tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 5, 2016 14:23:36 GMT 10
Has anyone looked into which is better to store out of whole oats and rolled oats?
I had been assuming that, like many other grains, it would be better to store whole oats, and they do seem better nutritionally, but looking into it just now I am reading that rolled oats are more stable so better for storage.
I was about to get a hand flaker - been planning on getting one for many years and was finally about to do it, but now I'm not sure. One advantage of whole oats is they are more versatile - can roll them, but can also sprout them or cook them like rice. Not much use if they're rancid though.
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Dec 5, 2016 19:05:04 GMT 10
Depends what you call better. Whole oats have to be milled and cooked to reduce the Phytic Acid levels. A lot more work. They will last much like wheat, a very long time and they have a good amount of fat and protein, though the nutritional content is much the same as rolled oats.
Rolled oats are already steamed [reduced Phytic Acid levels] and rolled making them digestible. Soak them in water and it's very digestible and filling, my main interest is the lack of cooking required, this in an austere world where the smell of cooking might bring hoards is one of the reasons I store them. In terms of lifespan, I've eaten rolled oats that were just in the cupboard that were about 5 years, about the same as they were new. It's hard to get a 'good' reliable source of food longevity and I rack up much to experience and anecdotal information, lets just say that I've spent many many hours trying to source such data as I wanted to be sure before committing to the 12 tubs [82kg] I have of them.
In my cheap-as food packs, I combined them with condensed milk and vitamin tablets which makes it fairly complete nutrition.
I couldn't source rolled oats from the agricultural suppliers nearby so I purchased them from supermarkets emptying them. Hopefully you'll be able to find feed or bulk at a cheaper price.
I would agree that sprouting seeds [be careful with beans!!] is a good option and it makes them both digestible and adds useful Vitamin C which is hard to store, though I have wheat also.
So, depends and I hope that's of some use for your own needs.
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myrrph
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Post by myrrph on Dec 5, 2016 19:21:05 GMT 10
I concur with Shiney ... I buy my rolled oats from a dollar store equivalent. The price is $2.50 per KG. I store 10 KG at a go.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 5, 2016 21:34:27 GMT 10
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Dec 5, 2016 21:52:37 GMT 10
Indeed. You're in the 'nobody knows' zone tomatoes  What hooked me on rolled oats specifically is the Mormons have been doing it for a very long time. My plans go like this, just go and check every few years and reseal. |
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Ammo9
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Post by Ammo9 on Dec 5, 2016 22:16:47 GMT 10
I have rolled oats and honey with boiling water most days for breakfast, however I can have the same meal with warm or even cold water and just soak for longer. Interesting the longer you soak it, the less energy is required but the more filling it will be as it absorbs more water.
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myrrph
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Post by myrrph on Dec 5, 2016 23:00:35 GMT 10
i am more a savoury person, so boullion with hot water. I suppose in a pinch, room temp water with salt will do too.
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Ammo9
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Post by Ammo9 on Dec 5, 2016 23:08:09 GMT 10
Great thing about oats is they go well in with fruits/berries/honey or with veges and meat to bulk up a stew or soup.
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Post by Fractus on Dec 6, 2016 10:31:38 GMT 10
I saw a doco where they showed in Scotland in past eras. They made a big batch of thick porridge and ate it though the day cold. Not very applealing but effective/efficient
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Dec 6, 2016 10:49:08 GMT 10
I guess that as long as I keep my "stores" in regular rotation they should never have to last longer than 2.5 years, so the question is just academic. I think I'll still get the flaker as I've been after it for many years and also it can do a rough grind into flour if we got desperate - my flour mill is electric (solar generator is on the Christmas list). I'll store groats but also some oats just incase. We eat enough oats that we will be able to rotate through them to keep them fresh.
