The wide variety of oats available in the market can definitely be overwhelming and create confusion to make a choice. Depending on the level of processing, their cooking time, digestion time; the glycemic index gets affected to a larger extent; although the basic beneficial properties of oats remain the same.
Let’s have a look at the different varieties of Oats:
Whole Oat Groats – Whole oat kernels are cleaned and only the inedible hull is removed. The bran, endosperm, and germ are all intact.
Steel – Cut Oats / Irish Oats – Whole oat groats are cut into big pieces or slices. They have a chewy texture and take a longer time to cook (about 15-20 mins).
Rolled Oats – Oat groats are steamed, rolled, and flattened between rollers to get flat oats. They are less chewy than steel-cut oats and take about 5- 10 mins to cook.
Porridge or Quick – Cook Oats – Similar to rolled oats but it is steamed for a longer duration, rolled, and cut into small pieces, which reduces the cooking time to 1-2 mins.
Instant Oats – These oats are pre-cooked, milled so fine that they just cook in a jiffy, as it absorbs water instantly. The glycemic index of this type of oats is higher as compared to other varieties.
The processing of the oats decreases the moisture content, thereby increasing the shelf life of this highly nutritious breakfast cereal.
So, choose your best pick that makes the most of this commonly used, Modern Age Super Cereal!
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