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Oat Primer

What the difference between rolled oats, quick oats, and instant oats?

What the difference between rolled oats, quick oats, and instant oats?

Rolled oats, also known as old-fashioned or regular oats, are whole oats that have been steamed and rolled. If these same oats are also rolled very thinly to make them cook faster, they are called quick oats. Instant oats are cooked and dehydrated; they need no cooking and are easily reconstituted with hot water.

We tried all three types in oatmeal cookies to see which one was best. Both rolled and quick oats produced cookies that tasters described as "chewy" and "oaty." The cookies made with instant oats, however, were deemed "gummy," "raw," and "not acceptable." We've had similar results in other recipes and don't recommend using instant oats in the kitchen.

Quick oats and old-fashioned oats can be freely substituted for each other. One more category of processed oats to consider is steel-cut oats. Sometimes called Scottish or Irish oats, they are neither steamed nor rolled but are simply whole oats that have been cut into smaller pieces. These oats take a long time to cook (about 30 minutes) and are rarely used in baking, although they make a wonderful hot breakfast.

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