We know nuts are incredibly good for you. They're an excellent source of antioxidants and fiber, pack plenty of nutrient-dense monounsaturated fat, and have been shown to lower cholesterol, inflammation, and your risk of heart disease.
Walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, and the lot are tasty treats in trail mix, but their uses are nearly never-ending. Fold walnuts into homemade bread dough, mix cashews into granola, or throw a handful of almonds and a pinch of salt into your food processor for some seriously delicious DIY nut butter.
Now that we're covered what we do know about nuts, read on for some of the (unexpected) mistakes many of us make when shopping for and storing them. Break these harmful habits, and we promise your nuts will stay fresher longer.
The biggest blunder is buying from the bulk bins at your grocery store. It's nearly impossible to tell how often the shop replaces these nuts, or how long they've been sitting out in the open air. According to Steve Lindsay, the Director of Quality Assurance for Diamond Nuts, oxygen is the number one enemy of any nut's shelf-life. Those sitting in bulk bins are constantly exposed to oxygen, compromising their freshness and speeding up the rancidity process. Your best bet for finding fresh nuts is to buy those sealed in a bag, which will ensure freshness and prevent oxygen from slipping through.
One final word on bulk bins: As you've probably noticed when shopping, some people stick their bare hands directly into the bins to sneak a snack. This exposes the contents to oodles of outside germs and bacteria. Just saying.
Mistake #2: Storing Them in the Pantry
Contrary to popular belief, nuts should be stored in the fridge or freezer. Why? Because nuts contain a high amount of unsaturated fat, a delicate type of oil which makes them highly prone to going rancid. Spoilage is accelerated even more by light, oxygen, and—you guessed it—heat. Storing nuts (and seeds) in the fridge or freezer limits their exposure to all three and will result in your nuts tasting less bitter and more flavorful for a longer time.
According to Lindsay, you can keep an unopened bag of shelled or in-shell nuts in the fridge or freezer for two years (!). Even if the bag's been opened, shelled nuts should last an entire year, and in-shell nuts will last about a year and a half.
If you're going to use your nuts in the immediate future, it's fine to keep them in a cool, dark spot in your pantry. Just make sure they're in an airtight container and plan to eat them within a couple of weeks.
Mistake #3: Paying Too Much Attention to Expiration Dates
Expiration dates are problematic for many reasons, primarily because they're merely suggestions or guesses, rather than hard-and-fast deadlines for edibility. The shelf life of nuts depends on three key factors: storage conditions, shelled or unshelled, and whether or not the package is opened.
A good rule of thumb is to think of nuts as produce rather than a packaged good. Just as you would with fresh spinach or a ripe tomato, give them a sniff before you eat them. As nuts age, the rancidity will give them a paint-like smell. If you get any harsh or bitter aromas, toss them—otherwise, they're probably still fair game. To further extend shelf life, Diamond of California adds a hint of rosemary extract to their products. You, too, can add this natural ingredient to help preserve your nuts.
If you're going to use your nuts in the immediate future, it's fine to keep them in a cool, dark spot in your pantry. Just make sure they're in an airtight container and plan to eat them within a couple of weeks.
Tips to Safely Store Nuts. Contrary to popular belief, nuts should be stored in the fridge or freezer as opposed to a room temperature pantry. Why? Because nuts contain a high amount of unsaturated fat, a delicate type of oil, which makes them highly prone to going rancid.
If you can, buy nuts that are still in their shells because they will last longer. Choose nuts that look fresh. Avoid those that are shriveled, moldy, bruised or give off a bad smell. Nuts that give off an unpleasant odour may be rancid (rotten).
Nuts should be stored in their own airtight containers, such as glass, ceramic, or sturdy plastic containers. Even freezer bags are a good option. In selecting the container it's important to assess them for their airtightness.
Nuts that have a large surface area, like walnut halves, with their complex network of ridges and valleys, will go rancid faster because of a greater exposure to oxygen. And fattier nuts, like macadamia or Brazil nuts, will oxidize quicker than leaner almonds.
A: Nuts can't expire; however, they can change in taste or go rancid. Nuts contain much-unsaturated fat, an oil that makes nuts likely to go rancid. Nuts spoil faster when exposed to light, air, or heat. No fuss; cool, dark, and air-sealed are the three trifectas to storing nuts properly.
A cool temperature of <50°F/<10°C is optimal, but a higher temperature that does not stimulate insect activity may work as well to control moisture migration (and also minimize lipid oxidation). Almonds are a shelf-stable nut that can have more than two years of shelf life when stored at the recommended conditions.
According to Lindsay, you can keep an unopened bag of shelled or in-shell nuts in the fridge or freezer for two years (!). Even if the bag's been opened, shelled nuts should last an entire year, and in-shell nuts will last about a year and a half.
It can cause grains or nuts to rot in storage—leading to more losses for farmers or distributors. But the main concern in terms of human health is that aspergillus produces potentially harmful compounds called mycotoxins—in particular, a group of mycotoxins called aflatoxins. These are known to be carcinogenic.
When choosing a container, use one that is airtight. You can use Tupperware, plastic baggies, freezer bags, or even mason jars. Glass and plastic containers are preferred over plastic bags. Since plastic bags are permeable, it is easy for odors to seep into the bag.
The refrigerator, yes, but specifically, LaMarita recommends refrigerating nuts in air-tight glass jars. Store any extra nuts in the freezer in the bags they came in, he says. (If you don't have the original bags, consider using a freezer-safe air-tight container instead.)
Nuts are pricey these days, so you need to make sure you're storing them correctly for lasting freshness. Glass, plastic containers and our heavy, reclosable ziplock bags are good for storage. Metallic containers, light, moisture and heat will all conspire to spoil nuts more quickly.
Coconuts are actually dry drupes, and the inner core that we buy in the store is the seed. Because it can grow, it is a seed. Because it is a one-seeded fruit, it could be considered a nut.
Walnuts have a rich history dating back thousands of years. Walnuts are the oldest tree food known to man, dating back to 7000 B.C. The Romans called walnuts Juglans regia, “Jupiter's royal acorn.” Early history indicates that English walnuts came from ancient Persia, where they were reserved for royalty.
Scarcely Farmed – only 1% of tree nuts produced worldwide are macadamia! One of the main reasons that macadamia nuts are expensive is because of their supply. Like most tree nuts, macadamia grow on trees, and this leads to a delay from planting to harvest.
So to preserve them, it's best to store nuts in the refrigerator, says Richard LaMarita, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. The coolness of the refrigerator will keep unsaturated fats from breaking down, ultimately slowing down spoilage.
“When possible, always store your nuts in the freezer,” she says. Jaweed agrees with this sentiment: “The ideal way to store nuts is in your freezer, right from the moment you receive them—up to a year or more.”
The optimal goal of the recommended storage conditions is to maintain <6% moisture content, which helps preserve shelf life. A cool temperature of <50°F/<10°C is optimal, but a higher temperature that does not stimulate insect activity may work as well to control moisture migration (and also minimize lipid oxidation).
When choosing a container, use one that is airtight. You can use Tupperware, plastic baggies, freezer bags, or even mason jars. Glass and plastic containers are preferred over plastic bags. Since plastic bags are permeable, it is easy for odors to seep into the bag.
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Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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