Oats come in such a dizzying array of cuts and rolls, it's easy to get lost and confused. I mean, what
is the difference between Scottish and Steel Cut Oats? What is an oat
groat? And what makes the
gluten free oats different from regular oats? Wonder no more, here is a comprehensive breakdown on oats.
Generally speaking, we're going to start with the least processed and go towards the most processed oat product. I'm going to leave oat flour out of this conversation, since most folks don't eat it as a cereal. Other items that I won't be covering are granola and muesli. We're talking just plain oats, folks.
Oat Groats: Quite simply, "groat" is the old Scottish word for the entire oat kernel minus the husk. These are the basis of every oat product that follows. You can take a groat and cook it like a chewy
hot cereal or turn it into a luscious pilaf. Oats are high in soluble fiber, making them creamy when cooked.
Steel Cut Oats: Steel cut oats are whole oat groats that have been cut into two or three pieces. That's it. They take longer to cook than a rolled oat, but have a wonderful chewiness that often surprises folks who have sworn off
whole grain oatmeal. This is not gruel. We can't tell you how many times we've heard stories of people converted to oatmeal after a lifetime of hating it. Our steel cut oats
won the Golden Spurtle in the 2009 World Porridge Championships in Carrbridge, Scotland, earning them the title of World's Best Oats.
Quick-Cooking Steel Cut Oats: These are steel cut oats that have had some pieces rolled flat. They are a hybrid between rolled and steel cut oats, giving them the chewiness of a steel cut oat while cooking a bit more quickly than traditional steel cut oats.
Scottish Oats: Scottish oats are made in true Scottish style: we take whole oat groats and mill them on our stone mills. This produces a creamy, fine oatmeal that is closer to what we think of as porridge. Scottish oats cook up quickly and are a great addition to baked goods. Try our recipe for
Scottish Oatcakes, one of Bob's all-time favorite snacks. Gluten free Scottish oats are also included in our delicious
Organic and Gluten Free Oatmeal Cups, along with gluten free rolled oats, flaxseed and chia.
Rolled Oats: From Extra Thick to Instant, rolled oats are whole
oat groats that have been steamed and flattened (or rolled) to varying thicknesses. In order of the thickest to thinnest, the order goes
Extra Thick,
Old Fashioned Regular,
Quick Cooking and
Instant. Extra thick and old fashioned taste best when cooked on the stove top, quick and instant can be ready in a matter of minutes when combined with boiling water or cooked in the microwave.
Organic Oats: We are proud to offer organic versions of many of our oats, including Organic Oat Groats, Organic Old Fashioned, Extra Thick and Quick Cooking
Rolled Oats, Organic Steel Cut and Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats, and Organic Scottish Oatmeal.
Gluten Free Oats: The main thing that makes gluten free oats special is the way they are grown and handled. Our Gluten Free Rolled Oats are made from oats grown by farmers who know and care about growing oats that are free from gluten. Each farm delivery is sampled and tested with an R5 ELISA gluten test to ensure the absence of gluten. Advanced color-sorting removes undetected impurities. Finally, the oats are packaged in our 100% gluten free facility and tested for gluten again to ensure their purity. We offer these as Old Fashioned, Steel Cut, Extra Thick and Quick Cooking. Our
Organic and Gluten Free Oatmeal Cups are also gluten free and are available in eight fantastic flavors that are ready in five minutes.
Gluten Free Organic Oats: Yes, oats can be gluten free and organic! We currently offer Gluten Free Organic Old Fashioned, Extra Thick and Quick Cooking Rolled Oats, and Gluten Free Organic Steel Cut Oats, as well as Organic Oatmeal Cups that are also gluten free.
Oat Bran: Finally, the most processed oat product we offer, but one that is incredibly nutritious and versatile—Oat Bran. Unlike wheat bran, oat bran offers some of the bran and the germ. It can be cooked like a hot cereal or added to baked goods to add the wonderful nuttiness of oats and boost the fiber content. Oat bran is incredibly high in fiber and a good source of protein.
No matter what preparation you choose, oats are an incredibly nutritious food that can be served sweet or savory for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Browse
oatmeal recipes for hot cereal, baked goods and more.
Great question. Oat bran is the bran and germ of the oat groat (i.e. only part of the grain), whereas steel cut oat is a whole oat groat that has been chopped into several pieces (i.e. the whole grain). Oat bran will be more like a creamy porridge, where steel cut oats will be chewier. Nutritionally, oat bran will be higher in fiber, because it's a higher concentration of the fibrous part of the oat.
All of our oats (except oat bran) will give you the same nutritional benefits, as they are all made with whole grain oats.
I'm not sure, but we only carry one product. The packaging may have changed, and I'm not sure why the grind would appear different.
We just launched Gluten Free Organic Oats! This post is a bit out of date. You can view these new products here: http://www.bobsredmill.com/shop/oats/gluten-free.html
If you have more questions, please contact our Customer Service team at 1-800-349-2173 or [email protected]
Check it about 40 minutes into cooking to see how it is doing--for your doness level. Gotta go check o my Oat Groats right now.
On another topic, I like to add oats to my wheat when I grind it for bread. It makes a softer bread
Organic Scottish Oatmeal
Whole Grain Oat Flour
Am I reading correctly that the Organic Scottish Oatmeal would provide me with a similar result, the groat, as using a Quern to grind the oats. Hope so, that will save me some time. :-)
Thanks for the blog.
Ed O'Dwyer