Are these raw???

[kristinseto]

At Whole Foods, it is labeled: Steel Cut Oat Groats.
I thought that oat groats are raw, but steel cut oats are not...so, what are these???
Anyone know?
TIA

[beany]

Here is my thought only. I figure if it doesn't say raw it isn't. Then you may have to even question that. Like nuts. Sounds like they are just playing with words.

[kristinseto]

I know someone out there has the right answer :)

[juliebove]

I would say "no". I bought oat groats and they were not raw. Alissa sells raw oats. I haven't tried them though.

[Baby Bird]

Nope, those ain't raw. Apparently, the fats in oats are pretty unstable, requiring either low temp storage or some sort of heat treatment to prevent them going rancid. I think they might be steamed or something to stabilize them? Not sure about the exact process. "Steel cut" refers to the fact that they've been chopped into little grains, rather than left as whole kernels. "Groats" is just the word for the hulled oat grains (had the papery outer husk removed). So technically, a steel cut oat groat could indeed be raw, but that's unlikely, given the demands of shipping, processing, etc.

The way to check if whole oat groats are raw: buy a small amount, soak 'em, then see if they'll sprout. If they won't sprout, they aren't alive and raw anymore!

I'm guessing we could make our own "steel cut" groats in the Vitamix dry container?

[spicyfull]

Baby Bird is right...Sprouting is one Rule to determan RAW.

[KaitAnne]

How do you sprout the oats? I am having this very same issue!!

[iamacranberry]

Steel cut oats may or may not be raw, but you'll never know...they're CUT in half. Since when does half a seed sprout?

[raweater]

Here is my thought only. I figure if it doesn't say raw it isn't. Then you may have to even question that. Like nuts. Sounds like they are just playing with words.

The opposite is also true sometimes, for example the "raw" Maranatha (however it's spelled) almond butter is not raw for 2 reasons:
-First they are using the pasteurized almonds from USA (they told me by email when I asked)
-Second, the processing of almonds into butter generates enough heat to cook it unintentionally

Even making almond butter yourself in a food processor is hard to do without cooking it, at least twice my food processor got all steamy from the heat of processing the butter.