One of the great food resources on the planet are nuts. As a rule, they are extremely rich in nutrients. And, no matter what culture is involved, you can find many recipes containing nuts.
As a matter of fact, nuts are such a versatile food that, if you are a cook or chef, you would do well to always maintain a good supply of your favorite nuts on hand to use, just in case you need them. The problem, however, is how should they be stored?
Kept in the shell, nuts can last for quite a while. This is apparent simply by the fact that squirrels are famously known for hiding and storing nuts for the winter. By this alone, we know that nuts inherently are a food source that can be stored for long periods of time. But there some things that you can do to make them last even longer.
As the fall season rolls in, squirrels begin to get busy collecting and storing nuts in preparation for the upcoming winter months. So, for the most part, the storage is taking place in cool weather. And that's what you should do as well.
When you store nuts, don't store them at room temperature - unless your room temperature is very cold. Nuts often become rancid In warm weather if kept there for a long period of time. This is because of their high fat content. Fat tends to break down when kept for long periods of time at warm temperatures. In a damp atmosphere, the rancidity will occur at an even greater rate, in some cases even leading to the growth of mold.
The key to keeping nuts fresh is to store them in a freezer. Most food experts believe that storing them in the shell is best. In practice, however, most cooks tend to buy nuts that have already been shelled. Luckily, shelled nuts store well also.
Nuts of all kind are easy to store. You can easily store them in your freezer for up to 6 months, 7 months, or even longer - and they will retain most of their flavor. And, if you pressure seal them, you can store them for an even longer period of time. The quality of chopped nuts degrade faster than whole or halved nuts. So, if need chopped nuts, for the best results save the chopping until after they have been taken from the freezer and thawed..
Thawing nuts is not a problem. Simply leave your storage bag at room temperature until they are thawed. In fact, if you are using them in recipes that require baking or stovetop cooking, many times you don't even need to thaw them out. In a pinch, just take them directly from the freezer and toss them into the mix.
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