For a long time I was an advocate of Alton Brown’s overnight method of cooking steel-cut oats. But really, that’s too long. So this is how I do it now:
[ul][li]Put 1/4 cup of oats in a pan. (I have a 1-quart non-stick pan with a glass lid that I only use for this.)[/li][li]Add about 20g dried cranberries. (More, if you want; say, up to 40g if you want it really fruity.)[/li][li]Add about 1-1/4 cup water.[/li][li]Heat on high heat until the water begins to boil. Stir occasionally.[/li][li]Be ready to lift the pan from the heat. I have an electric stove, so it takes a bit to cool down. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting (on the large ring). Lift the pan from the heat to keep it from boiling over. When the boiling and froth subsides, return the pan to the burner. When it has cooled enough so that the oats will not boil over, cover with the lid.[/li][li]Let simmer on the lowest setting for about 20 minutes to half an hour, or until it reaches the desired consistency.[/ul][/li]I don’t use milk, sugar, syrup, or anything else. Just the oats, water, and dried fruit. That’s the way I like it.
I really need to re-read his method, but the method that works for my girlfriend and I nearly everyday is:
Boil 3.5 cups water with pinch of salt in non-stick pan. Add 1 cup of oats. Add probably 1 teaspoon of chili oil to the water. Stir. Turn down the heat to a good simmer/light boil. Stir some more.
The oil cuts down on the foaming, and if it doesn’t, I just take the pot off the heat, stir, and go back to cooking. The pot I use has plenty of excess space, which helps.
Cook oats to desired consistency. She takes hers to work, and likes it a bit waterier than I do, so it takes about, I dunno, about 10 minutes of cooking at light boil? A bit less?
When done, scrape into container. Scatter pinch of kosher salt across surface, spray a couple squirts of spray butter, pour a thin stream of chill oil across top (maybe 1/4 tsp?), dot with Sriracha chili sauce.
(Can you tell she likes spicy food?)
Your method sounds great too, Johnny. My problem with letting it sit there, as opposed to stirring frequently at higher heat, is I get caked on, burnt patches sometimes. I guess I need a better pot.