Oatmeal Recipes and Cooking Tips

Today, oats and oatmeal products are touted as a natural wonder food because of their high water-soluble fiber content, but oats have only become the darling of doctors and dieticians since the 1980's. Prior to the 1800's, oats were considered horse and cattle fodder while oatmeal was considered a food for the poor. Samuel Jackson's "Dictionary of the English Language," written in 1755, defines oats as "a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but which in Scotland supports the people." Oatmeal has come a long way, baby! Learn about oatmeal, and get some cooking tips before delving into the oatmeal recipes.

What is oatmeal?

Oatmeal (Avena sativa) comes from oat grains, a cereal grass, and oatmeal is most commonly consumed by humans as a cooked cereal. Raw, harvest oats are used as feed for animals, but for human consumption, the oats are processed to some extent.

There are many different forms of edible oats and oatmeal. It's important to know the differences before selecting oatmeal products for your recipes.

Types of oats and oatmeal

Oat groats: Oats that have been cleaned, toasted, hulled, and cleaned again. They take a long time to cook and are rather chewy. You can reduce the cooking time by rolling or pounding them.
Rolled Oats: Oat groats that are steamed, pressed with a roller, then dried. Rolled oats are also known as old-fashioned oats. These will take about 15 minutes to cook.
Quick-cooking oats: Rolled oats have been cut into smaller pieces and rolled thinner, thus they cook more quickly (about 5 minutes).
Instant oatmeal: Oatmeal that has been pre-cooked and dried. These days, instant oatmeal usually comes with flavor additives. Do not use in place of rolled or quick-cooking oatmeal.
Oat flour: Comes from ground oat groats and contains no gluten (gluten-free). Oat flour contains natural antioxidants that can actually prolong the shelf-life of baked goods. It is usually available at health food stores.
Oat bran: The outer coating of the oat grain which is even higher in fiber. Also usually available at health food stores.
Steel-cut oats or Scotch oats: Unrolled oats which have been cut into 2 or 3 pieces. Even with extended cooking time, they are quite chewy in texture. These are often used as a savory side dish.

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