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See why.Oat Milk
Oat milk sales are skyrocketing. With so many products on the market, which one is the best?
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What You Need To Know
Twenty years ago, dairy-free milks were relegated to natural foods stores, but today they’re mainstream. Oat milk is one of the fastest growing nondairy milks, according to data from SPINS, a wellness-focused market research company. Its popularity is due to several factors. First, it has a naturally sweet and nutty flavor. Second, it’s a welcome alternative to other dairy-free milk...
Everything We Tested
Recommended
Tasters loved this mellow oat milk’s “very faint nuttiness” and “slight oat” flavor. With 7 grams of sugar per serving, it was “not too sweet.” It was “supersmooth in coffee,” in part because of the addition of rapeseed oil, gellan gum, and phosphates. It also produced tender, delicious results when we subbed it for coconut milk in vegan biscuits. One taster said it “seems like a pretty unobtrusive replacement for cow’s milk” and another said “I'd keep this in my milk rotation.”
This oat milk tasted “pleasant,” with a “perfectly reasonable sweetness.” Tasters liked this milk but found it “a little on the thin side,” perhaps because it contains phosphates and gums but not oil. “As an avid milk drinker, I would use this as an alternative,” said a taster.
Our tasters praised this “smooth,” “silky,” and “creamy” oat milk, noting that it had “a bit more body” than some other samples and that it “added a nice creaminess to the coffee.” As for flavor, it had a “pleasant sweetness on the finish.” However, it tasted more strongly of oats than many of the other samples in our lineup, and several tasters said it was “too much oat.”
Recommended with reservations
“This screams ‘I’m made from oats,’” noted one taster. Some people liked its bold oat flavor, but one taster noted, “It's a little strong for me.” This sample was incredibly smooth, and it was on the thicker side. Tasters liked this oat milk plain and in coffee, but when we used it as a replacement for coconut milk in our biscuit recipe, we found the oat flavor overpowering. We suggest choosing a less intense oat milk for baking and cooking, so the oat flavor doesn’t interfere with or dominate the other ingredients’ flavors.
Not Recommended
This oat milk had an “enjoyable amount of oat flavor.” However, without any emulsifiers or oils to help improve its drinkability, this sample was deemed “thin,” “watery,” and “a little chalky.” One taster noted that they detected “a little sediment” on their tongue. Tasters also picked up on a sour note, most likely from the extended UHT processing time required for this shelf-stable product.
With 17 grams of sugar per serving—more than double the amount in our favorite oat milk—there was an “overpowering sweetness” that one taster deemed a “true deal breaker.” Most companies remove oat bran during processing, but not this one; the oat bran is added back to this milk for extra fiber. The addition of oat bran gave it an unmistakable “chalkiness.” Although this product includes gellan gum and tricalcium phosphate to help improve texture, it didn’t include any oil, so it was a bit too thin. It’s a shelf-stable product, so it was likely processed longer, which can cause proteins to break down and create the “sour” flavor that tasters noticed.
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing.
Carolyn Grillo
Carolyn is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She's a French-trained professional baker.
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Start Free TrialAbsolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!
Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.
Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!
John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.