Last fall we reported that Starbucks had introduced oatmeal at all its stores, and that the dish was the most successful food item launch in the company’s history. Now Jamba Juice, with about 730 stores in the U.S., has gone one better, by serving steel-cut oatmeal with your choice of three fresh fruit toppings. 

What are steel-cut oats, you ask, and why are they better? We’re used to seeing oats as flat bits from the familiar cardboard tube, known as rolled oats. But that’s not the way they grow in the field. No way. An actual oat kernel (usually called an oat groat) looks pretty similar in size and shape to a grain of long-grain rice. Rolled oats are oat groats that have been steamed and then flattened. Steel cut oats are oat groats that have been simply sliced into two or three pieces, so that water can get into them and cook them more easily. 

So why are they better? They’re the same nutritionally, but I say steel-cut oats are “better” because I like them better. (Isn’t that the point of having your own blog?) To my taste, they have a more interesting texture and a nuttier flavor than rolled oats. I had steel-cut oats for breakfast this morning with pears, blueberries and pecans. Hit the spot when the thermometer said 6° F. (Cynthia)