Assignee:
To Market, Two Markets, Inc. - Altoona PA
International Classification:
A23L 300
Abstract:
The invention comprises a process for preparing oatmeal, which process comprises soaking steel cut oats and oat bran for a period of time sufficient to hydrate the oats, mixing rolled oats into the hydrated oat fraction, cooking the resultant mixture for a period of time sufficient to produce a flavorful food product, and optionally aseptically packaging the resulting product. The invention also comprises a process for preparing an oatmeal composition, which process comprises cooking steel cut oats in a manner so that the material is hydrated, adding rolled oats after a cooking time such that cooking of steel cut oats is substantially complete, adding optionally hydrated oat bran either before or after addition of the rolled oats, cooking the entire mixture for a time sufficient to render the product edible and packaging the product. The packaging steps in this aspect of the invention may comprise adding an acidic modifier to the cookable oat mixture, filling containers with the cooked oat mixture, inverting the filled containers allowing hot air to rise through the containers, and cooling the oatmeal. Alternatively, the packaging steps may comprise transferring the product to containers and cooling the product and container to a temperature sufficiently low so as to maintain product freshness and to retard spoilage.