Can Quaker old fashioned oats be added directly to mash

This is for an all grain batch and I use a 10gal Coleman cooler. Got my grains the other day and thought well I have 2lbs of old fashioned oats maybe I'll just throw a 1/2lb in for mouthfeel. In reading though I'm not 100% clear if these need to be cooked first before adding. These are not quick oats or instant or steel cut theyre just the plain old fashioned oats.

They need to be cooked first to gelatinize the starches, then they can be added to the mash.

Since they are flaked, they're already gelatinized. Throw them in as they are or even better, mill them on a narrow gap, like you would do wheat and rye kernels. That's what I do.

That said, realize there are degrees of gelatinization, instant oats being the most and old fashioned the least gelatinized, but they all should work fine in an hour mash. No need to boil first or do a cereal mash.

For a more robust oat flavor, you can toast them in a low oven, turning them often. I do that for darker beers, such as porters and stouts.

Question: when cooking up the Old Fashioned Oats, is it OK to use more than the required amount of water? When I did it I used the normal amount of water and it was thick oatmeal consistency after cooked. I made the mistake of putting it into my mash tun first then adding my grains. I thought I had stirred it enough, but after the hour plus mash and when cleaning my mash tun, there were huge clumps of sticky oatmeal in the bottom of the mash tun.
Next time I am going to stir in my grains first then the oatmeal to make sure it does not end up all in the bottom of the Mash Tun. If it is acceptable I will cook it with plenty of water so it is easier to mix in.

LavaSteam said:

Question: when cooking up the Old Fashioned Oats, is it OK to use more than the required amount of water? When I did it I used the normal amount of water and it was thick oatmeal consistency after cooked. I made the mistake of putting it into my mash tun first then adding my grains. I thought I had stirred it enough, but after the hour plus mash and when cleaning my mash tun, there were huge clumps of sticky oatmeal in the bottom of the mash tun.
Next time I am going to stir in my grains first then the oatmeal to make sure it does not end up all in the bottom of the Mash Tun. If it is acceptable I will cook it with plenty of water so it is easier to mix in.

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Yes, that's fine. I cooked 4 pounds of flaked corn and while they cooked it turned into a thick polenta, absorbing all the water, so I kept adding more and more.... In the end that thin polenta soup became my strike "water."

Please read my previous post, flaked oats really don't need to be boiled.

Flaked oats are the same thing as old fashioned oats. If you're using them in moderation there's no reason to cook them before adding them to the mash -- the diastatic enzymes in the mash will convert the starches to sugars. Just make sure they are mixed well. My Russian Imperial Stout used a full pound of flaked oats and the mash had an extraordinarily creamy texture throughout. If you buy store brand oats they can actually be cheaper than the flaked oats you might find at your LHBS.

specharka said:

Flaked oats are the same thing as old fashioned oats. If you're using them in moderation there's no reason to cook them before adding them to the mash -- the diastatic enzymes in the mash will convert the starches to sugars. Just make sure they are mixed well. My Russian Imperial Stout used a full pound of flaked oats and the mash had an extraordinarily creamy texture throughout. If you buy store brand oats they can actually be cheaper than the flaked oats you might find at your LHBS.

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Not all oats are flaked equally!

I've noticed quite some differences among them, some are subtle, but they all add up. The flakes you typically get from your LHBS are a bit thinner and softer/limper than what's sold as "Old Fashioned" (OF). The flavor of those LHBS flakes is also less developed than the OF variety, which, depending on the brand, have been toasted (some more than others), making them nuttier, crispier and taste less raw. Quaker is among the better kind, many supermarket/generic brands can be as good or close. Aldi's, for example, are pretty raw, less toasted if at all. But again differences are subtle. To really get some flavor you need to toast them yourself. 20-40' in a warm oven.

"Instant Oats" are flaked much finer and thinner, and "Quick Oats" are in between. The instant ones are fully gelatinized, the others probably a bit less. Now whether the Instant and OF varieties do or don't get fully gelatinized and converted during the mash, may have something to do with the crush. So don't throw them in as they are, but mill them finer and it should be no problem.

When using oats I mix all my regular grains in with the strike water first and then throw the oats in and stir some more. Don't know if this is the "right way" but it seems to work for me.

IslandLizard said:

Yes, that's fine. I cooked 4 pounds of flaked corn and while they cooked it turned into a thick polenta, absorbing all the water, so I kept adding more and more.... In the end that thin polenta soup became my strike "water."

Please read my previous post, flaked oats really don't need to be boiled.

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IslandLizard... many thanks, I feel better about watering down my oat gruel now. Iʻll try the toasting first as well.
cheers

I added 1/2lb of the old fashioned oats to the mash today. Seemed to go fine and I hit 2pts above my projected pre boil gravity so they didn't detract from the mash.

You can also toast the oats in the oven for a little oatmeal cookie flavor.