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Not really cooking - Overnight Oatmeal

 
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I can't take credit for this.  I saw a co-worker eating it a while back and asked him what it was.  He calls it "overnight oatmeal".  I've since decided it is my ultimate breakfast.  It's gives you lots of energy, easy to digest, tastes great, it very satisfying, doesn't bloat my stomach at all, and takes almost no time to make.  There is almost no clean-up.  I make it in a mason jar, so after eating, I just fill the jar half-full (cuz I'm an optimist) of water, put in a drop of dish soap, put the lid on, shake, and rinse.  It takes less time than it took me to type that :)

The variations of this are probably endless, but here is the way I'm currently making it.
1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 cup of almond milk.  Coconut works well too.
1 spoonful of chia seed
1 heaping spoonful of powdered peanut butter
half a banana sliced
some blueberries

All ingredients are approximations.  Dump them all in a mason jar, stir a little, put the lid on, and throw it in the refrigerator overnight.  It's good for 3 or 4 days if you make extra jars, but after that, the bananas might get gross.  I like the taste best if I let it warm up close to room temperature before eating, but it's okay cold right of the fridge too.
 
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I have often heard of overnight oats, but for me the downside is that it is cold out of the fridge.

Great if it works for you, but for me I go the opposite way:
Put oats and some crushed linseeds in a bowl, pour with boiling water (which I have anyway as I make tea in the morning).
Cover up a bit, prepare lunchboxes for the kids etc., add two tablespoons of mixed crushed nuts (I grind them myself every two weeks or so), cut up some fresh fruit (if I have) or add some apple sauce when there is one in the fridge I have to eat anyway, add a dollop of homemade jam (a good sweetener and a perfect use for my jams as I love to make them but hardly eat them on bread).

By the time the kids leave the house, the oats are perfectly soaked and still lukewarm and I can sit down with my second cup of tea and my oats.
No bloating as I had before when I ate "raw" cereals. It keeps me satisfied for several hours.
I have dairy in my tea and can have a yoghurt later, so the setup with boiling water works for me.
This is actually a cross between a traditional Muesli (which was also soaked overnight) and a porridge.
 
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Swiss Bircher muesli is the original/traditional method for soaking oats overnight.  I used to make various combinations of this and think this suits itself to summer.
 
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My daily breakfast is this Muesli / Overnight Oats too.
Probably the difference is: traditional Bircher-Benner Muesli was soaked overnight in water and then the next morning condensed milk was added. Overnight Oats is soaked in (plant-based or cow's) milk.
I soak my Muesli in water and add thick yoghurt in the morning.
I was used to put it in the fridge at night, but then a therapist said it wasn't OK for me to eat it that cold in the morning. So I let it stay in the kitchen overnight, outside the fridge, and eat it at room temperature.
 
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I have just started trying overnight oats in my breakfast rotation.

I use oats, greek yogurt, a little bit of milk, chia seeds, and whatever fresh fruit I can get my hands on.

I need my breakfasts to be quick and easy as I am rushing in the morning to get set for work. Being able to set them up the night before has been pleasant.

I am impressed with the level and length of fullness I had from a mason jar of overnight oats compared to two breakfast sandwiches which were my breakfast vice for a long time. The texture is off putting to my wife, and I can see where she is coming from. I'm fiddling with some additions to go in at the time of consumption to provide variety. Maybe nuts?
 
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I have tried the overnight oats thing and loved the convenience but didnt care for the "chalkiness" of the uncooked oats.
It's a minor taste/texture difference but it doesn't work for me or my mother so we're sticking to cooked for now.
If I desperately needed the time saved, I might get over it but I'm glad I don't have to for now.
( when cooking oatmeal, I will make a large batch and it usually covers 3 days. It reheats in the micro fine for us.)
 
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When Trace writes "oatmeal" and everyone else writes "oats", in all cases are you talking about rolled oats?

I make oat groats for breakfast sometimes but haven't ever enjoyed rolled oats.
 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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Christopher Weeks wrote:When Trace writes "oatmeal" and everyone else writes "oats", in all cases are you talking about rolled oats?

