Oats: Health Benefits, Types, Cooking Tips

The oat family

• Oat groats are raw, de-hulled whole oat kernels. As the most intact form of oat, it takes the longest time to cook.
• Steel-cut oats (also known as pinhead or Irish oats) are raw, whole oat groats chopped into 2-3 pieces. It takes less time to cook than oat groats while retaining a chewy texture.
• Rolled oats are steamed oat groats that have been rolled into flakes without cracking or breaking. The cooking time and creaminess vary with the thickness of the flake. The thicker the flakes are, the longer it takes to cook, the creamier the final oatmeal is: steel-cut > extra-thick > old-fashioned > quick > instant.
• Scottish oats are coarsely-ground, raw oat groats. Its cooking time and final texture are similar to quick/instant oats due to its broken-down form, though the first one is neither steamed nor rolled.
• Oat bran is the oat kernel's outer layer and has the highest fiber content among all oat derivatives. It is a part of steel-cut oat and rolled oats but can also be purchased separately.