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Bowl of plain steel cut oats with a rice cooker full of oatmeal behind it

Steel Cut Oats in a Rice Cooker

Hands-off steel cut oatmeal cooked in a rice cooker using 1 part oats to 3 parts cold water, with optional sea salt and a little oil to prevent sticking.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup steel cut oats 1 part
  • 3 cups cold water 3 parts
  • 1 pinch of sea salt per cup of oats optional
  • 1 small drizzle of oil about 1/2 teaspoon, recommended for stainless steel rice cooker bowls

Method
 

  1. If the rice cooker bowl is stainless steel, grease the inside.
  2. Measure the water, oats and sea salt into the bowl, then add a small drizzle of oil, roughly 1/2 teaspoon, so the oatmeal is less likely to stick to the base of the bowl. Skip the oil if the bowl is nonstick.
  3. Set the bowl in the cooker, fit the steamer basket over it and close with the lid; the basket helps prevent boil-over.
  4. Plug in the cooker and press Cook, or choose the porridge or steel cut oats cycle on a fuzzy logic rice cooker.
  5. When the cooker switches to Warm (about 30 minutes on a basic cook-and-warm model; porridge cycles take longer), leave the lid closed for 10 minutes. Stir, and loosen with a splash of hot water if the oats are thicker than you like.

Notes

Use a fuzzy logic rice cooker or an automatic cooker with a steamer basket insert. Cookers that have only a lid are not recommended because the oats can boil over.
To avoid boil-over, keep the oats and water to no more than half of the bowl's capacity, and stay nearby the first time the oats are cooked in a basic cooker.
The ratio scales up or down: allow 1/4 cup oats and 3/4 cup water per serving. For softer, creamier oatmeal, use up to 4 parts water.
Storage: refrigerate leftovers, covered, for 3 to 4 days and reheat with a little water or milk.