I make oat groats for breakfast sometimes but haven't ever enjoyed rolled oats.


Sometimes the English language has strange words. "Oatmeal" is one of them. As far as I know this isn't a 'meal', but fine flakes. I think 'rolled oats' is not exactly the same, maybe those are the larger flakes, whole grains made flat between rollers.
My own language, Dutch, has many more strange words ... But for those 'oats' it is clear: there is 'havermout' (oatmeal) and there are 'havervlokken' (rolled oats). And of course there is 'haver' (oat), that's the name of this grain species, both the plant and the whole grains. And there is 'havermoutpap', porridge made of oatmeal, cooked in milk (with sugar).
 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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Christopher Weeks wrote:When Trace writes "oatmeal" and everyone else writes "oats", in all cases are you talking about rolled oats?

I make oat groats for breakfast sometimes but haven't ever enjoyed rolled oats.


I never saw oat groats. I only know groats made of buckwheat, and they're rare to find (only in the good-food stores sometimes).
 
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Christopher Weeks wrote:When Trace writes "oatmeal" and everyone else writes "oats", in all cases are you talking about rolled oats?



To my mind, oatmeal is finely ground rolled oats, with an almost flour like consistency whereas rolled oats are flakes.

Even then, we buy two types of rolled oats in our household, the softer ones for baking and the wholegrain ones for making porridge.

I prefer bircher muesli made with wholegrain oats as I find the flavour nuttier.


20250115_065540.jpg
Whole grain and regular rolled oats
Whole grain and regular rolled oats
 
Trace Oswald
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Christopher Weeks wrote:When Trace writes "oatmeal" and everyone else writes "oats", in all cases are you talking about rolled oats?

I make oat groats for breakfast sometimes but haven't ever enjoyed rolled oats.



I use Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled Oats.  I've always known it as oatmeal.
 
Christopher Weeks
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Trace Oswald wrote:I use Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled Oats.  I've always known it as oatmeal.


I think that's how Americans (at least) generally use "oatmeal", but with other grains a "meal" is a fine(ish) powder ground from the whole grains. I just wanted to make sure we're all talking about the same thing.

I call cookies made with rolled oats "oatmeal cookies" and enjoy them.
 
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I feel caught off balance! I never put much thought into the words but I always considered oatmeal to be a hot breakfast item and oats to be the un-cooked version.

I suppose I have to go down the oat rabbit hole and learn more about the varies forms and functions it has.
 
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Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Christopher Weeks wrote:When Trace writes "oatmeal" and everyone else writes "oats", in all cases are you talking about rolled oats?

I make oat groats for breakfast sometimes but haven't ever enjoyed rolled oats.


I never saw oat groats. I only know groats made of buckwheat, and they're rare to find (only in the good-food stores sometimes).


I believe when he is saying "groats" he means the unrolled oats, sometimes called steel cut or Irish oats. they're usually broken in half, but they're not flat. They take a bit longer to cook and can be a bit like kasha, buckwheat, etc- nutty and chewy.
 
Christopher Weeks
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Tereza Okava wrote:

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Christopher Weeks wrote:When Trace writes "oatmeal" and everyone else writes "oats", in all cases are you talking about rolled oats?

I make oat groats for breakfast sometimes but haven't ever enjoyed rolled oats.


I never saw oat groats. I only know groats made of buckwheat, and they're rare to find (only in the good-food stores sometimes).


I believe when he is saying "groats" he means the unrolled oats, sometimes called steel cut or Irish oats. they're usually broken in half, but they're not flat. They take a bit longer to cook and can be a bit like kasha, buckwheat, etc- nutty and chewy.


Actually, I found (somewhere on the internet a decade or two ago) that whole oats are called groats and I picked up the habit of calling them that to distinguish between the steel-cut oats that my wife likes and the whole oats that I like. (I'm willing to change what I call them if that's not normal for English.)

This is how we keep them in the pantry:
IMG_3390.jpeg
whole oat groats
whole oat groats
 
Tereza Okava
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Christopher Weeks wrote: whole oats


ah, we have those whole unrolled oats-- good for making oat milk and sprouting!
 
