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What’s the difference between steel-cut, Scottish, Irish, rolled, quick-cooking, old-fashioned, and instant oats?
Some are milled differently, while others are exactly the same but called different names. For every type, the oats first undergo cleaning, hulling, and conditioning, which removes the outer shell (called a hull), leaving the inner kernel or oat groat. The groat is then brushed clean in scouring machines. Next, a kiln heats the groats to about 215 degrees Fahrenheit to deactivate their enzymes, which limits how the oils present in the germ can react with oxygen, making the oats stable for storage. Chelsea Lincoln, a representative from Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, says this is important because “oats go rancid very quickly if not stabilized.”
From there, the whole oat groats are processed differently depending on what type of oatmeal they are being made into. Lincoln says that to make steel-cut oats (also known as Irish oats), the groats are chopped up with steel blades. “This allows for a chewier oatmeal,” says Lincoln. For Scottish oats, the groats are ground into a meal, which makes a “porridge-type oat with a nice, creamy texture.” Irish and Scottish oats take about 30 minutes to cook.
Rolled (also known as old-fashioned) oats take less time to cook. The groats are softened by steaming, then run through metal rollers to flatten them. Lincoln says that Bob’s Red Mill regular rolled oats are flattened to 0.024 to 0.032 inches, while quick-cooking oats are rolled even thinner—about 0.017 to 0.022 inches—so they will cook in under five minutes. Instant oats are also rolled thin, but are then “cooked and then dried again,” says Lincoln. Just add hot water and stir.
CHOW’s Nagging Question column appears every Friday.
So what is the criteria for organic oatmeal? Does it really make a big difference?
I love the quick oats because, well, they're so quick! And because they are quick and easy, I have them more often than if I had to cook my oats for 1/2 hour. My question is this: Are they all just as nutritious?
@thespian: we know! Crazy. We've got our lawyers on the case.
this article was cut and paste almost exactly as it appears here (with a leeeetle bit of Wikipedia) in the most recent issue of Cooks Source
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=439516966748&set=a.439514776748.238553.196994196748&pid=5273828&id=196994196748#!/photo.php?fbid=439516861748&set=a.439514776748.238553.196994196748&pid=5273808&id=196994196748
it appears that almost the entire...+READ
this article was cut and paste almost exactly as it appears here (with a leeeetle bit of Wikipedia) in the most recent issue of Cooks Source
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=439516966748&set=a.439514776748.238553.196994196748&pid=5273828&id=196994196748#!/photo.php?fbid=439516861748&set=a.439514776748.238553.196994196748&pid=5273808&id=196994196748
it appears that almost the entire magazine has been copied from online sources.-COLLAPSE
I get the Old Wessex brand Scottish style oats all the time (canister with the red top). They cook in 3 minutes in the microwave, so they are handy to prepare at work. I just eyeball the amount of oats and water, add some salt, and zap. They're bland alone, but the texture is chewy, chewy, chewy, rather than mushy. It's great with a sliced banana, brown sugar, and black pepper. I'll make...+READ
I get the Old Wessex brand Scottish style oats all the time (canister with the red top). They cook in 3 minutes in the microwave, so they are handy to prepare at work. I just eyeball the amount of oats and water, add some salt, and zap. They're bland alone, but the texture is chewy, chewy, chewy, rather than mushy. It's great with a sliced banana, brown sugar, and black pepper. I'll make steel-cut oats at home, but for breakfast at work the Old Wessex Scottish work for me.-COLLAPSE
I find Bob's Scottish the very best. They are less flat then rolled and more creamy and complex then steel cut. Plus I love the idea of the huge stones grinding the oats like the ancient Celts did. I doubt the Irish steel cutting process is older the 1800s. Any other stone ground brands? I saw in Shaws Wessex brand( ?)oatmeal. They had steel cut, Irish and Scottish? How are they?
Very useful!
I find it a bit odd that a representative of Bob's Red Mill would say that Scottish oats take 30 minutes to cook. The bag of their Scottish Oatmeal in my cabinet cooks up quite well in the 10 minutes the package directs.
