# Overnight Oats



## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

I have three kinds of oats in my prep supplies:

quick oats (rolled flat and diced)
regular oats (rolled flat)
steel cut oats (diced)

I love the steel cut oats, but I bought the regular & quick oats because (1) I got a good deal, (2) I figured the rolled oats and quick oats would be easier to prepare (shorter boiling times) "in the aftermath," and (3) I was concerned that steel cut oats wouldn't last as long as the rolled/quick oats for long term storage--I just hadn't seen as much information on that.

Now, the reason for my post: I just discovered "overnight oats" or "musli."

I had been boiling my oats. But yesterday, I took some of each type of oat, put them in a tupperware container, poured some milk over them, and put them in the refrigerator. This morning, they turned out great. I ate them all without any added flavoring--no sweeteners. The result:

Overnight Quaker quick oats: Creamy tasting...very good (Wonder if Quaker added some flavoring?)
Overnight bulk rolled oats: Tasted about the same...a little more texture but maybe a little less flavor for some reason.
Overnight bulk steel cut oats: very chewy, but very nutty and flavorful...natural oat flavor...the _best by far_.

I have to say that I don't think I will buy anything but steel cut from now on, especially now that I know the steel cut work as "overnight oatmeal." I'm not a morning person. It is all I can do to make a cup of coffee before I go out the door to work. With overnight oats, I think my diet and wallet size are about to improve...just soak some oats the night before, and no more temptations to pick up fast food breakfasts in the morning.

Any one know whether steel cut oats store for the same amount of time as rolled oats? Maybe I need to consider buying some whole oats.


----------



## lilmissy0740 (Mar 7, 2011)

How do you cook them in the morning? I cook my reg oats in coconut milk add applesauce and cinnamon, sometimes raisins and eat.


----------



## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Soaking, even for a short time reduces cooking time. I use quick oats because they are cheap and available. Put the oats in water, bring to boil, take off flame and put pot in cozy. A cozy is an insulated container to hold a pot and retain heat. It cuts down dramatically on fuel use. Someone had a thread on a haybox cooker which is a similar concept.


----------



## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

We just started making overnight oats as well. We make them in the crockpot with apples and walnuts.

I am storing all three types of oatmeal but I am quite confident the steel cut oats will store longer and better.

Another perk of steel cut oats is they are much denser then polled oats.

It's on my short list to start storing oat groats as well.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

The less ground a grain is the longer it will retain it's nutrients, the steel cut will last longer.


----------



## lilmissy0740 (Mar 7, 2011)

PackerBacker said:


> We just started making overnight oats as well. We make them in the crockpot with apples and walnuts.
> 
> I am storing all three types of oatmeal but I am quite confident the steel cut oats will store longer and better.
> 
> ...


Can I have your recipe?


----------



## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

lilmissy0740 said:


> Can I have your recipe?


Suure.

2 apples. The tarter the better.

3 cups milk.

1 cup steel cut oats.

2 Tbsp brown sugar.

1/4 stick of butter.

1 tsp cinnamon.

1 Tbsp chia seeds or flax seed.

1/4 tsp salt.

I combined it after supper and turn the crock pot on low @10:30-11 pm.

At 7 am stir it up good and serve.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Darn, you guys are making me feel bad, been lazy lately and not eating enough oats. Those both sound awesome but I need to cook mine, I always feel better when I am eating oats regularly but it has to be cooked for me.
I make oat cakes as well, sometimes I let it sit overnight like mentioned, then I fry it up in the morning


----------



## Transplant (Jan 10, 2013)

When we go camping I take along several Stanley thermoses and night add oatmeal and flavoring pour hot milk or water over them and seal them up wrap them in a blanket and come morning we have delicious oatmeal. I have even done this at home when we have been without power so we would have a hot breakfast.

Works great with grits (you just need to use a little extra liquid) or cream of wheat.


----------



## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

lilmissy0740 said:


> How do you cook them in the morning? I cook my reg oats in coconut milk add applesauce and cinnamon, sometimes raisins and eat.