Christopher Weeks
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FWIW:

Wikipedia wrote:Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains (groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats are known as coarse oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats. Rolled oats were traditionally thick old-fashioned oats, but they can be made thinner or smaller and may be categorized as quick oatmeal or instant oatmeal depending on the cooking time required, which is determined by the size of the oats and the amount of precooking.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oatmeal
 
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Oat groats (hulled, whole oat grains) are quite long cooking. So we cook them up the night before on the woodstove, along with any dried fruit (or fresh apples in season) and some whole amaranth. We serve with some nuts and it's a satisfying breakfast ready to go.  During the summer we flake the groats and "cook" them in an insulated pot by adding boiling water. Buying the whole groats lets us flake them as needed or use them whole, our choice, and they keep well in long-term storage.
 
Trace Oswald
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Christopher Weeks wrote:FWIW:

Wikipedia wrote:Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains (groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats are known as coarse oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats. Rolled oats were traditionally thick old-fashioned oats, but they can be made thinner or smaller and may be categorized as quick oatmeal or instant oatmeal depending on the cooking time required, which is determined by the size of the oats and the amount of precooking.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oatmeal



I feel vindicated :)
 
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Tereza Okava wrote:

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Christopher Weeks wrote:When Trace writes "oatmeal" and everyone else writes "oats", in all cases are you talking about rolled oats?

I make oat groats for breakfast sometimes but haven't ever enjoyed rolled oats.


I never saw oat groats. I only know groats made of buckwheat, and they're rare to find (only in the good-food stores sometimes).


I believe when he is saying "groats" he means the unrolled oats, sometimes called steel cut or Irish oats. they're usually broken in half, but they're not flat. They take a bit longer to cook and can be a bit like kasha, buckwheat, etc- nutty and chewy.


Yes, what I consider 'groats' ('grutten' in Dutch) is not rolled but broken (steel cut). But here I never saw groats made of oat (Avena sativa), only of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum). Whole grains (not cut, rolled or anything) are sold in the good-food stores to, all species (oats, wheat, barley, rye, and buckwheat too) are available, but not in all stores. In larger stores in the cities there's more choice than in the small town where I live. Maybe there they have oat groats too ...
 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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Christopher Weeks wrote:
Actually, I found (somewhere on the internet a decade or two ago) that whole oats are called groats and I picked up the habit of calling them that to distinguish between the steel-cut oats that my wife likes and the whole oats that I like. (I'm willing to change what I call them if that's not normal for English.)

This is how we keep them in the pantry:


Aha! I call those 'whole grains'. The word 'groats' ('grutten' in Dutch) I use for broken grains, probably also called 'steel cut' in English. But as I find out here, not all English-speaking people always use the same words. Maybe it depends on where they live (UK, Ireland, USA, different states). Or maybe they heard others use a word and they took over. My English words I learned at school (in the Netherlands) or I read them on the internet and in books.
 
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I have 8 different sorts of oats suitable for making breakfast cereal (and it's a tiny little shop!)...it seems each of my local customers have their own preference. I like jumbo oats (whole grain oatflakes) but I cook them for porage for breakfast when I can (usually have left over bread so make toast). Sometimes I leave the oats overnight to soak in water (not milk) which makes the cooking quicker - but porage is a whole different thread subject of course!
 
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Anyway...back to the original topic...Sometimes I'll cook the oats, and if I do, I'll make a batch for the week.  Sometimes, I'll just soak the raw for a while--an hour or so.  I never want to eat when I first get up, but I sure want my first cup of coffee.  While I'm drinking it, I'll prep the oats.  I usually add coconut, cinnamon, cardamom, raisins or craisins, some stevia drops and nuts.  My latest discovery is that I love sunflower seeds in my oatmeal.  It just adds a unique flavor that I really like with everything else in there. Sliced almonds are really good, too.  
 
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Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:......But here I never saw groats made of oat (Avena sativa), only of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum). Whole grains (not cut, rolled or anything) are sold in the good-food stores to, all species (oats, wheat, barley, rye, and buckwheat too) are available, but not in all stores. In larger stores in the cities there's more choice than in the small town where I live. Maybe there they have oat groats too ...



