Rolled oats

Food made from oat groats
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Rolled oats are a type of lightly processed whole grain food. They are made from oat groats that have been dehusked and steamed, before being rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers and then stabilized by being lightly toasted. Thick rolled oats usually remain unbroken during processing, while thin rolled oats often become fragmented. Rolled whole oats, without further processing, can be cooked into a porridge and eaten as old fashioned oats or Scottish oats; when the oats are rolled thinner and steam cooked more in the factory, they will later absorb water much more easily and cook faster into a porridge, and when processed this way are sometimes called "quick" or "instant" oats.

Steel cut oats (sometimes called "pinhead oats", especially if cut small) are oat groats that have been chopped by a sharp bladed machine before any steaming, and thus retain bits of the bran layer. Rolled oats are used in granola, muesli, oatcakes, and flapjacks (the style of "flapjack" that is like a granola bar, not a pancake).

Whole oats (uncooked) are 68% carbohydrates, 6% fat, and 13% protein (table). In a 100 gram reference amount, whole oats supply 379 calories and contain high amounts (20% or more the Daily Value, DV) of the B vitamins – thiamine and pantothenic acid (40% and 22% DV, respectively) – and several dietary minerals, especially manganese (173% DV) and phosphorus (59% DV). As a rich source of dietary fiber (10 grams per 100 gram serving), whole oats supply beta glucan (4 grams per 100 gram serving; table), a soluble fiber with cholesterol lowering effects.