# Whole oats or rolled oats?



## vondonna (Mar 24, 2012)

I'm new to prepping. I have canned goods (meats, vegetables, fruits), 200 gallons of water and some basic medical items, but I want to start buying bulk grains.

I have found 50lb bags of whole oats and rolled eats, each $15, but I don't know which one I should buy. Can you tell me? And why?

Thanks in advance.


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## lilmissy0740 (Mar 7, 2011)

I buy what we eat and what we will eat. We eat rolled oats and I do grind them for oat flour but not very often. I wont buy something I dont eat. This may not be right to some, you can barter etc, but I feel it is a waste. Just IMHO


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## AlabamaGal (Dec 27, 2011)

What is typically sold as "whole oats" is not whole. Humans can't digest the outer coating, so it is removed. That outer hull is what protects the grain from going rancid. You can get whole oats, but generally this will be sold as livestock feed for cheaper than $15, and you will need some way to hull them.

Given the choice between rolled and hulled oats, buy the one you will eat. Either will go rancid in roughly a year (depending on storage conditions.) If you want to buy a grain for long term storage, wheat or its relatives (kamut, spelt, etc.) are the longest lasting, and can last for decades without loss of quality. White rice is another good commodity. Rice, like oats, is dehulled. Brown rice does not keep since it has the bran to go rancid, but white rice has the bran removed so it keeps for a long, long time.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Agree %100 with the above posts.

If you got a 50 pound bag of whole oats for $15.00, they probably have not been hulled and "ARE" only suitable for animal feed(unless you are REALLY hungry). I have been trying to find a way to hull them but have not found a practical way. After trying this, I have no "heartburn" about paying for Rolled Oats in the grocery store.

Whole oat groats or "steel cut" oats add some verity but not everyone likes them. The steel cut make a good Porage but the bottom line they taste like oats and may not be worth it to you to purchase them.

I agree, stick with rolled oats until you feel adventurous.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I store regular rolled oats (from the store) an vac seal em in mylar bags. Should keep quite some time that way. 

Like others have said, store what yall will eat otherwise it's gonna go ta waste.


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## vondonna (Mar 24, 2012)

Thank you so much for the insight.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

You can buy "Hull-less" whole oats and roll them yourself, but if they're the same price and you only use it as oatmeal, you might as well buy rolled oats. You can put rolled oats in a blender and make "flour", so you have the best of both worlds right there.

Oats are a soft grain, and you can even roll them with a rolling pin. We've done it. I grew hull-less oats one year (Ordered the seed from Johnny's seed co.) and we rolled them ourselves, as well as grinding some in our wheat grinder to add to recipes for variety.

But like others said, if they're regular "hulled" whole oats, don't buy them unless you plan to use them for animal feed. It's pretty much impossible to de-hull them for human consumption.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> I store regular rolled oats (from the store) an vac seal em in mylar bags. Should keep quite some time that way.


 I would add, keep them in a location that stays at a constant cool temp. The only other way to store any grain that has the germ, which is generally the source of the oils that cause rancidity, is to keep the grains in a freezer. We do this with brown rice because it turns rancid pretty fast otherwise. There are some survival food suppliers that can cold rolled oats using a nitrogen process that gets most all of the oxygen from the cans before sealing them. They are in #10 cans or 6 gallon buckets with metallized bag and are expensive but they are good for up to 25 years, they would be good for when TSHTF and food stuffs couldn't be purchased.


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