[Sca-cooks] parkin and lambs in apples

[Decker, Terry D.]

"Oatmeal" is oats which have been ground, cut or crushed into a meal.  An
oatmeal of fine particles is commonly referred to as oat flour.  In the US,
oatmeal is commonly boiled with water or milk to produce porridge ( from
porray, or vegetable soup) eaten as a breakfast dish.  While technically
porridge, the dish has assumed the name of the ingredient, oatmeal, and is
usually classed as a hot cereal.

"Rolled oats" are oats which have been roller milled, usually to a coarse
meal.  Since, roller milling is the most common commercial method of
producing meals and flours, most oat flours are rolled oats.  The term is
usually reserved for whole or large partial oat flakes produced early in the
milling.

"Steel cut" oats are whole oat kernals thinly sliced by steel blades.

For most purposes, I prefer steel cut oats, but I have used whole rolled
oats to interesting effect in oatmeal raisin bread and I have been known to
play with fine oat flour.

Bear

> I think I'm running into one of those AmericanEnglish/EnglishEnglish
> difficulties here....When one takes oats, and either flattens
> them out,
> or cuts them in a certain way, and then cooks them, we call it
> "oatmeal."  (generic term for both cooked and uncooked).  The
> flattened
> oats are "rolled," have a quicker cooking time, and work
> pretty good in
> cookies; the cut ones (often called "steel cut" oats) make something
> I've seen called "Irish oatmeal," with a longer cooking time, and a
> "chewier" texture.  Hence my confusion--"porridge" is not a
> term I'd use
> in reference to hot cereal.....
> --Still confused, though.....
> --Maire, who went through a corn maze tonight with a bunch of other
> baronial folk, got thoroughly lost, and was actually the first one out
> <g>....now sitting here, quite comfortabley, with some hot
> spiced cider
> and applejack (yummmmmm)
>