Quaker type oats vs. Steel Cut

Muscles_Curves

I was wondering what's the difference between Quaker- type oats vs. Steel Cut? Is one more beneficial than the other? I have never seen them in grocery stores. (Small town I guess) I may try looking in a nearby natural food store.

Yukongil

steel cut are less processed supposedly, which causes them to be more expensive for whatever reason. Looking at the back of the boxes I never saw enough reason to justify the extra expense. Just get the Quaker Oat types without the added flavors and you should be good.

JustJennie1

I think it's just the way the steel cut ones are processed.

I have both and I'm not a fan of the steel cut oats.

TeaBea

For me it's a texture thing..... I don't know about nutrient factor


Instant oats have a texture like baby food.

Old Fashioned oats (are instant too) ... these cook in 5 minutes & hold some of their texture. Happy medium, I guess.

Steel cut cook in 20 minutes .... but are available in an instant form (Coaches brand) and cooks in 5 mintes. The texture of these is so much better than rolled oats.

Because rolled oats are steamed & then rolled ... perhaps some of the nutrients are lost in the steaming process ... not sure.

Muscles_Curves

Thanks pals! I guess its Quaker oats.

geekyjock76

I just get Quaker Old Fashioned Oats for my protein smoothies because they make them noticeably thicker (which is what I want). Steel cut just doesn't thicken them enough unless I double the serving size. Due to the extra price tag, it's not worth it.

Rolled oats are steamed slightly to make them cook faster and are "rolled" flat. In comparison, steel cut are cut in halves. Other than that, there is no significant difference - they're essentially just cut differently.

MoreBean13

I like both- but steel cut takes forever to cook, so they're more of a weekend food for me. Steel cut takes a half hour on the stove top. Rolled oats cook in 3-3:30 in the microwave, so they're much more work-week friendly. I like the textures of both kinds, but they are different.

I've heard claims that the extra steaming and rolling of Old-fashioned oats vs cutting of steel oats makes them less nutritious because of the extra processing. That makes no sense to me whatsoever, unless you plan on eating them uncooked. Cooking IS processing, and so you have to "process" the steel cut oats at home more than Rolled oats. It's a wash.

If you prefer the texture of one over the other that's a legit reason to choose it. If you like the cooking time of rolled oats, that's legit too. Or the price even- rolled oats are dirt cheap, steel cut a bit more expensive. The nutrition argument IMO holds no water.

BlackKat75

I eat Quaker old-fashioned oats and I like them. One thing I will say, is I once bought generic old-fashioned oats from the grocery store and I noticed that they really made a gelatinous oatmeal rather than what I was used to with Quaker, so brand may matter.