What are oats? What is the difference between steel and rolled oats?
Oats are a whole-grain food which belong to the family of cereals and is commonly consumed for breakfast.
Oat groats, the most intact and whole form of oats, take a long time to cook. These groats have only the hull removed.
For this reason, most people prefer rolled, crushed or steel-cut oats. Oats are gluten free and high in protein.
Oats have beta- glucan which is a soluble fiber. It makes feel fuller for a longer time by slowing down the movement of food through the digestive tract. Good source of dietary fiber as well as anti-oxidants.
What are steel oats?
Steel-cut or Irish oats are chopped into small chunks rather than rolled. It is cut using large steel blades, hence, the name. They are chewier and often have a stronger flavor than rolled oats, because they usually are not steamed. The stronger flavor is from active lipase enzymes breaking down oils. Because of their chunky shape and the fact that they have not been previously cooked, steel-cut oats take longer to cook than rolled oats.
What are rolled oats?
Regular rolled oats, also called large flake or old-fashioned rolled oats, are whole groats that have been steamed, then flattened between rollers. The steaming makes it easier to flatten the oats. Steaming also inactivates lipase enzymes that could cause the oil in oats to oxidize and produce bad flavors.
What are instant oats?
Instant oats or quick oats are made by cutting each groat into several thin pieces before steaming and rolling. Quick oats require less cook time because water penetrates thin pieces faster and makes it cook faster.
What is the difference between steel cut and rolled oats?
Steel cut oats since they are not steamed and rolled, have a coarse texture. It also needs a lot of chewing and has nutty and earthy flavors.
Rolled oats have milder flavor and softer texture. It takes lesser cooking time than steel cut oats as it has already been steamed.
Is oats gluten free?
Yes oats are gluten free. It is perfect for those who have Celiac disease or are intolerant towards Gluten.
Which oats is the best for health?
Although steel cut oats are definitely healthier as it is closer to the natural form of oats, however rolled oats are way better in terms of ease of use and also requires lesser cooking time.
Oat recipes you can try:
Tiktok Viral chocolate baked oats
I am attaching an overnight oats guide for you:
The base recipe you will be following for all the oats:
Oats- 50 grams
Milk (Any milk)- 100 ml
Yoghurt- 50 grams
Honey- 1 tablespoon or 2 tablespoon
You can play with all the flavor, topping and garnish options that I have provided for an entire week for breakfast.
I hope my post helped you understand what is the difference between steel and rolled oats and as an oat guide.
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