It’s said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and one of the best breakfast foods you can choose is oatmeal. With a high fiber content to keep you full and practically endless toppings and mix-ins, oatmeal is a breakfast staple for good reason, but when it comes to steel-cut oats, you might wonder why they take so long to cook.

The type of fiber in oatmeal has been found to improve heart health and lower cholesterol, plus it’s a good source of antioxidants and can help manage weight and blood sugar levels. However, while steel-cut oats and rolled oats take a while to cook, they tend to have more nutritional value because they are less processed.

All oatmeal comes from a grain called a groat. The groats for steel-cut oats are quickly chopped, while rolled oats have been steamed and then rolled flat. Because steel-cut oats are basically whole grains, they take much longer to cook; however, you can buy quick-cooking steel-cut oats that are into cut smaller pieces and break down faster.