2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

TwibbleDee

Laura_Elsewhere said:

TwibbleDee said:

Flapjacks and pancakes are used interchangeably here.  Is there a difference?  I’ll have to figure out how to make whatever I make gluten-free 

Wow, a huge difference, like the difference between, say, steak and soup…!

pancakes in Britain are made in a flat frying pan in the hob using a runny batter of flour and eggs and milk, like French crêpes.

Flapjacks are made in a tray baked in the oven, made of oats and butter and golden syrup.

I had no idea they are the same thing in the States!

If you can get oats that are not processed in a gluten-containing factory, then most (not all) gluten-free diets are fine with British flapjacks…

I do have GF oats….Are the ones used in flapjacks the quick-cooking ones or the regular ones?

Laura_Elsewhere

TwibbleDee said:

I do have GF oats….Are the ones used in flapjacks the quick-cooking ones or the regular ones?

Ummm... just ordinary ones, I think. I never know the various sorts but these are the ones that look like they drove a big steamroller over the whole grains and squashed them flat, if that helps, and they're the very cheapest sort  

TwibbleDee

@florianatwobob Becky Excell has a pie crust recipe I may have to test out… wandering through her site more after I post this.

@CAFCGirl  Two countries divided by a common language!

@PipneyJane No COVID test.  Someone hubby works with had kids with strep this past week.  If my tonsils start developing spots or I start getting a fever, I’ll go in to the doctor.

@Laura_Elsewhere Rice Krispie cakes?  Hmm…anybody know if Rice Krispies are GF over there?  They’re not here, but some of the off-brand ones are.

TwibbleDee

Laura_Elsewhere said:

TwibbleDee said:

I do have GF oats….Are the ones used in flapjacks the quick-cooking ones or the regular ones?

Ummm... just ordinary ones, I think. I never know the various sorts but these are the ones that look like they drove a big steamroller over the whole grains and squashed them flat, if that helps, and they're the very cheapest sort  

They all look like that unless they’re steel cut.   

All the British recipes just call for “oats”, but the American versions specify rolled oats.  Are instant oats not really so much a thing over there?  The type you just add boiling water to in your bowl and stir?

TwibbleDee

I might be getting in over my head on the oats question.


This is from Bob’s Red Mill, the main source of GF oats in the US.  On this page: https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/healthy-living/difference-between-quick-cooking-rolled-oats-and-instant-rolled-oats/

• Regular Rolled Oats: 10-20 minutes
• Quick Cooking Rolled Oats: 1-5 minutes
• Instant Rolled Oats: 2-3 minutes

So it seems Quick Cooking Rolled Oats and Instant Rolled Oats are about the same, except Instant Rolled Oats are generally pre-cooked, but not from that brand?  They say you can use the regular and quick cooking in baking, it just changes the texture a bit.  Hmmm…

Laura_Elsewhere

@TwibbleDee, I've just googled and it seems there are instant-porridge brands over here, but I've never heard of them, nor even noticed them in shops... not sure how widespread their use is? 
I think, by and large, he sort of people who are going to bother to eat porridge are probably the sort who will bother to make porridge  
And it's so drastically much cheaper, I can't understand why anyone wouldn't, esp given that you can heat it the night before, leave it overnight and just ping in the microwave next morning if you need to have it more quickly than the two minutes it takes on the hob to heat through... I think the kettle would take longer to boil than the porridge takes to heat

Laura_Elsewhere

@TwibbleDee - aha, I know why yours specify "rolled oats" and ours just say "oats" - because here, the thing you eat is called porridge, not oats or oatmeal. Oats and oatmeal are both the ingredient here, like flour is - oats are the grain and oatmeal is a very-coarse flour. It always sounds comical to me to hear someone mention "making oatmeal" because to me if you want to "make oatmeal" then you need a great big windmill and a sack of oats and what you end up with is a dry coarse oat-flour you couldn't eat  
"Instant oats" don't exist here - the thing does, but it's called instant porridge or quick porridge or whatever. 

So if a recipe says "oats" it can only ever mean the wholegrain itself in Britain; if it's been ground a bit, then it's oatmeal, and some recipes specify oatflour, but mostly, for flapjack and so on, the recipes will say "oats" and mean the wholegrain, just squashed a bit  

florianatwobob

TwibbleDee said:

@florianatwobob Becky Excell has a pie crust recipe I may have to test out… wandering through her site more after I post. 

So far I’ve been impressed (my sister is gluten intolerant) with her recipes. If you’re on f*cebook she has a very helpful group which she regularly comments on too. 

Laura_Elsewhere

I would just use the regular as you don't want flapjacks to go to mush like porridge does - you want the flattened grains to keep their texture. 

To make porridge if I was doing it from scratch it would probably take 10-15 minutes so I would guess his "regular" are the equivalent. I cheat, like all Scots housewives used to, by heating it the nigh before to a boil, then leaving it switched off overnight which means it does its soaking and cooking then and only needs heating next morning. No idea why so many people in England don't know about that, it's weird - why would anyone start from scratch in he morning? That's how to end up with lumpy porridge - that and using a wooden spoon to stir which is useless; turn the spoon round and use the handle to stir with if you don't have a spurtle.  

And looking for a decent pic, I found this chap who specifies Bob's Red Mill GF Rolled Oats for the recipe, if that helps! https://thebigmansworld.com/flapjack-recipe/


Flapjacks in Britain should look like this:

PollyWollyDoodle

Instant porridge in pots is a thing, but like you Laura I don’t understand why you would bother when the real thing is so quick and easy - unless you’re somewhere with only a kettle. I will admit to having used them when camping, however they’ve usually got flavouring in or are sweetened which I don’t like.

However I hadn’t heard of the idea of cooking it the night before. I have porridge most mornings so I’m going to try this, usually I cook it (look away, any true Scotsmen or women!) in the microwave.