That's the beauty of it! *I didn't cook them at all.* I pulled them out of the fridge, and ate them. Soaking them in milk was enough to soften them up. No cooking is necessary at all. I ate them like a cold cereal.

Now, I could heat them if I wanted, and add extra things. I usually just add honey, and that's it, nothing else.

(Granted, the coconut milk thing sounds awesome.)


----------



## WWhermit (Mar 1, 2012)

Now I have to find a good source for bulk steel-cut oats. Only place that carries it in bulk around me is like a Sprouts or Whole Foods, and it's 3 times the price as quick oats.


----------



## Domeguy (Sep 9, 2011)

*Mmmmmmm!!*

I love my oatmeal done overnight with no cooking. i make mine with apple juice and cinnamon. sometimes i take the leftovers and throw it in a very hot frying pan with just a touch o' real butter, just enough to add a little crisp to it .!!!


----------



## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

Fried oatmeal...mmmm. I never thought of that. Tomorrow morning!

Next we'll be seeing this on a nice restaurant's desert menu: Fried steel cut oatmeal with a side of cinnamon ice cream.


----------



## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

Before I was diagnosed with Diabetes II (long before), I would reheat oatmeal in a saute pan with brown sugar and butter. Yummy!


----------



## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

WWhermit said:


> Now I have to find a good source for bulk steel-cut oats. Only place that carries it in bulk around me is like a Sprouts or Whole Foods, and it's 3 times the price as quick oats.


Do you have an ALDI?


----------



## Enchant18 (Feb 21, 2012)

I have oats with little idea what to do with it as I have little time to cook these days. Thanks to all for these great easy recipes and ideas. It will be nice to get away from the instant.


----------



## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> Do you have an ADLI?


I think you mean ALDI?  Our local store sells these (not bulk, but still good):


----------



## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Tacitus said:


> I think you mean ALDI?  Our local store sells these (not bulk, but still good):


Yup that's what I meant.

Doubt anyone will find it much cheaper on bulk.


----------



## WWhermit (Mar 1, 2012)

Negative on the ALDI. I'm on the West Coast, People's Democratic Republic of Kalifornia. Unfortunately.


----------



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Oatmeal for prepping!*

I have been working on my food lists, trying to see where I need to fill in. I have been thinking about oatmeal and what a wonderful food it is.

I don't know what the price is at ALDIs, but the LDS cannery has it for $2.50 for a number 10 can, 2.6 lbs of quick oats, or 2.7 lbs of regular oats. That is about a dollar a pound.

Oatmeal is a diverse food. Besides eating it for breakfast in the typical fashion of a porridge, it can be eaten in the muesli form and in granola. It can be used in breads, cookies, cakes, and in oatmeal patties as a main dish with a cream of mushroom soup (or chicken) gravy, in meatloaf or meatballs.

I stay away from the cardboard tubes that it is typically sold in, in the stores. I have had too many bugs in that oatmeal (bugs know what is good). I prefer to keep it in metal cans.


----------



## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

weedygarden said:


> ...the LDS cannery has [oats] for $2.50 for a number 10 can, 2.6 lbs of quick oats, or 2.7 lbs of regular oats. That is about a dollar a pound.


My research:

*Bulk:* Cheapest oat prices are bulk purchases. From the prices I have seen, you can get oats for about *50-68 cents/lb.* if you are willing to buy it in 50 pound bags. The $.50/lb. was rolled; the $.68/lb was steel cut from a local coop. But then you have to put the oats in mylar bags and/or sealable buckets with oxygen absorbers yourself if you want to store it.

*LDS Cannery:* If you are LDS or have an LDS friend willing to take you, you can get it for about *94 cents/lb*...in #10 cans with oxygen absorbers ready for storage. A little more expenseive, but still a good deal. (Alas, I have an LDS friend, and he does do _some_ prep, but he does not go to the LDS cannery as often as I would if I were LDS.)

*LDS Online Store:*You can buy it online from the LDS store (you don't have to be a member for something on the order of *$1.40/lb. or $1.50/lb*...again, already stored in #10 cans. I haven't checked the price lately.

