Completely Nuts

[ReformedCharacter]

Many people like to eat nuts at Xmas and my parents used to have a dish of them amongst the seasonal offerings. To accompany the dish of nuts a couple of pairs of antique nutcrackers were retrieved from the drawer reserved for infrequently used culinary implements. These largely useless devices caused my younger self some difficulty, hazelnuts being the only nut that would succumb to my efforts. It wasn't only me that found the nutcrackers somewhat ineffective as I can remember my father - a practical man - abandoning the nutcrackers for a mole wrench.

Over the years my nut consumption remained fairly inconsequential, pub peanuts on occasion or peanut butter from time to time. A few years ago I was given a bag of 'fruit and nuts' which I enjoyed but found the nuts themselves rather disappointing being mainly peanuts. Figuring that fruit and nuts were good to eat, nutritious and required little in the way of preparation I decided to see if I could do better.

Thus began my love affair with nuts. I bought a selection of nuts and enjoyed them so much that they remained unmatched with any dried fruit. I now eat nuts almost every day and I must admit, despite being generally frugal, spend close to a four figure sum on them each year for good nuts are expensive and the cheap ones such as those to be found in supermarkets and elsewhere generally not worth eating.

One of the reasons I am prepared to pay for my pleasure is that nuts are extremely good for you, I'm not going to bother listing their nutritional benefits because they are easily found but will mention that walnuts are apparently good for the heart and almonds good for those of us with a prostate gland.

I like to eat my nuts mixed and my nut jar usually contains almonds, pistacchios, peanuts, walnuts, brazils, macadamia, pecans and cashews. I don't enjoy hazelnuts enough to include them. I include peanuts mainly because they are relatively inexpensive and have some nutrients (I forget what) that are largely absent in other nuts. Peanuts are a little different being legumes with the nut developing underground.

Anyway, the point of writing this is to encourage others who may not have discovered the pleasure of eating really good nuts to try some this Xmas. I would suggest only buying really good ones and they aren't cheap. There's been a shortage of Brazil nuts this year and they are more expensive than usual. I would suggest instead of my rather excessive mix of eight nuts, three or four different varieties would be sufficient. I personally would have to include walnuts (a good walnut is sublime), brazils, almonds and macadamia. Keep them in an airtight container and out of the light.

I buy mine from Healthy Supplies which I have found to be good for choice, price and delivery:

https://www.healthysupplies.co.uk/

I would suggest avoiding salted nuts (fine for 'pub nuts' but spoils the flavour of good ones in my opinion) and buying the cheaper ones is a false economy.

Seasonal Greetings and Bon Appétit!

RC

[midnightcatprowl]

To accompany the dish of nuts a couple of pairs of antique nutcrackers were retrieved from the drawer reserved for infrequently used culinary implements.

This did make me laugh. When I was a child my father was fond of nuts (just about the only faintly 'adventurous' thing he would eat) but we only had them in the house at Christmas - mainly I think because they were expensive and therefore a special treat - and I too remember his epic efforts with the nutcrackers - our pair were not antique just the 'modern' metal 50s type of nutcracker. I could never crack anything with the wretched things nor did I acquire the taste for nuts - apart from salted roast peanuts and roast chestnuts.

Today, particularly as I'm a vegetarian, I consume nuts in quantity eating them not only raw as they come but also as an essential ingredient in cooking and in the form of nut butters. But I'm afraid I do buy them already shelled. My favourites are: cashews, peanuts (I know they are not real nuts but they taste like nuts), almonds, brazils, walnuts. I love macadamias but they are a particularly expensive purchase and not always readily available. I also like pistachios though mainly as a roasted salted nut, and pecans though more for inclusion in cooked dishes than eaten raw. I retain my love for chestnuts - a recent favourite is chestnut and mushroom soup. I have never acquired the taste for hazelnuts, as a raw nut I find them dry and uninteresting and I resent their common use as something with which to spoil chocolate. If I'm going to eat chocolate I want it unadulterated.

I suspect nuts suffer from being perceived as relatively expensive while not being understood as particularly nutritious foodstuffs. Also though I'm sure there are children who will like them, peanuts and chestnuts apart I suspect they are more of an adult taste and many people who don't like them in childhood probably never really try them in adulthood except for salted peanuts or come across them in things like Coffee and Walnut Cake of the dismal type sold in many cafes.

I also think that as suggested by the OP people get put off by the taste of some of the cheaper nuts around. Some cheap nuts are fine, some are quite dire. Also despite peanut butter being so popular it may not act as a bridge to enjoying 'real' nuts as so many peanut butters are well laced with sugar and vegetable oils - the latter often, alas, palm oil.

On the topic of roasted nuts, it is worth roasting a handful of raw nuts at home. They can be dry roasted just in a frying pan or in the oven if you have it on for something else or add a little oil of your choice if preferred. Lightly salted, such roast nuts are quite different from what comes in packets especially when eaten while still warm. Almonds respond particularly well to the treatment.

[johnstevens77]

We eat walnuts every day on our breakfast porridge, and also during the day as a snack along with brazils, cashews, almonds and spoonfuls of Meridian Crunchy Peanut butter, (just peanuts with a pinch of salt). With drinks I roast almonds and cashews, the latter with salt and chilli powder, the almonds usually plain. I make a frangipane tart about once a month and also top crumbles with flaked almonds. As a snack on train and car journeys we take walnuts and brazils along with dried apricots and dates. Then there are the pine nuts used in Middle Eastern dishes and salads. A favourite is mushroom and walnut salad for a light dinner. Yesterday we had katayefi at Pasha Turkish restaurant in Exeter, it was packed with pistachios. So, yes, I suppose I can say that we are “nutters” as well.

john

[idpickering]

We don't tend to bother with walnuts etc nowadays in our house. They used to be a big thing when I was a kid, with a bowl full on the dining table. Nice. My kids have never been interested, which is a shame. Nowadays my only consumption is KP dry roasted nuts, which I adore.

Ian.

[JMN2]

When I was a kid there was always peanut and raisin mix bowl or two during Christmas. I then noticed I was allergic to "normal" peanuts, especially the brown skin. Makes my inner ears itch, too deep to scratch it, even with a metal pin. But salted or dry roasted peanuts are absolutely fine, dry roasted being my favourite although I have been cutting down recently. Dry roasted almonds also when I open a packet I don't stop until it's empty.

[slartybartfast]

I also must admit to being a nut nut.
I get about a kilo each of a few different types from Amazon every couple of months which means I save an extra 15% and get free delivery.
I tend to have about 100gr a day (with dried fruit) as my brunch along with plain yogurt with some fresh blueberries in it. It may seem boring having the same thing most days but if you enjoy it (and being good for you) then why not.

I won't mention the obligatory bag of crisps after!