Perfect Overnight Oatmeal

Weekday breakfasts used to go something like this: a bowl of multi-grain cheerios with skim, or fruit with yogurt and granola in the summer, or maybe some slices of toast. None of it was particularly nutritious, and I was always ravenous by 10 AM. The only reason I kept these options around is because they were fast. Breakfast needs to take ten minutes tops from start to finish.

A few weeks ago, I started making oatmeal in the crockpot, and I'm totally hooked. The only thing tricky here is the ratio of water to oatmeal and cooking time. This will vary depending on the size and temperature of your crockpot, but after a few runs and tweaks, I've finally found my perfect weekday breakfast -- easy, warm, and filling.

You'll need steel cut oats, water, salt, and an electrical timer. Steel cut is much better suited than rolled oats -- they're tougher so they'll hold up to the longer cooking time. (And even though I don't think this is technically accurate, they just feel like the healthier option.) Salt is key, so don't skip it. It doesn't make your oatmeal salty, just more flavorful. Brown sugar and cinnamon are optional.

 In your crockpot, mix the ingredients according with these ratios: 1 cup steel cut oats, 3 3/4-4 cups water, 3 good pinches of kosher salt. I also add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. It will look totally unappetizing.

Set the electrical timer so that the oats cook at the crockpot's lowest setting for 2.5-3 hours and then shut the crockpot off. Time this so that the oats have about 30 minutes to thicken and finish cooking in the still-warm crockpot before you're ready to eat.

Stir before serving.