*Costco/Others Online:*You can buy it from Costco in buckets ready for long term storage for about *$1.65/lb*. I've seen it go higher on other sites, for around *$2.64/lb*. You have to compare prices.
So, the cheapest is bulk bags, and if you are starting out, that is a great way to get a jump on your preps. But, you have to store it.

If I were LDS, I would buy it all from the LDS cannery for the convenience of it. Working the cannery is a very small price to pay, and I don't mind it at all; in fact, I quite enjoy it. I've been wondering if I can be an "affiliate" or honorary LDS member. I won't convert, but I would make a good "friend of LDS." If the SHTF, I want a lot of LDS people around me.


----------



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*You do not have to be LDS to shop at the cannery, I am not*

Tacitus, you do not have to be LDS to purchase from them at their warehouse. I am not. I have borrowed their canners and taken them for a week at a time. The local LDS warehouse closest to you may be different, but their rules have changed and if I were you and others who are interested, call them and ask. Or, if it is not too far, drive there and ask. I asked the local LDS warehouse recently if they get many non LDS people. They told me that actually about half of what they sell is to non LDS. They said it is good when anyone is prepared, which is why they don't care if you are LDS or not.

When I get oatmeal from them, I like to can it in the #10 cans because it seals the oats and keeps the bugs out. I have had horrible experiences with bugs in oatmeal. I could purchase a 25 # bag for 15.95, or $.63 a pound, but I like having some food in the cans. 100# of oatmeal for $63.80 is a great deal.


----------



## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

weedygarden said:


> Tacitus, you do not have to be LDS to purchase from them at their warehouse.


Last time I visited the cannery, the manager said I had to be escorted by an LDS member. My LDS friend was with me that time, and he was surprised to learn that I could not come by myself, without him.

Now, my LDS friend hasn't gone in almost a year. If I could go again, I would make a substantial purchase. I would also like to use their canner for my own bulk purchases. I will call them and report back what they say.

It really is a recruitment opportunity for them. You would think they would let people like me in. I already buy into the crazy prepping stuff!


----------



## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

Tacitus said:


> Last time I visited the cannery, the manager said I had to be escorted by an LDS member. My LDS friend was with me that time, and he was surprised to learn that I could not come by myself, without him.
> 
> Now, my LDS friend hasn't gone in almost a year. If I could go again, I would make a substantial purchase. I would also like to use their canner for my own bulk purchases. I will call them and report back what they say.
> 
> It really is a recruitment opportunity for them. You would think they would let people like me in. I already buy into the crazy prepping stuff!


Different Storehouses have different rules. If there is more than one in your general vicinity, then you can see if they have different rules. I don't go as often as I should, because it is an hour drive each way.


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Try putting your Oatmeal or other hot cereal in a thermas, pour in boiling water seal and let it sit over night, breakfast ready to eat.


----------



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Tacitus said:


> Last time I visited the cannery, the manager said I had to be escorted by an LDS member. My LDS friend was with me that time, and he was surprised to learn that I could not come by myself, without him.
> 
> Now, my LDS friend hasn't gone in almost a year. If I could go again, I would make a substantial purchase. I would also like to use their canner for my own bulk purchases. I will call them and report back what they say.
> 
> It really is a recruitment opportunity for them. You would think they would let people like me in. I already buy into the crazy prepping stuff!


I hadn't been to the cannery in several months, and when I went this past fall (2012) many things had changed. They had the canners to check out to anyone who asked. They had longer hours and more days.

I was really shocked by their changes as I have been a customer of theirs since 2008.

The first time I went and asked, they asked if I was LDS (no) or if I knew any LDS members that I could come with. (no) Then they let me and gave me a tour, showed me how to can, and sometimes, they help can.

Just saying, ask again. Explain your situation, and they may relent. Once you have been, then just go in, fill out your order form, and carry on like you know what you are doing, because you do! With them telling me that about half of their sales are non LDS, they have to be saying "Yes" to the like of the rest of us!


----------



## Tank_Girl (Dec 26, 2011)

With bugs in my oatmeal, rice, flours and other dried goods; I put mine in the chest freezer for several weeks before the break it down into smaller, bug resistant packaging.
It kills the bugs and any eggs that they have laid.


----------

