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by mft_ 71 days ago
Quick oats are typically just rolled/cut to be smaller, so that they have a higher total surface area and so soak up liquid more easily. The downside is that this also makes them easier/faster to digest, so they have a higher glycaemic index (i.e. deliver a higher blood sugar spike) and give a shorter period of satiety.

Rolled oats are the uncut variety, which don't cook quickly for convenient porridge, but are great to soak as overnight oats. You can also get some which are basically in the middle - cut a bit so good for reasonably quick porridge (~5-7 minutes) but a bit more filling.
2 comments
zoklet-enjoyer 71 days ago
Oh, so I should switch since I'm usually soaking them overnight anyway.
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Blackthorn 71 days ago
"old fashioned" rolled oats are the standard afaict and I always cook them in 5 minutes
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mft_ 71 days ago
Interesting. Unless we have different standards for what constitutes a cooked oat, maybe we're talking about slightly different things? The full-size rolled oats (sometimes called 'robust') here in Germany are nowhere close to soft (and are still distinctly floating in the milk) after simmering for 20+ minutes. The alternative is also described as rolled oats (sometimes called 'tender') but are visually smaller; that's what cooks in 5-6 minutes.
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Blackthorn 71 days ago
This must be different, the "old fashioned rolled oats" sold in America would be more than done after 20 minutes of simmering.

Going by Bob's Red Mill, which is an excellent brand, we've got: * Old Fashioned rolled oats, 10 minutes: https://www.bobsredmill.com/product/regular-rolled-oats [the store brand I always see, on the other hand, is 5 minutes]

* Steel cut oats, 15-20 minutes (this is a lie, it takes longer than 20 minutes for them to get sufficiently soft in my experience, for any steel cut oat brand): https://www.bobsredmill.com/product/steel-cut-oats

* Quick cooking rolled oats, 3 minutes (in my experience this is consistent across all store brands, down to 2 minutes): https://www.bobsredmill.com/product/organic-quick-cooking-ro...

They also have a second species of oats that are significantly higher in protein, and they take 15+ minutes to cook in "rolled oat" form, which from personal experience is accurate: https://www.bobsredmill.com/product/protein-oats

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