# Mold or quirky nature of oatmeal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480 "2007-04-24T17:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/1 "2007-04-24T17:32:40Z")
I made some steel cut oatmeal according to the overnight-soak method on the box. (IOW, add one cup steel cut oats to four cups boiling water, turn off heat, cover pan, let soak over night on the stovetop.) This morning, opened the lid to find a green… fim?.. floating atop the water that remained. Is this mold? Or is it some green stuff expelled from the oatmeal? If it’s just nature’s goodness, I’ll eat it, but if not out it goes! ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@Mike\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/2 "2007-04-24T17:49:15Z")
But mold _is_ nature’s goodness. Just eat it. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/3 "2007-04-24T17:50:53Z")
Was that a copper pan or something odd like that? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/4 "2007-04-24T18:43:08Z")
Since Quaker Oatmeal is made with [steel cut oats](http://www.quakeroatmeal.com/qo_faqs/index.cfm), and since Quaker Oats don’t normally have green scum floating on the top when you cook them, my guess would be that either your oats were contaminated with something (possibly mold spores, possibly some more sinister chemical-type thing), or that your pot was dirty. You didn’t cook them in an unlined copper pot, did you? 'Cause you can’t cook in bare copper (except for beating egg whites); it’s toxic. If you did, then your oats are poisonous. Did the oats come from some kind of organic, farmer-grown bulk bin? That might explain any possible contamination. Steel-cut oats are just oat grains that have been sliced instead of rolled. You wouldn’t expect steel-cut oats to intrinsically have green scum “expelled from the grain” any more than you would expect cracked wheat to have green scum. IOW, no, cooked grains don’t normally do that. Personally, I wouldn’t eat them, and I’d view subsequent batches with extreme caution. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/5 "2007-04-24T18:50:22Z")
I’ve made McCann’s (IIRC) steel cut oatmeal using the overnight method. No green film. Lots of wonderful oatmeally goodness. I second the query about a copper pan/implement. ETA: If it was McCann’s, maybe an email to them would be in order: > **[About McCann’s - McCann's](https://mccanns.ie/)** > > There are “oats.” Then there are McCann’s® Irish Oats. If you love oats, you should be crazy about McCann’s®. If you’re already crazy about McCann’s®, we understand! McCann’s® goodness starts in the fertile fields of Ireland. There’s no place on... ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/6 "2007-04-24T19:59:34Z")
Thanks, all. No, no copper pot. **vetbridge** , they were indeed McCann’s. The kind that come in the box, not the tin container. I’ll be checking for an expiry date when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/7 "2007-04-24T20:02:17Z")
[QUOTE=Mike Fun] But mold _is_ nature’s goodness. Just eat it. [/QUOTE] Not when you’re allergic to it, as I am! Trust me. You don’t want to know the results of my let’s-just-cut-the-moldy-dots-off-the-bread experiment from last week… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/8 "2007-04-24T20:33:54Z")
[QUOTE=niblet\_head] … add one cup steel cut oats to four cups boiling water, turn off heat, cover pan, let soak over night on the stovetop. [/QUOTE] It works just about as well to soak the oats in cold water - texture the next morning is close to perfect. And no, I’ve never seen anything resembling green scum. (My steel-cut oats come from the local Amish market - about $0.40/lb). ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/9 "2007-04-24T20:49:23Z")
Sigh. I was hoping the green… flora… was the extra dash 'o Ireland… Guess not. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/10 "2007-04-24T21:09:02Z")
Don’t let this put you off of McCann’s! It is fantastic when there is no green film. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/11 "2007-04-25T04:58:08Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Don’t let this put you off of McCann’s! [/QUOTE] What is the cost of McCann’s? What is the difference between these and generic steel-cut oats? ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/12 "2007-04-25T04:59:47Z")
Cmon just eat it you pussie. No offense 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/13 "2007-04-25T11:12:03Z")
Eat _me_, **Autolycus**. No offense. 🙂🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/14 "2007-04-25T13:11:39Z")
McCann’s is very expensive. I buy Bob’s Red Mill products all of the time. Just as good IMHO, and priced fairly. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/15 "2007-04-25T13:52:31Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] What is the cost of McCann’s? What is the difference between these and generic steel-cut oats? [/QUOTE] McCann’s costs just pennies an oat. 😃 I am sure generic would be fine, but my grocer only carries McCann’s. It’s a good Irish name, and their website is fantrastic, filled with recipes and what not. I am not an employee, nor do I own stock in McCann’s. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/16 "2007-04-25T14:05:43Z")
I’m also limited in what brands of steel cut oats I can get. I end up buying whatever is available. All the shelf space is typically taken up by the instant oatmeals (which are, IMO, just breakfast cake trying to pass itself off as healthy). Maybe some quick oats waaaaaaaaayy down on the bottom shelf… ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/17 "2007-04-25T16:45:02Z")
[QUOTE=niblet\_head] Eat _me_, **Autolycus**. No offense. 🙂🙂 [/QUOTE] Is Saturday good for you? I’ll pay for the plane fare 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/18 "2007-04-25T17:57:18Z")
Hmmm. Maybe. However, you may want to read [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=413732&highlight=cunnilingus) first… ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/19 "2007-04-25T18:09:32Z")
[QUOTE=niblet\_head] Hmmm. Maybe. However, you may want to read [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=413732&highlight=cunnilingus) first… [/QUOTE] 23/M/F seeks an exciting evening with charming doper 😉 I’ve never even had the chance to try cunnilingus yet, so that thread doesn’t bother me one bit. You sound fun 🙂 But I must ask, where’s iboapka? Does not knowing where it is disqualify me from a fun time together? :smack: Maybe we should take this to PMs 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480/20 "2007-04-25T22:08:26Z")
23/M/F? You’re Male and Female? You’re a Married Female? You’re a Male Freak? (Well, that’s actually not much of a problem…) 😉 Seekest thou the origin of iboapka and thouest shall find. Est. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mold-or-quirky-nature-of-oatmeal/401480.md?page=2)