Do I need to wash nuts?

Do I need to wash walnuts?

Shelled walnuts are no fundamentally different from almonds, cashews or hazelnuts. And it is imperative to wash them before eating. This also applies to products sold in shells. The need to wash peeled kernels is due to the following points:

1. When selling a product, it is constantly in the open air and remains unprotected from airborne dust and dirt particles.
2. Not only bacteria or viruses, but also parasite eggs can get onto shelled nuts from people present in the immediate vicinity.
3. To ensure long shelf life, nut tree fruits can be treated with special chemical compounds that prevent food moths and other pests from eating the product.

Important! Before eating, the product in its packaging must also be washed.

Nuts: wash, soak, properly fry and eat

Walnuts are tasty and healthy, but there is still debate about how to use them. One of the reasons for controversy is the question of whether nuts should be washed before eating, and if so, how.

Nuts are no different from any other product. Therefore, it is imperative to wash them - even if you collected them personally from a walnut tree growing on your site.

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In a shell

• A product sold in a store or market is located in the open air, which means dust and dirt particles can settle on it.
• Bacteria, viruses and parasite eggs can get onto the product from people who collected or who trade nuts. Few people wash their hands after touching a product - and even if the product is in the public domain and anyone can touch it, there are no guarantees of its biological safety.
• In order for nuts to be stored for a long time, they are often treated with chemical compounds. Eating them, to put it mildly, provides little benefit - so it is better to wash off the excess chemicals before eating.

Peeled

It is especially important to rinse nuts if they:

• Sold in purified form by weight.
• If they are sold on open markets.
• If they were bought secondhand. Even if the seller is the one who grows the walnut trees and harvests them, it cannot be guaranteed that he carries out the harvest with clean hands.

Before eating nuts, you must first rinse them - even if they are sold in packaging.

When washed, dirt, dust and possible pathogens are removed, and when soaked, the nut comes into a fundamentally different state.

However, both procedures have common points, which have their pros and cons.

The benefits of flushing are:

• Cleaning of nut raw materials.
• Nuts “awaken.” Even if there is no embryo in the nut mass, the endosperm of the walnut (exactly the pulp that we all eat) responds to moisture, becoming more tender and tasty.
• Unnecessary substances are removed: tannins, essential oils, tannins, etc.
• Soaked nuts have a similar taste and consistency to fresh ones, just picked. This point is significant if you need to eat nuts that have been stored since last season.

The disadvantages include:

• Reduced shelf life for shelled nuts. Washed kernels are saturated with water, accelerate germination - and can no longer wait for the next season, like properly dried and aged nuts.
• Change in taste. Many people like the bitterness in walnuts that washing and soaking removes.

What's better?

In fact, there is no choice between washing and soaking walnuts.

Soaking always includes rinsing, and even in cases where nuts are eaten or added to dishes without soaking, they must be rinsed before use.

Soaking and washing are not mutually exclusive procedures.

Washing rids the nuts not only of pathogenic bacteria and mold spores, but also of ordinary dust.

There is no other way to get rid of them. Even if you plan to fry nuts in a frying pan for storage or consumption, they must first be thoroughly washed to remove dirt and debris. Calcination will disinfect the nut pulp, but the dust will remain on it.

Let's figure out how to wash peeled nuts and fruits in their shells so that they can be eaten.

If you need to wash nuts, you need to take into account their condition.

In this article I want to tell you some useful facts about nuts. The information I will share applies to absolutely all types of nuts.

Many varieties are difficult to find in our stores, and their prices will be impressive. In the iHerb online store, all this is much cheaper and of proven high quality. You will find cashews, almonds, various pastes (urbechi) and many other products at great prices with delivery to Russia, Belarus and other countries around the world.

The fact is that nuts have one feature that is the same for everyone: the body digests them heavily and for quite a long time. This necessitates their certain processing before eating: frying, sprouting, or at least soaking.

1. Firstly, the goods during such a sale are located in the open air. It simply becomes covered with dust and dirt particles present in the air. This fact occurs even if it is completely invisible to us. In addition, it may contain various viruses, bacteria and even parasite eggs. They can get on the nuts from people nearby who breathed on them and touched them with their hands.
2. Secondly, for long-term storage and to prevent food moths and other pests from eating them, they can be treated with some kind of chemical composition.

