What You Need to Know About Oatmeal

I’ve been cooking oatmeal quite frequently these days. The cold weather has Hubby requesting oatmeal for breakfast over his customary smoothie. And truth be told, I love it for dinner (Brinner!!). Mixed with a handful of walnuts and ground flax seed, topped with fresh berries it becomes a hardy meal.

Many people ask me about the different types of oatmeal and which they should be eating. There are many varieties: Quick Oats, Old Fashioned Oats, Gluten- Free Rolled Oats, and Steel Cut Oats. Shopping for oatmeal can be confusing. Oatmeal can be full of fiber, vitamins and nutrients, but if you purchase the wrong kind, you’ll miss out on the benefits. To help you avoid that mistake here is what you need to know with a few “Talk Healthy” tips mixed in.

All oatmeal is considered whole grain. It is the milling and processing that alters the nutritional value. In order to get the most nourishment out of your oats, choose the one with the least number of processing steps. Here’s the list, starting with the most processed.

Instant Oatmeal: These very thin and precooked oats only need to be mixed with a hot liquid. They are convenient, but the bran (fiber) and vitamins have been removed. I find instant oatmeal has added sugar, flavorings and salt. Besides the void of nutrients, instant keeps me full for all of 5 minutes. I’d pass on this one.

Quick Cooking Oats: Very similar to instant oatmeal, these oats have been rolled and pressed, usually cooks in about 3 minutes. You can use these for oatmeal cookies, but I would rather use Rolled Oats.

Rolled Oats=Old Fashioned Oatmeal: These oats are steamed and rolled flat producing flat, flaky oats as shown in the picture. These oats have more nutrients than the instant and quick cooking varieties. They cook up in about 5 to 10 minutes which is nice, but my breakfast of choice is Steel Cut Oats. I use rolled oats for my oatmeal raisin cookies (click here for recipe) and cobbler recipes. Rolled Oats are available Gluten-Free. (Oats are naturally gluten free, the concern is contamination.)

Steel Cut Oats=Irish Oats=Scottish Oats: Steel Cut Oats (also known as Irish Oats) are similar to Oat Groats. Steel Cut Oats are not rolled but coarsely chopped (see picture) with steel blades, hence the name. They are chewier and less processed than Rolled Oats making this the breakfast of choice for most. I have never sampled Scottish Oats, but I am told it lends itself to a more porridge-type, creamy oatmeal because the groats are ground into a meal.
*Bob’s Red Mill makes Gluten-Free Steel Cut Oats
**Steel cut oatmeal can take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes to cook. A real time saver is to combine your oatmeal and water the night before, boil for 3 minutes, turn the pot off and in the morning all you need to do is heat and serve.
***Why is McCanns’ Irish Oats more than double the price of traditional steel cut oats. Could it be the sleek, metal canister? Is there a prize inside? I decided to test it out. Using the boil the night before method, I added a little cinnamon, vanilla almond milk and flax seed to the mix and was really pleased with the result. McCann’s Irish Oats was creamier and smoother than the grainier texture of traditional Steel Cut Oats. Is it worth the extra bucks? (Amazon sells McCanns, 28 ounce canister, 4 pack for $26.84 and Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats for $1.73 a 24 ounce bag). I’ll stick with Bob’s and treat myself on occasion to McCann’s.

Oat Groats: The least processed, oat groats are unflattened and unchopped oat kernels. The downside is oat groats need to be soaked and cooked for a long time. I’ve never made them, so I can’t comment if it is worth the wait.

If you are a fan of pumpkin, check out this wintery oatmeal recipe.

Tagged as: breakfast, nutritarian, recipe, Vegetarian