Q&A for How to Cook Oats

There are various types of oats, including whole oat groats, Scotch oatmeal, rolled oats, steel cut oats, quick-cooking oats, oat flakes, oat bran and instant oats. You can also get oat flour, which is made from oats that have been ground finely.

Yes, oats are an excellent addition to some baked goods, especially cookies , bread and muffins. They can also be added to vegetable loaf, nut loaf or meatloaf dishes, to provide binding and substance to the loaf. Oats can also be added as part of the topping of fruit crumbles or crisps.

Yes, you can and it's not hard to do. You'll need a food processor, blender or some other way of grinding the oats. For a helpful step-by-step way to make oat flour at home, check out the wikiHow How to Make Oat Flour .

Oats don't contain gluten but they do contain avenin, which is a gluten-like protein. Some people who cannot tolerate gluten can sometimes cope with avenin without problems but not everyone finds this is the case and oats are generally not appropriate for anyone who as celiac disease because avenin often triggers the same problems as gluten. It is best to discuss this with your doctor or dietician.

Oats have a high fat content, which means they should not be kept too long or they go off and don't taste good. Buy only the amount you're going to get through in a short time and keep them in an airtight container (such as a cereal container) in a cool, dry place that is away from light.