But now I have to ask within this thread if overnight soaking (room temperature) of the other small grains like wheat, barley, or even rice will soften the grain enough to eat directly..?  Or would it still need a brief cooking to render it edible (for human mandibles).  Thanks!....
 
John Weiland
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Nancy Reading wrote:......but porage is a whole different thread subject of course!



Like beginning with the spelling! LOL.... I've only ever seen 'porridge'  Do any other languages use some version or derivation of this word?
 
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Whole oat groats are great for making small amounts of oat flour if you don't use it much or often... they last much longer in whole groat form.

Overnight oats is how I ate "oatmeal" when I was raw vegan.  You can soak the raw oat flakes overnight in water or nut milk, and they are ready to eat in the morning with whatever additions you care to stir in.  If you have time they can be allowed to come to room temp, or they can be warmed in a dehydrator to 105 degrees F so they feel warm when you eat them.

I haven't eaten oats in years, but I just bought a bag of organic sprouted oat flakes and have had a few servings (cooked) so far, with cinnamon, real maple syrup and some butter.  Tasty but more filling/bloating than I want on a daily basis.  Once the weather warms up a bit, I may try them overnight-style since I won't mind them warm then as opposed to hot.

I would think that other grains would work this way too... depending on how long it normally takes to cook them.  Sprouted grains would be more easily digested than non-sprouted.  Something like quinoa should work very well overnight-ed, while heavier denser grains might not, or might need much longer soak times.  Someone could have a mini version of the bucket system used to sprout/ferment chicken feed (the minimally processed grain style, not the pellets!) but in their fridge to soak grains, rotating them through however many days it takes.  Or just do it on the counter so the grains ferment, and see what all the hens are raving about...?  Which leads me back to: if a grain-soaking experiment fails, it can always be fed to the chickens (if it hasn't gone moldy.)
 
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Dian Green wrote:I have tried the overnight oats thing and loved the convenience but didnt care for the "chalkiness" of the uncooked oats. It's a minor taste/texture difference but it doesn't work for me or my mother so we're sticking to cooked for now.
If I desperately needed the time saved, I might get over it but I'm glad I don't have to for now. ( when cooking oatmeal, I will make a large batch and it usually covers 3 days. It reheats in the micro fine for us.)



My breakfast is an early morning "turn on the kettle & small pot" and then a mix of 'stuff' like a handful of chopped English Walnuts covering the bottom of my standard kitchen bowl. I then add a package of Instant Oats, a small box of Craizens, a package of Gelatin (for cracked fingernails), 2 pkgs of Truvia (Stevia Leaf). With all of that leveled out I then sprinkle the top with a good dose of Cinnamon - and next comes the boiling water and set the bowl on the table to cool a bit. Then I get my cup of tea, made from 3 different teas in a large container that lasts most of the week. And, of course I pop on the boob tube and computer and round up the most current book I'm reading and I'm all set to enjoy a few pages of reading while the bowl cools down a bit more then read and eat at the same time. That all makes for a good morning and the meal lasts me through to around 3:00PM!

 
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I like overnight oats. I use what I call oatmeal, the big bag from Costco that I bought twice because I forgot that I had bought them the last time. Half a cup each of oatmeal, oat milk (or whatever “not milk” is on sale) and low fat yogurt. Add seeds, (pumpkin, hemp, chia…,) stevia or maple syrup for sweetness, and blueberries frozen from the garden last summer. I make four or five covered glasses that go in the fridge. This keeps me energized for four days of Zumba at the gym and a couple of mornings a week as a cat slave at the animal shelter.

My Aunt Nellie made, when I was a child, what she called pettijohns. They sat on the back of the wood cook stove overnight. When she finally upgraded to an electric stove they never tasted the same.
 
