A question about oatmeal

    Can anyone tell me what "old-fashioned oatmeal" is if listed as an ingredient in an American cookie recipe? I've googled it, of course, but can't make out from the results whether it refers to oatmeal (above) or rolled oats (below).

Later: many thanks for your help, ladies. I'm off to bake now.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Old-fashioned is very much like rolled oats but not as er, rolled. it is sometimes called Large Flake oats, which kinda says it all. You can substitute rolled oats in the recipe.

[Darlene]

Elizabeth beat me to it. I made cookies last week using the large flake but wouldn't hesitate to grab my bag of rolled oats if that was all I had.

[Shirley Van Clay]

In the US "old fashioned" rolled oats denotes the difference between cooking times for them and "quick cooking" rolled oats, the latter being akin to instant oatmeal. As in the previous comments, rolled oats are the flaky ones.

[ChloeP]

This page should help you: http://www.foodsubs.com/GrainOats.html
The problem is that "oatmeal" in the UK is always (I believe) the chopped (steel-cut) stuff and never rolled oats, while in the US oatmeal can be any type and can also mean simply "porridge".

[Marg]

What Shirley said. The "old-fashioned" rolled oats will give you a more substantial, chewier cookie than the "quick cooking" variety. I wouldn't use instant oats to make cookies.

[Morag]

In America, Old-fashioned refers to the rolled oats you show, which we differentiate from quick or instant oats which are rolled and chopped extra thin (these are also what's in the little presweetened packets with different flavors. We don't have the chopped oats you refer to as oatmeal, except as specialty imports or perhaps in a natural food store. If you shop in a supermarket,they'll make it easy for you: the boxes are labeled old-fashioned or quick. Get old-fashioned (rolled).