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See why.Quick Oats
For emergencies only?
Published July 1, 2009. Appears in Cook's Illustrated July/August 2009, America's Test Kitchen TV Season 10: All-Time Cookie Favorites
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What You Need To Know
In a preliminary tasting, we found quick oats far inferior to chewier, more flavorful rolled or steel-cut oats in oatmeal, so we took them out of our larger oats tasting. Of the four brands we tasted, one fared best but was recommended only with reservations—overall, tasters agreed that it was “Bland City.” Two brands of quick oats were a step down, while one pricey brand lagged far behind, with tasters likening its mushy texture to “nursing home food.” With comments like these, who cares if quick oats cook in a minute?
Everything We Tested
Recommended with reservations
This common supermarket brand won the quick oat competition with “more oat flavor” than the others and a “creamy texture.” A few tasters described it as “somewhat sweet,” “nutty,” and “buttery.” But most found it had “no complexity.” In sum: “Bland City.”
“Great hearty oat flavor, then falls a little flat” with “fairly bland” flavor that was “hard to distinguish.” “Like it has wood chips in it.” “Mmmm. Horse feed.” Others noted “grassy” flavors and “a slightly sour aftertaste.”
“Very oat-y and chewy,” but “tastes like cardboard diluted with water,” “stodgy,” and “sort of underwhelming.”
Not Recommended
A “soft, prechewed texture” made it seem like “nursing home food.” Reminiscent of a “mushy rice cake” with a “wood shavings flavor.” A few noted a “slightly metallic” taste.
Reviews you can trust
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