I add strawberries, raspberries, pears, peaches, plums (all when in season) and walnuts or almonds to my steel-cut oatmeal, and plain yogurt.
I usually slightly undercook a large batch on Sunday evening, store it in a container and then brake it into smaller portions that I mix with a bit of water and reheat in a pot each morning. It takes 2 or 3 minutes and is as good.
I add strawberries, raspberries, pears, peaches, plums (all when in season) and walnuts or almonds to my steel-cut oatmeal, and plain yogurt.
I usually slightly undercook a large batch on Sunday evening, store it in a container and then brake it into smaller portions that I mix with a bit of water and reheat in a pot each morning. It takes 2 or 3 minutes and is as good.
Love steel-cut oatmeal. I like the suggestion for adding ice cream! I will have to try that one out.
Here's an oatmeal eating suggestion:
You know how folks put sugar and milk on their oatmeal? Maybe some fruit.
Try ice cream! It's wonderful. A big scoop of ice cream in a steaming bowl of oatmeal (we use Irish style) is a complete set of contrasts of flavors, textures, and temperatures.
Add some fruit too! Our favorite is strawberries, bananas and cinnamon ice cream. Ooohh, almost makes...+READ
Here's an oatmeal eating suggestion:
You know how folks put sugar and milk on their oatmeal? Maybe some fruit.
Try ice cream! It's wonderful. A big scoop of ice cream in a steaming bowl of oatmeal (we use Irish style) is a complete set of contrasts of flavors, textures, and temperatures.
Add some fruit too! Our favorite is strawberries, bananas and cinnamon ice cream. Ooohh, almost makes mornings bearable.-COLLAPSE
has anyone ever gotten blue or greenish streaks in their steel cut oats when cooking it? any idea what that is, and why it happens?
Thank you for the positive feedback! Kasumeat and paulj are correct: because all the forms of oatmeal are derived from the whole oat groat, they have the same nutritional content. That's assuming you are working with plain oatmeal--I can't vouch for the "healthiness" of the sugary artificially flavored stuff.
I have been using the President's Choice Steel Cut Oats but have no idea on how nutricious it is ... I do know that I feel good the whole morning and actually do not feel hungry I put banana slices in it and also apple, blueberries and even prunes sometimes
All the types of oats are whole oats, so they all have the same nutritional content. What varies is the rate of digestion. The quicker-cooking the oats, the faster they are digested, which causes your insulin to spike, thus prioritizing fat storage. However, it should be noted that cooking steel-cut oats to mush will essentially render them identical to quick oats. For the healthiest option, cook...+READ
All the types of oats are whole oats, so they all have the same nutritional content. What varies is the rate of digestion. The quicker-cooking the oats, the faster they are digested, which causes your insulin to spike, thus prioritizing fat storage. However, it should be noted that cooking steel-cut oats to mush will essentially render them identical to quick oats. For the healthiest option, cook steel cut oats al dente.-COLLAPSE
If you have a fuzzy logic-style rice cooker, they're fantastic for steel cut oats. Put 1/4 c. oats and 3/4 c. water for each serving in the cooker the night before (with a pinch or two of salt, of course) and set the timer for the porridge cycle. Having steel cut oats ready for me when I make up makes my day!
This description suggests that there is little difference in 'healthiness', since no soluble fiber is removed when cutting or rolling groats.
The whole groats can be cooked without cutting or rolling. An easy way is to bring them to a boil (3:1 ratio), and let sit overnight, then cook for a half hour in the morning.
I love steel cut oats. I'd love to find out also which are healthier.
Great article! It may also be useful to cover the nutritional differences between the different types of oatmeal. From what I've read, the more "whole" the oat, the more heart-healthy?
patio cafe in fresno ca offers BAKED OATMEAL with fresh fruit, or as you like it...........i perfer a baked in poached egg, with fresh gound pepper...........wow
Nice. One of the best articles I've read on Chow. I thought I knew everything about oatmeal, but I learned a lot.