Oats

Oats have excellent nutritional qualities and are rich in protein, seven B vitamins, calcium, fiber, and unsaturated fats. Flour from oats is gluten free, and it is believed that oat bran lowers cholesterol.

The reason oatmeal keeps longer than other grains is because the heat used to process it destroys the enzymes that hasten staling.

Oat groats are untreated, natural, hulled oats with the outermost inedible chaff or hull removed.

Quick oats are groats that have been steel-cut into pieces before being steamed and flattened by steel rollers into thin flakes. Quick oats have less texture and are less chewy than rolled oats.

Steaming then crushing oat groats between steel rollers makes rolled oats, also called old-fashioned oats. The cholesterol lowering bran and B vitamins are retained. Old-fashioned oats and quick oats can usually be interchanged in recipes.

Use oats in cereal, cookies, breads, pancakes, and waffles.

*For nutritional content and recipes see the book “Those Wonderful Grains-2nd Edition,” by Chef Brad

Nutritional Information

Fiber Content: grams per cup

Oats Usage

Oats or Groats?

Try oat groats. They are fabulous. I love them cooked up like rice as a side dish. Also oat groats store better and you can roll them, make them into flour, crack them in a blender, or just cook them up.

Recipes Using Oats