornings. Convenient, delicious and good for ya!

The Veggie Queen said...

Pam,
It sounds like you have your steel cut oats mastered in the pressure cooker. Congratulations.

I always make more than I'll eat. Once I'm cooking, it makes sense to increase the quantity.

I always add fruit, too, plus a cinnamon stick and half a vanilla bean.
Yum.

harrietk said...

I rarely post comments on blogs, but I had to come on and post.

Thanks so much for the ratio and timing for steel cut oats. I have been making it for months now in my pressure cooker. LOVE it!!!!

I actually own 2 pressure cookers and use them a lot - stocks, soups, even cheesecake (yum!).......

Sometimes, I will "toast" the steel cut oats in a tablespoon of margarine (I'm watching my cholesterol) before adding the liquid, etc. I find it gives them a little bit of a nutty flavor.

Anyway, again, thanks for sharing this!!!!

The Veggie Queen said...

Thank you so much Harriet. I love that you have more than one pressure cooker and that you use it regularly.

Not to be a kill joy regarding toasting your oats, their nuttiness (or mine) and lowering your cholesterol but I would avoid the margarine when you do this. Toast them over medium heat in a dry pan and your will have toasted oats without any added fat.

Even though margarine does not contain cholesterol, it is in no way "healthy food".

Enjoy your steel cut oats.

Lisa said...

when you turn down the heat for the 3 minutes of cooking under pressure, about what level, medium, etc?

The Veggie Queen said...

Lisa,

You turn down the heat to the level that you need to maintain high pressure. That is usually somewhere between medium and low.

I hope that this helps you pressure cook your steel cut oats.t

TatTwamAsi said...

I tried cooking steel cut oats in the pressure cooker, but it began to foam so much I had to quit! Any remedy to prevent it from foaming?

Thanks for a wonderful blog!

The Veggie Queen said...

Since the pressure cooker is closed, I never noticed any foaming and if it were happening, it did not prevent the pot from coming to pressure. Adding a bit of oil or other fat might help with the foaming.

I hope that this helps.

harrietk said...

Thanks so much! I realize that they are not as "healthy" with the margarine, but didn't think to just do it in a dry pan.........will try today!!!!

Nancy said...

I love my steel cut oats. Only thing, I dont use a pressure cooker,, I use my crockpot. I make a weeks worth at a time,,, usually at night before I go to bed. Come the morning,,, its set! Easy to clean too with all the new removable crocks out there. Empty it out,, let it cool off for a few, then hit it with hot water from the sink and let it soak. Cleanup is a snap!

The Veggie Queen said...

Nancy,

It's great that you've figured out a system that gets your oats cooked for you when you want them.

A pressure cooker is also very easy to clean and it does so much more than cook oats or beans. It makes amazingly fast soups, stews, curries and more.

But cook in whatever way helps you eat good food.

Thanks for your comment.

richard said...

Thanks for the tips.

Newbie question: What does "let the pressure come down naturally" mean? Do I have to let the pot sit untill the pressure dissipates? Won't that take a long time?

The Veggie Queen said...

Richard,

Letting the pressure come down naturally means that you remove the pressure cooker from the heat and let the button fall down so that you can open it. Yes, the pressure will dissipate. Depending upon how much is in the pot, that time can take from 5 to 15 or more minutes but for this recipes it is usually less than 10 minutes.
Thank you for asking.

Unknown said...

A really informative article .Thanks for the tips. for more tips visit
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Athira Ashok said...

Thanks for the recipe
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