Oatmeal the Best Meal

Dylan, Leigh, Qays

Oatmeal is made from oats and milk. There is starch and fiber in the oats. Oats are grains of Avena sativa, which originates from Southeast Asia. Oats are 17% protein, 66% carbohydrate, 7% oil. Oatmeal is made from all three types of carbohydrates: starch, fiber and sugar. 84% of oatmeal is water. Rolled oats are steamed, rolled, steamed again and toasted, resulting in thin flakes. Rolled oats reabsorb water when cooking. Steel cut oats are made from oat kernels that have been chopped into thicker slices. Steal cut oats make for faster cutting. Oats are rich in indigestible carbohydrates which are called beta-glucans, these hold and absorb water, giving oatmeal a thick consistency. Also helps lower cholesterol levels. Cooked under low temperature in the first stage of processing, giving oats its characteristic flavor and inactivates the fat splitting enzyme. It also denatures certain proteins, making them less soluble. When they are cooked in water, the starch granules absorb water molecules and swell and soften due to the water separating the starch molecules from each other, this is called gelation. Gelation takes place at a temperature range of around 140-160 degrees.