Types of Oatmeal

• Oatmeal generally falls into two categories: steel-cut oats, which are whole oat groats cut into small pieces; and rolled oats, which are whole oat groats flattened into flakes. Rolled oats cook more quickly than steel-cut oats due to their larger surface area. Rolled oats labeled as quick-cooking are rolled into thinner flakes; instant oats are even thinner flakes that tend to break down into a partially powdery mixture. While you can’t make the flakes of rolled oats thinner using a blender, you can cut any kinds of oats into smaller pieces. Process oats for long enough in the blender and you’ll make fine oat flour with no discernible flakes or pieces. The contents and nutritional value remain the same -- you are just changing the texture of the oatmeal.

Speedy Cereal

• Use your blender to make oatmeal that cooks more quickly as a breakfast cereal. The longer you blend the oats for, and the smaller the resulting oat pieces, the quicker your cereal will cook. Consider the texture of the resulting cereal as well as the cooking time. Grind oats into a fine powder and they will cook instantly when you mix them with hot water or milk, but the cereal will have a smooth, baby-foodlike texture. Grind oats into smaller pieces but stop before they get powdery and your cereal will take a few more minutes to cook, but will still have a little bite. You can create a cereal that still has some texture but cooks very quickly by processing half your oats into a powder and blending them with oats that you have just broken down slightly with a few pulses of the blender.

Flavored Instant Oatmeal Copycat

• A major benefit of making your own instant or quick-cooking oats at home with a blender is that you can create flavored oatmeal that only takes minutes to prepare in the morning. Transfer oats from the blender to a container and stir in your choice of dry flavorings, such as brown sugar, raisins, crumbled-up dried apple slices, dried coconut, chocolate chips or cocoa powder, cinnamon and chopped nuts. Add milk powder if you want to just add water to prepare the cereal but still get a creamy taste. Other grains, such as flaxseeds and bulgur wheat, can be ground with the oats for added nutrition. Store the mixture in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. Package portions of the mixture in individual sandwich bags to take to the office for an easy, hot snack.

Uses for Homemade Oat Flour

• Oatmeal ground into flour in your blender is useful as a substitute for wheat flour in baking, particularly for baked goods that don’t need to rise. Try using it in place of wheat flour when making pancakes or waffles. Grind oats into smaller pieces to give oatmeal cookies and granola bars a smoother texture. Sprinkle ground oats mixed with sugar over a pie or baked apples for the final minutes of cooking time to create a sweet, crumbly topping.