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I don't know whether it's the ingrained comfort food aspect, or sensory issues (I have several), but I don't like overcooked oats, and I'm even less fond of soaking with or without the cooking step. Too mushy and vague in terms of mouthfeel. What I consider oatmeal perfection is to cook it like rice ...1.5:1 water:oats, some fruit and nuts, simmer until all the water is absorbed, then devour with butter, honey, and milk. I definitely prefer rolled to flaked oats but will often run whole barley through the flake setting on my grain mill and add some. This is my go-to start to the day for about half the year (the half when we don't have a ridiculous surplus of eggs).
 
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Growing up, we had two choices - oatmeal or cream of wheat.  Oatmeal was rolled oats cooked and cream of wheat is much finer and turns into a much more uniform cooked breakfast (sort of like a grainy thick cream soup).  I haven't yet checked to see if there were other ingredients in the processing or whether it was something akin to a coarse flour (but very white so I guess I'm going down a rabbit hole).

We now source our oats primarily from Adagio Acres (I noticed on the site today they ship across Canada) - organic, local (to those of us in Manitoba anyway) and milled on their farm.  I heard her speak last night at an event designed to connect farmers and eaters, but that's getting further off topic.

When I make overnight oats, I will typically use 5-8 different plant products that go into the mix.  I'll usually use oat milk if we have it on hand.  Aside from the oats, I'll add some of chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds (slices or slivers), raisins, dried cranberries, dried currants, hemp seed, cocoa powder, and when preparing to eat in the morning, some ground flax seed.

As the son of a Saskatchewan farmer, I grew up knowing the seed as a kernel.  It's only in recent years I've heard the word groat.  The discussion in this thread has been interesting, but I find it unfortunate that the language has come to so much ambiguity.  Perhaps part of it is that 50 years ago we generally didn't have a lot of access to the regionalization of the language that has become ubiquitous with the Internet.  I remember as a teen I had a camp counsellor one summer who was British on a student exchange or something.  The aforementioned farmer always started a trip assuming we didn't want to be late and we may get a flat tire, so I was the first one of our camp there and he started talking to me.  It seemed to me he spoke for 5 minutes before I could start to pull out some of the words he was saying.  I grew up in a small town with little exposure to accents.

Going back to oats, from the above site, on a shop page for their naked oats, here's a description:


Why Naked?

For thousands of years, hulled oats were grown primarily to feed to horses, but naked oats (the papery hull that covers the grain comes off easily at harvest, leaving them quite sheepishly exposed!) were the grain of choice across Asia and Europe for milling into flakes. The higher protein levels, antioxidants, and nutty flavour of naked oats made them the top choice for porridge. But another factor was the processing: naked oats can be milled and rolled into flakes without steaming, whereas conventional oats need to be steamed or roasted in order to remove the hull, and to prevent them from going rancid.

But sadly, naked oats fell out of vogue in the 1800s, and factors like higher yields and durability in transit became more important, and industrial processing because easier. Over 95% of oats grown in North America were fed to livestock, so it was easier to grow just one type of oat and scalp off a few to mill for human consumption. Naked oats were abandoned.

But a resurgence of interest in reducing our carbon footprint (steam treating oats is an energy-intensive process!) and a good ol’fashioned preference for taste over a long shelf-life, has led to a few farms and mills, scattered haphazardly around the world, still using naked oats. We’re proud to be one of them!

Storage Recommendations:

Because our Naked Oats are not heat treated in the milling process, they are more sensitive to moisture in storage.  Under certain conditions (usually high moisture levels), a bitter flavour can develop as the oats oxidize.  To ensure that you have the freshest and highest quality product possible, we recommend using our product within 1 year of milling (this date is printed on the bottom of each package), or within 3 months of opening the package. If you will be using the oats for longer than about 3 months, we recommend transferring them to an air-tight container to help reducing exposure to oxygen and humidity. Consider naked oats to be a small step closer to the “fresh produce” category than the “canned goods” category.





Rolled, Steel Cut or Quick Cooking?  What’s the difference anyways?

Our traditional large-flake rolled oats are produced by flattening the oat groats between two large rollers, which exposes the inside of the oat groat and allows them to cook and soften quickly.  This makes them great for porridge, baking, and granolas, and offer a texture that is versatile for a huge variety of recipes.  Rolled oats are our super-star.

