They are so prevalent and ingrained in our traditions it’s difficult to think of the variety of dishes we prepare today without them. Good results are usually about great ingredients though, so knowing your nuts is vital when producing appetizing meals.
Aromas can sink into food and some will be affected more than others. Fat levels in food are a factor in this, the higher the fat level the more easily smells are absorbed. Nuts are no exception to this and take up odours from adjacent food easily.
Nuts left in the refrigerator with exposed meat will be penetrated by the odor of that meat. Don’t leave nuts uncovered near other food if you wish to avoid this problem. Put them in their own bag or container, made if possible from glass or durable plastic. Thin plastic is not aroma resistant so use something heavy.
When buying nuts you may wonder if you want to get them with or without their shells. The shell will have the effect of preserving the nut’s freshness for longer. Think about how you want to use them – buying in volume to use over a long period basically requires buying with their shells on. It’s a bit of a chore to have to shell the nuts each time you have to use them, but they will remain fresh and you won’t have paid the premium for them to be pre-shelled.
A great cook will always do the right things prior to using nuts. Prior to putting them in the recipe, sampling the nuts is important. Unlike a number of other types of food, it’s not necessarily clear by any external indicators that nuts are decaying. The desire to spit comes immediately across anyone who bites a rotten nut. If you don’t taste it and put that nut into your dish it will carry into the final result, and your dinner guests will be the ones who taste that spoiled nut. Make sure you decide if they’re good enough for your meal by tasting first.
Pick a shop that turns their stock over frequently when you buy your nuts. You have to remember that the nuts will perish so you need to get them as fresh as possible from the store.
Think about the example of buying from one of the smaller corner grocery stores in any neighborhood. They tend to have very steady stock turnover. They could be many months old or even older, stuck on the shelves or in a stock room. These nuts could be at the end of their edible lifespan when you’re purchasing them.
Chain stores that turnover massive amounts of nuts daily will have fresher food on the shelves, and you get more versatility and more time to store them yourself.
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