McCann's Irish OatmealTraditional Steel Cut, 28 Ounce (Pack of 4)

As part of the foodie revolution, I discovered how little nutrition was left in pre-cooked and par-boiled food. Sure it's convenient, but you're basically just filling your belly and if you add sugar, you've just gone net negative to your health. Some better stores carry this product on their shelves, and probably at a slightly lower price than online, but it's COVID days now and I was happy to get a 4-pack of this stable in our household. We originally went on this because it was the only 100% gluten-free oatmeal. Maddening that regular oatmeal has gluten from wheat contamination, but it's true. This is clearly pure, cut, raw oat berries. You boil them and in about 30 minutes you have oatmeal like none other you've tried. Not gummy or pasty, bright fresh flavor, and it can last in the pot for well over a day if you make too much. In the "old country" (Scotland), I've heard the tin-lined "bread drawers" in some old fashioned kitchen cabinetry was actually used to store a large batch of oatmeal that could be conveniently cut and re-heated. Don't know how true that is, but you can definitely keep this covered at room temperature for more than a day and re-heat it with a little bit of boiling water, and voilà, perfect! No loss of nutrition from pre-cooking because everything remains in the food, not rinsed away like with instant or even "quick" oatmeal. This means you can boil it up the night before, and turn it off and let it steep. In the morning it will be done and you just have to re-heat it. No waiting 30 minutes as long as you plan ahead the evening before.

They take a little longer to prepare, but the wait is well worth it! The slightly nutty taste and more robust texture make McCann's a far superior product. I'll never eat rolled or instant oatmeal again!

Growing up in England porridge or "porage" if you came from Scotland was a staple food in our house, especially in winter, and although I never liked the traditional made with water and salt version, sugar or syrup were always an alternative for a healthy and filling (and warming breakfast)Most oatmeal available here in the USA (including the instant microwave stuff) is a pretty stodgy, slimy affair, that even though it tastes OK for the most part, is a mile removed from this McCann's steel cut Oatmeal.This stuff is far more granular (so you use less) robust, and tasty, almost a nutty kind of grape nuts texture that is flavorful and nutricious, as well as filling, with only the addition of some sugar or sweetener to personal taste.I purchased 4, 28 ounce tins on a Gold Box deal, but even at full price, they are not as expensive as they may appear, given the price of most other breakfast cereals today, especially the high price "organic" tagged ones.It does take about 30 minutes to make, so a lot of people will not like that compared to the convenience of "instant" oatmeal, but I see that some reviewers have some tips for shorter cook times with a microwave.For me, I like the idea of the tin instructions if you don't have 30 minutes in the morning.Bring 4 cups of water to the boil per one cup of oatmeal in a saucepan, remove from heat, cover and cool and put in the refrigerator overnight, then cook in the morning for about 9 minutes on stovetop. This actually makes the finished article a little softer than fresh made, but still great in taste and texture.The above measures are for about 4 servings (3 if like me, you have extra!) and I only add 4 teaspoons (one per serving) to the mix of raw cane sugar while cooking for a nice grainy but little sweeter taste.A no doubt 5 star review for probably the best tasting and healthiest oatmeal (or porridge) I have tasted. Try some!

I love the taste and the texture of these steel cut oats, but they can be somewhat of a labor of love to prepare. It can take about 35 minutes to cook them from start to finish, with lots of stirring of the pot and keeping track of exactly how the heat is regulated on your stove. I have made them the "long" way many times. The taste is absolutely wonderful and the texture is quite pleasing. I have also soaked the oats in water overnight and then cooked them the next morning which reduces the cooking time to about 10 minutes for me. Still the same wonderful taste, but this method loses quite a lot of the whole grain sensation in the mouth.I was in the market for a rice cooker and while investigating them I noticed that some have a setting for porridge. When I made my choice of the Panasonic SR-DE103 rice cooker it was partially because I wanted to use it to cook these oats. The only drawback is that the rice cooker will only cook two servings at a time because the oats foam and bubble up so much during cooking. Any more than two servings and they will be bubbling out of the steam vent of the cooker! It also takes one hour to cook those two servings, but I can be off doing other things while the cooker takes care of the oats. The oats cooked in the rice cooker have the same taste and texture as those cooked for the 35 minute method on the stove.This product is delightful. I do add a tiny pinch of salt during the cooking time. They are wonderful with either white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, butter, or just completely unadorned. And, which is very important, a serving of these steel cut oats stick with me and I don't find myself wanting to eat a second breakfast two hours later. One serving lasts until lunch time and beyond (if I'm really busy). Any leftovers also keep well in a bowl in the refrigerator and warm up nicely in the microwave. Just an all around great product.

Great tasting oatmeal, that's what. Did you think I was going to say 'being regular'? Get your mind out of the gutter. Yeah, it's that, too, but this is not your 'wimpy' oatmeal. Sure, it' take a little preparation. You're not afraid of a little hard work, are you? Our fathers fought the Nazis and the Chi-Coms, you can spend 20 minutes making a hearty breakfast.Do it for your family.

very good stuff