Originally published on January 14, 2015
If you ever make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, bake with oatmeal, or just like a nice steaming bowl of it for breakfast, you know just how many different kinds of oats are out there on the market. But do you really need to buy steel cut, quick-cooking, and regular large oats to make sure you have just the right kind whenever you need them? Nope ya don’t!
Okay, if you want steel cut oats, you’re going to have to buy them – and probably only use them for making bowls of oatmeal or crunchy granola. But if you want oatmeal for cookies, baking or cooking, you can just buy a bag of large flake oats and turn portions of it into quick-cooking oats when you need them, just by placing some into a food processor. Pulse them once or twice, don’t grind them up completely; you just want them smaller, not complete mush. That’s really all it takes to turn regular oats into those that are quick-cooking.
Even though I measure the oats before I place them into the processor, I also measure them after pouring them out. The change in texture and shape may cause the measurement to be slightly different, and so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the right amount for your recipe.