Food - Drink
The Difference Between Oats And Oatmeal
By HALDAN KIRSCH
Oatmeal is a beloved breakfast option that is chock-full of health benefits and ways to customize the flavor and texture. Oatmeal is obviously made of oats, and owes its healthiness to its main ingredient, which is one of the most nutrient-packed grains on the market, but oats and oatmeal are not necessarily the same thing.
Oatmeal is a form of processed oats, while "oats" refers to the original grain itself, which is cylindrical in shape when raw and usually very tough. To make oatmeal, most oat processors do their best to retain the original oat grains' healthful properties, only changing the oats' texture to become more soft, tender, and palatable.
There are many different types of oatmeal, as well. Steel-cut oats are a version of oatmeal made of grains cut into smaller pieces, while rolled oats are softened, then pressed between rollers to create flat flakes that cook quickly; the very convenient "instant" oats are just rolled oats that are pressed even thinner and also pre-cooked.