Rolled oats are the familiar porridge oats: whole oat groats that have been steamed to soften them and then rolled flat between rollers into flakes. The steaming partly gelatinises the starch, so rolled oats cook faster than steel-cut oats while keeping their creamy texture and nutty flavour. They are the basis of porridge, muesli, flapjacks, and oat-topped crumbles, and they bake into biscuits and breads with a characteristic chew. Nutritionally they deliver the oat package: soluble beta-glucan fibre that helps lower cholesterol, steady-release carbohydrate, protein, and minerals including manganese and phosphorus. Thickness varies by brand, from delicate instant flakes to thick old-fashioned oats that hold their shape through long simmering.