What to use instead of rolled oats
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Binder that takes up moisture in a patty or a no-bake
The flakes swell as they absorb water and the starch and beta-glucan they release gum the mixture together, so a patty holds without an egg in it.
Quick oatsRan out
Match by weight
Absorbs faster and disappears into the mix, so the patty is smoother and pastier with no flakes left to bite.
Breadcrumbs or pankoRan out
3/4 cup breadcrumbs per 1 cup rolled oats
Drier and less springy. The patty firms up but crumbles at the edges when it goes on the grill.
Cooked short-grain riceRan out
3/4 cup cooked rice per 1 cup rolled oats
Stickier and heavier, and it browns better in the pan because of the free starch on the outside.
Ground flax with waterPlant-based
1/4 cup ground flax + 1/2 cup water per 1 cup oats, stood 10 minutes
Binds harder into a denser patty with a nutty grey cast, and it gives you no chew at all.
What doesn't work: Steel-cut oats. They absorb nothing at room temperature and stay as hard gravel right through the cook, so the patty is gritty and falls apart anyway.
Chewy flakes that stay whole in a bar
The flat toasted flake keeps its shape in hot syrup and gives the bar something to chew, which is what stops it eating like a block of sugar.
Rolled barley, rye or spelt flakesRan out
Match by weight
Chewier and nuttier with a firmer bite, and rye flakes darken the whole bar two shades.
Puffed riceGluten-free
1 1/2 cups puffed rice per 1 cup rolled oats
Much lighter and it snaps rather than chews, and the bar goes soft and stale inside two days.
Shredded coconut with chopped nutsGluten-free
1/2 cup coconut + 1/2 cup nuts per 1 cup oats
Richer and looser, so it needs more syrup to hold, and it browns far faster in the oven.
Certified gluten-free rolled oatsGluten-free
Match by weight
Identical in the bar. Ordinary oats pick up wheat at the mill, which is the only reason to make the switch.
What doesn't work: Instant oat packets. They are pre-cut, part-cooked and usually sweetened, so they dissolve into the syrup and the bar sets into a solid sugar brick with no flakes left in it.
Grain that cooks into a soft porridge
Rolled flakes hydrate in minutes and release enough starch to thicken the pan, which is where the creaminess comes from.
Steel-cut oatsRan out
1/2 cup steel-cut with 3 cups water per 1 cup rolled, 25 minutes
Chewy separate grains rather than a smooth mass, and it takes five times as long on the stove.
Quick oatsRan out
1:1 by volume, 3 minutes
Goes to paste in the pan and keeps thickening as it cools, so it sets into a block in the bowl.
Polenta or coarse cornmealGluten-free
1/2 cup polenta with 3 cups water per 1 cup rolled oats
Sweeter and grittier, sets firm once cool, and it catches on the bottom unless you keep stirring.
Buckwheat groatsGluten-free
1/2 cup groats with 2 cups water per 1 cup rolled oats, 15 minutes
Stays as separate grains with a strong earthy flavour, and there is no creaminess in it anywhere.
What doesn't work: Oat flour. There are no flakes left to take water up in stages, so it thickens in about ninety seconds and then sets like wallpaper paste in the pan.