Do you want better oatmeal? Everything starts buying the right oat

Oats are a modest but powerful kitchen base food, perfect for breakfast, baking and even hearty dishes. They all start as the same simple grain – a groats – from its inedible outer fuselage. What distinguishes one kind of oats from another depends on the processing, e.g. B. whether the oats hacked, stone ground, steamed, rolled or cooked. These techniques create different textures and flavors, which gives each type its strengths in the kitchen: steel -cut oats for creamy, cooked breakfast; Rollter oats for cookies, muffins and muesli; And oat meal for gluten -free baking. Regardless of the type of all oats, deserve the hype. They offer a slightly nutty aroma and a solid diet – strange fiber, protein and important vitamins and minerals that support heart health and steady blood sugar.

In order to understand better what oats makes so valuable, both in the kitchen and from the point of view of nutrition, I spoke to Amy Hallorana grain expert, writer, teacher and author of The new bread basket. Halloran has long been a fan of oats. “The taste potential in oats always inspired me,” she says. Here is a closer look at the most common types of oats and the selection, storage and cooking with them.

Meet the oat

Oat gruats

groats are the entire oat geriac, which is only removed from the outer fuselage. They resemble Wheat berries And are firm and tight, which means that you can take 45 minutes to an hour to cook on the stove. Because of their tough, nutty bite, groats are ideal for a rustic breakfast porridge when they have time to give them completely soft. You are also a solid option in Grain salad or Pilafs Where you can normally use wheat berries, barley or rice. To get risotto a nice turn, try to exchange rice for greetings.

Steel cutter oats and pinhead harrowers

Steel oats cut Greetings are hacked into smaller pieces, typically with steel leaves, hence their name. Steel cutting hazards are often referred to as a Pinhead harbor, which refers to their small size, which is after the processed use. Cook the steel cutting edge in about 15 to 30 minutes and keep your robust texture and nutty taste after cooking. Oatmeal, whether sweet or hearty, is a breakfast classic that you can make on the stove and in a slow stove. Speed cookeror Rice cooker. They are excellent in tough, hearty dishes like excellent how Grain saladCan be added to soups and chilli and work well in grain bowls or salads. They can also be used to adjust fried rice.

Scottish oat

Scottish oats are full, which cooks in small, uneven pieces that cooks relatively quickly over 10 to 15 minutes-a creamy, porridge consistency. This smooth texture is perfect for Traditional porridgePresent Baked oatmealAnd Pancake recipes. They are also an important ingredient in the filling for Scottish Haggis, a sheep of sheep hearts, lungs and liver that were put together with oats.

oatmeal

Also known as an old -fashioned oats, rolled oats are steamed and flattened, entire harnesses are carried out. You are the point of contact for daily baking, Muesliand oatmeal. Rollter oats cook in about five to ten minutes and increase a balance between Chewy and tender. They are great for oatmeal stove. Overnight oatsPresent CookiesPresent MuffinsAnd MuesliJust to name just a few. Your neutral taste makes you shine in both sweet and hearty recipes. Halloran actually mentioned to use oats to make a hearty muesli that could include nuts, seeds, seeds, olive oil, spices such as smoked peppers and Rosemary and even Parmigiano-Reggiano, an idea that she writes Abra Berens’ cooking book Grain.

Fast cooker Hairs

Fast cookers are thinner, finely rolled versions of rolled oats. They cook about one to five minutes and result in a smoother, creamier texture than rolled oats. They are practical if you want to have soft oatmeal quickly or a finer texture in pancakes and other baked goods Scottish oat cake. Choose for quick (or immediate oats) if speed has your priority.

Immediate oats

Immediate oats are the fastest of all. They are boiled down, dried and very thin, so that in combination with hot liquid they become almost immediately soft. They often come to single-care packages, which are often flavored and sweetened. Although they fit for a quick breakfast or to add body to smoothies, they are missing most of the tough texture that many people are looking for in oats, and their super delicate texture makes them too soft to bake or use them with oats.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is made from finely ground oat sizes or rolled oats. It has a mild nutty that works well when baking. It is a particularly good choice for gluten-free baked goods, provided that you choose a oatmeal that is gluten-free certified-like oats by nature gluten-free, they can be contaminated together with grains such as wheat and barley that contain gluten. Oatmeal gives baked goods a tenderness and subtle sweetness. To give baked goods an earthy taste, some bakers use a mixture of oatmeal and normal wheat flour to make them BreadMuffins, pancakePresent Cookiesand more. Start with the exchange of a third of the all -purpose flour for oatmeal in a recipe and experiment with different conditions to your taste.

How to save oats

Oats keep the best in airtight containers of heat and moisture. Full gymnasts and steel cutting harks last a year on the longest to a year, while in six to twelve months the roller, fast and immediate oats are eaten best. After 12 months, oats can start to smell and taste musty, especially if it is exposed to moisture. You can also become rancid and sour or bitter.

Oatmeal is sensitive and benefits from cooling or freezing. You can also keep raw oats in the refrigerator in an airtight container to extend your freshness and durability. Halloran recommends keeping only a small amount – like the amount you could use in a month in a month, at room temperature and freezing or freezing of the rest.

Shopping tips

When buying oats or oat meal, check whether you have a fresh, airtight packaging and avoid anyone who is stale or switched off. Pay attention to the “use of” or “Best by” data, since the freshly oats always tastes best, and have a nutty, richer and more pronounced taste than oats that have been sitting for a long time. “The volume of the taste (from fresh oats) is upwards,” says Halloran. For the taste of the next level, try smaller producers who separate oats into small batches. Regional mills such as Maine Grain in the northeast work with nearby farmers to procure and mill their products, and deliver a freshness that is difficult to surpass.