What Is Steel-Cut Oatmeal?

If you've set eyes on a brunch menu lately at anything fancier than, oh, an IHOP, surely you've glanced at the steel-cut oatmeal...and of course never ordered it because there's 47 different combinations of eggs, breakfast meats and cheeses and/or French toast and pancakes staring you right in the face. However, should you be watching your intake of certain delicious fats, upping your intake of fiber or you simply feel like going a little lighter but no less tasty, consider steel-cut oats. Here's a recipe.

This is not your average Quaker oatmeal and certainly not your apple cinnamon insta-glue. Steel-cut oats are made from the much harder, denser whole inner kernel (which needs a powerful steel blade to process it, hence "steel-cut"), and regular oatmeal is made with rolled oats: flattened, steamed oat kernel flakes. Like polenta and risotto, this slow-cooking grain needs stirring and attention, but the creamy texture is richer and the nutty flavor more intense — totally worth the extra effort. As for the fiber content, well, you'll see.

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