So many kinds so many questionsI used to be a Quick Cook Oats and even tried those instant packages (yuck) thanks to Lyn I am a Old Fashion Oats guy, while she is a Rolled or Steel Oats gal. Hey everyone has their own taste and who’s to say you are right or wrong.  Joe and my wife both cook a weeks worth Lyn has it all set in the frig in individual servings while I use my cook what I eat method every morning. I have been known to wander over to her side from time to time.

Old Fashioned Oats, Steel Cut Oats and Quick Cooking Oats

Steel-Cut Oats – We get steel-cut oats when the whole groat is split into several pieces. Simmered with water, steel-cut oats retain much of their shape and make a chewy, nutty-tasting porridge. Substitute: Whole Oat Groats

Rolled Oats – Whole grains of oats can also be steamed to make them soft and pliable, and then pressed between rollers and dried. The resulting “rolled oats” re-absorb water and cook much more quickly than whole groats or steel-cut oats. When a recipe calls for “rolled oats” or the packaging mentions it, they generally mean the thickest rolled oat, which retains its shape fairly well during cooking. Substitute: Quick oats can be substituted, but the texture will be lost

Old-Fashioned Oats – The source of much confusion, old-fashioned oats are actually the same as rolled oats. You’ll usually see them called “Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats” on packaging.

Quick Cook Oats

Quick or Quick-Cooking Oats – These are oats that have been pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats. They cook more quickly, but retain less of their texture. Substitute: Rolled Oats or Instant Oats

Instant oatmeal

Instant Oats – Pressed even thinner than quick oats, instant oats often break into a coarse powder. They cook the quickest of all and make a very soft and uniform mush (erm…for lack of a better description). Substitute: Quick Oats

Hotel Morning Oats – Then there was the oatmeal at the hotel in Minnesota last trip, I think you could have put up wall paper with it, talk about stick to your ribs Joe.

Joe P. Whitney Jr.
“This is what I make Tony and I every week for breakfast. I double the batch and add 16 dates, 1/3 c raisins, 1/3 c of walnuts, cinnamon, and vanilla. It’s so amazing!! It sticks to your ribs. Don’t really get hungry till about ten. Try it!!”

Steel-Cut Oatmeal With Fruit

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter (optional)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons dried fruit, such as raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries
• 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup, agave syrup, honey or brown sugar (more to taste)
• Fresh fruit (such as diced apples and pears, optional)

How:

1. Combine the water, milk and salt in a large, heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil. Slowly add the oats, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Stir in the butter, dried fruit and sweetener. Cover, and continue to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent the cereal from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the oats are soft and the mixture is creamy. Serve, with added fruit stirred in if desired, or refrigerate and reheat as desired. Or freeze as follows:

2. Line ice cube trays with plastic wrap. Fill each cube with oatmeal, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen solid, remove the cubes from the ice tray and freeze in a plastic bag. For each portion, thaw three or four cubes in a microwave on the defrost setting. Add additional warm milk if desired.

Yield: Four servings.

Advance preparation: Cooked steel-cut oats will keep for five days in the refrigerator and can be reheated atop the stove or in the microwave.

Note: Although my steel-cut oats come in a container with directions for cooking them in the microwave, I don’t find the results satisfactory. The oatmeal doesn’t have the time it needs to swell and release its starch into the liquid, so the liquid never gets creamy and the oatmeal doesn’t soften properly. A better way to save time is to soak the oats overnight. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Combine the oats and salt in a bowl, and pour on the water. Leave overnight. In the morning, bring the milk to a simmer in a large saucepan, and stir in the oats and any liquid remaining in the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer 15 minutes, until creamy, stirring often.

Related articles

• Difference between Rolled and Steel Cut Oats (800medigap.com)
• MorningOatmeal (Stevesacooking)

• Lyn’s blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes (Stevesacooking)

• Blueberry Oatmeal Bread (Stevesacooking)