Bed-and-Breakfast Oatmeal

When you prepare this the night before for a house full of guests, everyone can help themselves as they get up. How great is that?

Makes 8 servings.

8 cups water

2 cups steel-cut oats (do not substitute rolled or quick-cooking oats)

¹/₄ teaspoon salt, or to taste

1. Combine water, oats, and salt in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Turn heat to Low. Put the lid on and cook until the oats are tender and the porridge is creamy, 7 to 8 hours.

2. Sweeten with a moderate amount of brown sugar or maple syrup, and add milk or cream if desired.

Variations:

 Add ¹/₃ to ¹/₂ cup of a dried fruit of your choice (such as cranberries, cherries, apricots, or raspberries) at start of recipe and cook with the oats for 7 to 8 hours as directed.

 Add a cup or so of fresh, chopped fruit to the oatmeal when it’s ready to be eaten. The best apple varieties are Fuji, Red Delicious, or Gala. Or combine with a Bosc pear.

Steel-cut oats are different from the rolled oats that are typically used to make oatmeal. Rather than a flattened kernel (that has sometimes also been pre-cooked, as for instant oatmeal), steel-cut oats are the inner portion of the oat kernel, cut into two or three pieces by steel blades—thus, the name steel cut oats. They take longer to cook and yield a thick, rich porridge—perfect for the slow cooker!