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FOOD making carbs count
Are oats good for us?
Oats can benefit your health in lots of ways, which is
why health professionals recommend eating them as
part of a healthy diet.
Oats are one of the most
commonly-produced
cereals in the UK, and
are a low-cost, nutritious
and surprisingly versatile food. Not
just for breakfast, they're a great
ingredient for meals and snacks
throughout the day.
All oat products start out as oat
groats which are whole, toasted
oat grains. They have had the hull
removed but the nutritious parts -
the bran, endosperm and germ - are
still intact. With the bran intact, they
take a long time to cook but they
retain their shape and add texture
to dishes making them a fantastic
ingredient for stews or risottos.
Oat groats tend to be processed
into more easy-to-use oat products.
Except for oat bran, all oats are
wholegrains. The difference between
these products is that they provide
different textures and have varying
cooking times depending on the
amount of processing they have had.
Types of oats
Steel cut oatmeal, sometimes called
pinhead oats*, are oat groats cut into
two to four pieces with a sharp metal
blade. They take around 25 minutes
to cook, although you can reduce
the cooking time by soaking them
overnight. Steel cut oats are the least
processed form of oat cereal and
when cooked have a nutty flavour
with a good texture. They taste
great as porridge or can be used in
home baking.
Stoneground oatmeal is made
from oat groats that have been
ground into small flat pieces. When
made into porridge, it is creamier
than steel cut oatmeal and can
be cooked on the hob in around
10 minutes, or in a microwave.
Stoneground oatmeal can also be
used as a coating for fish or meat,
stuffing, and crumble toppings and
if finely ground can also be used as
a thickening agent for soups, sauces
and gravies.
Most porridge oats we come
across in the shops are rolled oats,
also called old-fashioned oats. These
are oat groats, softened by steaming
and then rolled into flakes. They
absorb liquid quickly so the cooking
time is reduced to 5-10 minutes when
making porridge or they can be eaten
without cooking for more texture.
Rolled oats come in different
thicknesses which affects their
cooking time and texture. Rolled
oats have a long shelf life of several
months if you store them in a sealed
container in a dry cool place. This
is because the oils they contain
have been stabilised by the gentle
steaming process, so they stay fresh.
Instant oats are oat groats which
have been finely rolled and chopped
so they cook quickly. They are often
sold in individual sachets or pots and
you simply need to add boiling water
and stir and they are ready to eat.
Although they are convenient, they
may not keep you satisfied for as long
because they are quickly digested
compared to rolled oats and oatmeal,
and often include added sugar.
Say hello to Hamlyns
Hamlyns range includes Scottish
Oatmeal, Scottish Porridge Oats,
Scottish Porridge Oats & Bran and
Pinhead Oatmeal in a re-sealable
tin. All four varieties can be used
to make a delicious porridge, each
with a different distinctive taste
and texture.
As a general rule, the finer the
porridge oats or oatmeal, the shorter
the cooking time required. The
cooking time is reduced further
if you choose porridge oats over
oatmeal, as the oats are lightly