In my book, there are 4 kinds of oatmeal:
"instant": comes in a box full of individual packets, sometimes has flavor added. You add water and cook in the microwave for 1 min.
"quick": comes in a canister like other oatmeal. The oats are not whole. You cook them on the stove and it takes a minute or two (supposedly).
"old-fashioned" or "rolled": comes in a canister and cooks on the stove. Takes me 5 mins to do it on the stove, and that includes doctoring with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk and butter.
"steel-cut" or "irish": much more expensive, comes in a smaller package...usually a bag, or in bulk at the hfs. takes "even longer" than 5 minutes to cook.
Here's my thing: I noticed when pregnant that the protein content of the old fashioned oats is much higher than the others (with the exception of steel-cut, which I've never bought). It really doesn't take much effort to cook them...the hardest part is washing the pan, and like I said, if you only want one serving, you can cook it in the microwave. This is the stuff I grew up on, and I just don't see how all of the others are any easier. The only time I've gotten instant oatmeal, I've boiled it over in the microwave and ruined it, leaving a HUGE mess to clean up. I've been on a campaign among my friends to revive the rolled oat! It's better for you and just as easy!