Difference between coarse oatmeal and rolled oats?

[Backtobasics95]

Hi all, just a curiousity I've had lately. Appreciate any help.

Cheers

[Joolsg]

livestrong.com/article/4567...

Just found this. Actually helpful as I never know the difference!

[Tibblington]

Hello Backtobasics95. The picture on the "livestrong" web site is a perfect description of rolled oats however oatmeal is a different process altogether more akin to flour. Whole oat grains are milled as are wheat grains to make a flour but very much coarser so it looks totally different to the rolled variety. You can make oatmeal biscuits which go very well with cheese and are nutritionally excellent.

We have a stone mill for our wholemeal flour and regularly mill some whole oats to make oatmeal porridge. It is obviously smoother that rolled oat porridge but very good; it is best made with water. You can put some whole milk on it when you eat it.

You probably don't have a flour mill but you may have a coffee grinder which will mill whole oats very successfully. The purist would say that the milling action is different; don't let that worry you if you want to try it.

Give it a try. Tibbly