— Maria Allen

So oatmeal is in the press a lot because, you know, it used to just be that there was one kind of oatmeal. Uh, many of us grew up on old fashioned oats that we cooked for ourselves or maybe our mom or someone. And now there's such a plethora from steel cut from old fashioned. None of us wanna ever use any of the instant oatmeals because they, um, just aren't as nutritious for you quite quite simply. So I wanted to, I have my rice cooker out here tonight, today rather because I use my rice cooker for making steel cut oats, and there's a little button on there that says steel cut oats. And it, they come out beautifully and they come out delicious. And before I put them in there, I wash them about three or four times to get any surface particles, dirt, whatever. And, uh, when you do soak your oats overnight, you do reduce some of the phytic acid, which there are pros and cons about. The other thing you can do is just simply make overnight oats in a container with oats and your favorite plant milk. And I always like to add chia seeds. I know some people when they make overnight oats, like to fill it with raisins and blueberries and whatnot, but I keep it plain and simple because when I wake up in the morning and I have a bowl, I might wanna add a banana or add some blueberries or whatever. Soaking is not mandatory, but I think if you're using steel cut oats, the best thing to do is to make certain that they are super clean and rinsed really, really well, just like you do when you are making rice.