Steel Cut Oats have the same nutritional value and benefits, but are produced by cutting the oat groat into two or three pieces with steel blades rather then flattening them with rollers.  The result is an oat with a unique texture that makes a wonderful slow cooking porridge, smooth and creamy while still retaining some of the original ‘crunch’ of a minimally processed oat.  But not so great for baking with…

Our Quick Cooking Oats are milled by first chopping our oats into small pieces (steel cut) and then rolling them as thin as possible to expose more surface area, which allows them to cook quicker and bind together easier when baking.  Unlike ‘instant’ or conventionally milled quick oats, these oats are not steam processed, and the nutritional value is not altered in any way.  We like to use quick cooking oats in muffins, breads, cookies, pancakes and squares.  But they take a bit of extra caution, because exposing more of the inner germ exposes more of the oat to moisture and oxygen, which can lead to rancidity more quickly.  For that reason, our quick oats do have a shorter shelf life than our regular oats.  Transferring to an air-tight container is recommended for storage longer than 2-3 months.



Another oddity – our oats do not play nicely with coconut oil. For some unknown reason, there is a strange reaction that often occurs when naked oats and coconut oil are combined. This doesn’t seem to happen with regular oats, so perhaps is because of the lack of heat processing, or perhaps because of the higher protein content of naked oats. We haven’t entirely figured it out yet, but have been doing some shelf-life testing to help us figure out who is bullying who, and whether we can help them sort out their differences and live happily together. But in the meantime, give them some space…



So, there's naked oats versus hulled oats and a description of the difference among rolled, quick cooking, and steel cut from a farmer / miller.
 
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Derek Thille wrote:......

When I make overnight oats, I will typically use 5-8 different plant products that go into the mix.  I'll usually use oat milk if we have it on hand.  Aside from the oats, I'll add some of chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds (slices or slivers), raisins, dried cranberries, dried currants, hemp seed, cocoa powder, and when preparing to eat in the morning, some ground flax seed.



Part of the reason I brought above up soaking grains other than oats overnight was because we are mostly consuming oatmilk as our milk these days.  So it just seemed a bit heavy on oat products to use oatmilk on oats, although I still eat this combination for most breakfasts.  If I make my own oatmilk, I add an enzyme cocktail to aid in reduction of the 'slime' effect which occurs due to the high β-glucan content in the oats.  Also liking chia and other additives to boost flavor and nutrition.
 
Derek Thille
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John Weiland wrote:

Derek Thille wrote:......

When I make overnight oats, I will typically use 5-8 different plant products that go into the mix.  I'll usually use oat milk if we have it on hand.  Aside from the oats, I'll add some of chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds (slices or slivers), raisins, dried cranberries, dried currants, hemp seed, cocoa powder, and when preparing to eat in the morning, some ground flax seed.



Part of the reason I brought above up soaking grains other than oats overnight was because we are mostly consuming oatmilk as our milk these days.  So it just seemed a bit heavy on oat products to use oatmilk on oats, although I still eat this combination for most breakfasts.  If I make my own oatmilk, I add an enzyme cocktail to aid in reduction of the 'slime' effect which occurs due to the high β-glucan content in the oats.  Also liking chia and other additives to boost flavor and nutrition.



From what I understand of almond production, I insist on staying away from almond milk.  Our default has become oat as at least it's grown in this neck of the woods.  After checking the label, I sigh.  Canadian grown oats are shipped to one of three processing facilities - one in southern BC, one in southern ON, and one in Quebec.  Sigh.  So we ship the grain across the country to have it processed further away and have the final product shipped back around the country.  I've wondered for decades why we don't seem to get processing done on the prairies where the crop is grown.  The urban areas (outside of Alberta at least) are more affordable than most places across the country to set up shop and employees live.  Sigh.

We started buying plant-based beverage almost 4 years ago when we changed our diets a bit and leaned into more plant-based food.  I'm not sure any more that makes sense for us.

Anyway, I should get off my tangents....
 
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roberta mccanse wrote:My Aunt Nellie made, when I was a child, what she called pettijohns. They sat on the back of the wood cook stove overnight. When she finally upgraded to an electric stove they never tasted the same.



