TJ's Frozen oatmeal taste test

by Nicole Weston, Posted Mar 18th 2006 @ 9:37AM

I was skeptical about frozen oatmeal. I often reheat leftovers, which I store in the fridge, when I make a big batch, but I never tried to freeze it. When I saw the single servings of steel cut oatmeal in the Trader Joe’s freezer section the first time, I walked right by. After all, why should I buy it when I can make it at home? A few trips to Trader Joe’s later and I reconsidered. It takes some time to cook steel cut oats, and perhaps a frozen version – provided that it tastes good – would be just the thing for weekday mornings. I picked up a box and brought it home. I’m glad I did because I was right about it being the perfect thing for a weekday breakfast. It cooks up exactly according to directions and hardly takes any more time than a frozen waffle takes to reheat, with the added benefit of being much healthier. The oatmeal tastes great, if a tiny bit sweet. The oats were tender and the portion size is just right. I added some dried fruit to mine halfway through the cooking time. It got me through until lunch, with a latte in between meals. I’ll buy it again, though I might try freezing my own small portions in the meantime.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

Filed Under: Raves & Reviews, Ingredients, New Products
Tags: breakfast, fast breakfast, frozen food, grains, irish oats, oatmeal, oats, product review, steel cut oats, SteelCutOats, tjs, trader joe's, trader joe's oatmeal, trader joe's review

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-18-2006 @11:41AM Mike said... Thanks for the review. I was at TJ's last night and saw the oatmeal listed on their "new" endcap. i went looking for it but found meatless corndogs in the place they were suppose to be. I wasn't necessarily going to take the fact they sold out as a good sign since they were new and likely all purchased by first time buyers.

i love steel cut oats. I'll make them on Sunday and reheat batches on a weekday, but like you never pondered freezing it. I've got a vacuum sealer, so it wouldn't be a tough thing to do. I'll look again for it at TJs for any hints on what consistancy it is when they freeze it.

Whenever I have oats I can't help but remember this web page that I came across years ago: http://www.textism.com/article/407/ It's one of my favorite food essays. I'd daresay that nuking frozen oats is not exactly that this guy had in mind.
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3-18-2006 @11:53AM David said... Yes please let us know how it goes if you do end up freezing your own.
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3-18-2006 @4:26PM Lady Amalthea said... I'll have to try these. I've been making myself instant oatmeal in the mornings and it's always disappointing.
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3-18-2006 @11:03PM Fash said... I make steel cut oats in a slow cooker overnight - Alton Brown has a recipe for that somewhere and I follow it, but usually leave out the cream. Just oats, water, and sometimes a handful of craisins.

I do freeze it, because it makes A LOT. I freeze it in one-cup portions and reheat in the container when I want to eat it. I take the top off, obviously, then just place it back on loosely in the microwave. I use 70 power for a couple minutes and that works fine. I haven't noticed anything about the texture changing for the worse - it may be slightly chewier, but I like it that way. I don't think I've ever had a batch in freezer longer than two weeks, so long term freezing might produce different results.

I freeze a savory oat pilaf the same way (oats, garlic, mushroom, and onion cooked in broth) and it works great. I use far less liquid than you would for oatmeal and the oats keep their shape - they look similar to bulgur, I guess.

Anyway, freeze your own. It's easy and it makes a frantic Monday morning far more pleasant.

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3-19-2006 @6:50AM Nissu said... "I'll have to try these. I've been making myself instant oatmeal in the mornings and it's always disappointing."

Try regular oatmeal. It takes a little bit longer to cook, but it's so much better. Add a little bit of sugar and (preferably fresh) berries in the end. You can also substitute sugar and berries with a good berry jam (lingonberry jam is excellent with oatmeal).

I really can't see why anyone would want to use frozen oatmeal. The whole idea is ridiculous - oatmeal is so quick and simple to prepare and frozen stuff is likely to be way more expensive, too.

Then again, I'm not American and maybe not accustomed to the frozen instant food "culture" you guys have over there.
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