And to add to all the meal ideas already given - our most common use is porridge with banana etc, then Anzac slice and the like. If needed I could make oat milk but my preference is to make almond/coconut milk. I have gone through stages of having savoury oats as a quick healthy lunch when it is just me that I'm feeding (the kids are horrified at the idea) - cook up the oats with some spinach and corn, then top it with leftover tomato based pasta sauce. And we had another thread a while back about nutritional yeast - this is the one place I've enjoyed that - top the whole lot with a sprinkling of ground walnuts mixed with nutritional yeast (like sprinkling it with Parmesan).
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Dec 6, 2016 12:46:13 GMT 10
I'm of the opinion that having tiers of food storage is a good plan, I found trying to rotate past about 3 months of food impractical and food would go off and be forgotten about. The only food I store more than a months worth is very long lasting food that lasts at least 2 years.
Tier 1 - fridge/freezer - wouldn't last long, I do have means of powering it, though it's not the best use of resources 1-3 days if the power's gone and up to a week if I chose to power it and put them in a smaller tri-powered fridge I have. I'd probably just have a big cook up, perhaps invite the neighbors to talk [opsec still] and make up a big batch of soup with whatever I have and keep it warm till it's gone.
Tier 2 - cupboards - about 3 months. This is various store bought canned foods, rice, pasta, home canned [soups, beans, condiments such as caramelized onion], flour etc. This stuff I rotate around and use up all the time.
Tier 3 - bins drums - years in storage. Mostly very long lasting food, some canned goods and frankly it's boring and simple food. If I get to this point, I won't care about how bland it is, things are really amiss, though I have made some 'basic' attempts such as adding soy sauce to rice stores or tomato paste [in jars!] for pasta. It's also kept for friends, family or natural disaster relief for strangers the newest ones self contained with everything you need to eat them. Except for the inclusion of can openers, my older tubs aren't as well thought out, with items that are probably no good now mixed with items that would be fine, no means of cooking, no plates etc, though I did put some care ideas in them such as playing cards. These same tubs were stored in the roof, which would inevitably age them excessively and they weren't oxygenated.
I add a few months every year to make sure things are fine and building on the stores and I'm planning on going through the oldest stuff in a few months when I move. My current strategy here is to use very cheap food as I'm not planning to eat this unless there's no other choice. That and canned goods per KJ cost is about 10 times that of rice/pasta/rolled oats. I'm at a point where I could support more than just myself and my wife for an extended period, to which history [and Selco from the Bosnia war talks about it] has shown is the best prep. Aka safety in numbers.
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Post by Peter on Dec 6, 2016 21:39:56 GMT 10
I saw a doco where they showed in Scotland in past eras. They made a big batch of thick porridge and ate it though the day cold. Not very applealing but effective/efficient Basic gruel: throw into boiling water: a handful of oats/barley/wheat/whatever is at hand, a roughly chopped allium veg (onion/garlic/leek/whatever), and whatever root veg/tuber/pulse you have at hand. If you have any suitable leafy green, throw that in too. Anything edible when boiled is the go. If you can add some salt, pepper and herbs it's all the better. And if you have some meat of some kind, that will only add to it. Just remember that it's more a watery soup than a porridge. Once it's cooked, it's generally got some nutritional value, some caloric value, and can be a comforting meal when times are tough. I don't mind it, especially in the winter. We're spoiled in our culture; this has been a staple meal for poorer people around the world for millennia. And if TSHTF, we'll be glad for it. |
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tyburn
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Post by tyburn on Dec 12, 2016 23:41:01 GMT 10
I have rolled oats and honey with boiling water most days for breakfast, however I can have the same meal with warm or even cold water and just soak for longer. Interesting the longer you soak it, the less energy is required but the more filling it will be as it absorbs more water. My grandpa used to make the best porridge. He would cook it up the night before till all the water had been soaked up or boiled off, then top up with milk and leave overnight. In the morning he would then add more milk and reheat. Made the best creamy porridge ever, and would serve it up to the grandkids whenever we visited. Must have gone through a hell of a lot of milk over the course of a year, but I reckon I must have got my prepping/hoarding genes from him, as he had several shelves of a walk-in cupboard full of UHT and powdered milk. |
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