I had to do a search for this... found this image.  The Quaker Oats company's version of Pettijohn's sounds like more of a Cream of Wheat type cereal, while the original version before Quaker Oats bought the company was advertised as flakes with bran.  Interesting!

Pettijohn-s-Cereal.jpg
[Thumbnail for Pettijohn-s-Cereal.jpg]
 
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Has anyone tried hot/water/milk/not milk/ overnight soaking of whichever combination of ingredients is selected, in a wide mouthed vacuum flask?
Heard previously of using a similar approach using an insulated "hot box"
left overnight to 'cook' the contents.  Insulation can be hay,  which prompts the idea of the sort of portable cooler used for adult beverages.  Just works the other way!   Interested to learn if it works.
 
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We use an insulated pitcher, double-walled stainless steel when we do overnight oats with boiling water added. To increase the insulation, we either wrap the whole thing in a towel or stick it in a cooler. Works great.
 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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John Weiland wrote:

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:......But here I never saw groats made of oat (Avena sativa), only of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum). Whole grains (not cut, rolled or anything) are sold in the good-food stores to, all species (oats, wheat, barley, rye, and buckwheat too) are available, but not in all stores. In larger stores in the cities there's more choice than in the small town where I live. Maybe there they have oat groats too ...



But now I have to ask within this thread if overnight soaking (room temperature) of the other small grains like wheat, barley, or even rice will soften the grain enough to eat directly..?  Or would it still need a brief cooking to render it edible (for human mandibles).  Thanks!....


My opinion: if they are rolled flakes, you can do only the overnight soaking, no cooking needed. But if they are really groats (grains cut in pieces), or even whole grains, they need to be cooked. In that case I would not soak, but only cook them.

I like cooked whole grains (mix of oat, wheat, barley and rye) as a replacement of rice. I mean: not as a 'porridge', not for breakfast, but for dinner.
 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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Derek Thille wrote:...

As the son of a Saskatchewan farmer, I grew up knowing the seed as a kernel.  It's only in recent years I've heard the word groat.  The discussion in this thread has been interesting, but I find it unfortunate that the language has come to so much ambiguity.  Perhaps part of it is that 50 years ago we generally didn't have a lot of access to the regionalization of the language that has become ubiquitous with the Internet.  I remember as a teen I had a camp counsellor one summer who was British on a student exchange or something.  The aforementioned farmer always started a trip assuming we didn't want to be late and we may get a flat tire, so I was the first one of our camp there and he started talking to me.  It seemed to me he spoke for 5 minutes before I could start to pull out some of the words he was saying.  I grew up in a small town with little exposure to accents.

...


Here in the Netherlands we learn English at school. I suppose the English taught at Dutch schools is more like the British English than like USA or Canadian English.
Probably when we use the same words we do not mean the same things.
 
Derek Thille
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Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:

Derek Thille wrote:...

As the son of a Saskatchewan farmer, I grew up knowing the seed as a kernel.  It's only in recent years I've heard the word groat.  The discussion in this thread has been interesting, but I find it unfortunate that the language has come to so much ambiguity.  Perhaps part of it is that 50 years ago we generally didn't have a lot of access to the regionalization of the language that has become ubiquitous with the Internet.  I remember as a teen I had a camp counsellor one summer who was British on a student exchange or something.  The aforementioned farmer always started a trip assuming we didn't want to be late and we may get a flat tire, so I was the first one of our camp there and he started talking to me.  It seemed to me he spoke for 5 minutes before I could start to pull out some of the words he was saying.  I grew up in a small town with little exposure to accents.

...


Here in the Netherlands we learn English at school. I suppose the English taught at Dutch schools is more like the British English than like USA or Canadian English.
Probably when we use the same words we do not mean the same things.



I seem to remember my issue as the speed he spoke and his accent made it hard for me to distinguish the words.  Similarly, I have taken some French language courses and I'm OK with reading comprehension (at a fairly low level as I'm nowhere near fluent), but have a much harder time distinguishing the sounds to separate the words, especially with a native French speaker.
 
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