Rules To Follow When Cooking With Nuts
Nuts have become so pervasive in our food products that it is hard to imagine the prospect of having to do without them in our cooking and baking.
But, in order to use them to best effect, it is good to keep certain food facts in mind.
Due to their high fat contents, nuts easily take on the odors of foods that surround them.
For example, if you have them uncovered in your refrigerator with meats, they will gradually take on the odors of those meats.
To avoid this, never leave refrigerated nuts uncovered.
Place them either in a sealed glass container or wrap them in heavy plastic wrapping.
Thin plastic is not enough as odors can easily pass through a thin layer of plastic.
Nuts last longer in the shell than outside of them.
So, if you are buying nuts in bulk and expect to store them for a period of over four months, consider buying the unshelled version.
You will experience a bit more inconvenience when you get around to using them because they have to be shelled.
But, on the other hand, there is less chance of them becoming rancid or going bad.
Always taste nuts before including them in your foods.
Unlike many foods, when nuts are bad, they don't always show obvious signs of decay.
But if you bite into a stale pecan or rancid walnut, you want to spit it out almost immediately.
If you put that bitter pecan or rancid walnut into your foods, your dinner guests will have the same reaction as you, because the flavor of the nuts will carry over into the cooked dish.
So taste first, and only then determine if they are good enough to use in your meal.
Buy your nuts from a store with a high turnover of produce.
Nuts are a perishable item and the longer they sit on the store shelves, the less time you have to store them at home.
For example, if you buy pecans from your small corner grocery store which has very little traffic, you could be purchasing pecans that have already been on the shelves for 4 months or longer.
This means that they are almost at the end of their natural storage life when you buy them.
On the other hand, if you purchase pecans from a health food store that turns over tons of nuts a month, you have a much better chance of getter fresh nuts which you can then store for a long while yourself.
But, in order to use them to best effect, it is good to keep certain food facts in mind.
Due to their high fat contents, nuts easily take on the odors of foods that surround them.
For example, if you have them uncovered in your refrigerator with meats, they will gradually take on the odors of those meats.
To avoid this, never leave refrigerated nuts uncovered.
Place them either in a sealed glass container or wrap them in heavy plastic wrapping.
Thin plastic is not enough as odors can easily pass through a thin layer of plastic.
Nuts last longer in the shell than outside of them.
So, if you are buying nuts in bulk and expect to store them for a period of over four months, consider buying the unshelled version.
You will experience a bit more inconvenience when you get around to using them because they have to be shelled.
But, on the other hand, there is less chance of them becoming rancid or going bad.
Always taste nuts before including them in your foods.
Unlike many foods, when nuts are bad, they don't always show obvious signs of decay.
But if you bite into a stale pecan or rancid walnut, you want to spit it out almost immediately.
If you put that bitter pecan or rancid walnut into your foods, your dinner guests will have the same reaction as you, because the flavor of the nuts will carry over into the cooked dish.
So taste first, and only then determine if they are good enough to use in your meal.
Buy your nuts from a store with a high turnover of produce.
Nuts are a perishable item and the longer they sit on the store shelves, the less time you have to store them at home.
For example, if you buy pecans from your small corner grocery store which has very little traffic, you could be purchasing pecans that have already been on the shelves for 4 months or longer.
This means that they are almost at the end of their natural storage life when you buy them.
On the other hand, if you purchase pecans from a health food store that turns over tons of nuts a month, you have a much better chance of getter fresh nuts which you can then store for a long while yourself.
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