It is already clear that it is necessary to wash the nuts. This also applies to packaged options. Those that are fried salted in oil, of course, do not need to be washed. Perhaps some imported too. But it is better to rinse all other inexpensive products. They look like they were taken by weight from the market, only packaged in packages.

It’s unlikely that the nuts in the shell were treated with any chemicals (the only thing I’ve heard is that walnuts are bleached with something). For this reason, it seems to me that it will be enough to wash them thoroughly from dust so that it does not settle on the core when splitting.

How to properly wash nuts?

You can simply rinse a small amount in a colander under running water. If there is quite a lot, then you can pour it into a saucepan, pour water into it and stir it properly. Next, pour out the water, pour in new water and do the same thing. Then wipe the wet nuts or you can leave them to dry naturally.

I wash the shelled nuts like this:

1. I pour some of it into a colander,
2. wash under running water,
3. Then I rinse them with bottled water.

This method is relevant for packaged products from a trustworthy manufacturer. I also advise you to pour boiling water over the ones you bought at the market or leave them in it for 5-10 seconds. - this is how the microbes die.

If you are going to soak the nuts after this and will use soda (there will be detailed information about this below), then it is not necessary to use boiling water. Since an alkaline environment can in any case kill harmful bacteria, viruses and eggs laid by parasites.

In case of a chemical taste (may occur in cashews, shelled pine nuts, and regular washing does not get rid of it):

• put them in water at room temperature and leave there for 30-60 minutes.
• You can also hold it for 10 minutes. in a hot liquid, the outer part of the nuclei will become soft and the chemistry will come off.

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Then you need to pour out the water, rinse the nuts again with drinking water - and you can eat. There will be no chemical taste.

Be that as it may, before eating, the nuts must either be lightly fried, sprouted, or soaked. It is not recommended to eat them raw.

This is explained by two main factors:

1. Inhibitors are found in the cores of raw foods. They are special substances that prevent their germination. Penetrating into the human body, inhibitors slow down the process of food digestion, interfering with the synthesis of enzymes.
2. Nuts themselves put a significant strain on the liver, and raw nuts in particular.

They end up being hard to digest and difficult to absorb. For this reason, they must be processed in order for their consumption to be beneficial. Both soaking and frying help break down the inhibitors. It’s difficult to say which option is more effective.

Roasting nuts

Thus, the most accessible methods of releasing inhibitors (maybe not entirely, but at least partially) remain treatment with high temperatures and soaking.

During roasting, nuts, like all other products, reduce the content of nutrients. How are things going in this regard when soaking? There are different points of view on this on the Internet, so my advice is to try it yourself and go by your feelings.

I both roast and soak the nuts. With the latter method, they seem softer to me, and at the same time, fried, they taste better to me. Let's look at the method of using high temperatures below.

I wouldn't recommend frying them in a frying pan. In this case, you fry them unevenly, even with frequent stirring. It's better to do this in the oven.

You can keep the temperature in it under control and prevent it from rising above the smoke point of the nut oil, otherwise it will release harmful substances.

How to properly roast nuts in the oven?

For this reason, it is more rational to fry it yourself rather than buy it already fried.

In my opinion, the optimal temperature for this process is 150C, because... The smoke point of nut oil is reached at 160C. Under such conditions, for example, cashews and almonds reach the state I need in 8-10 minutes.

The nuts must be distributed throughout the baking sheet so that they do not touch each other. This way the result will be the best.

• How to soak nuts correctly?

  This is the second easiest processing method. Naturally, nuts must be soaked in clean drinking water. The ratio should be: 1 part product to 2 parts water. Further actions are described in different ways.

  Some people think that soaking the nuts in water is enough. Some people talk about the need to add salt to the liquid.

  You need to proceed as follows:

• Take a glass of nuts.

Add 250 milliliters of water. You need to use hot water. This way the salt can completely dissolve. Not hot is also suitable, which is important for those adhering to a raw food diet.

• Add one tsp. salt (only natural, unrefined salt, the best options are sea, pink Himalayan or light gray Celtic).

Alkaline is also believed to be effective in getting rid of lye inhibitors. In other words, you need to add baking soda to the liquid. I use about 1/3 tsp. for 250 milliliters of water. However, most often I sprinkle it just by eye.

According to my feelings, after soaking in a solution with soda, the body responded better to nuts. Despite this, I advise you to try both methods.

How long should I soak?

For each type of product, the time will be different.

1. Almonds and Brazilian almonds should be left in the liquid for 10-12 hours, or better yet, 24 hours. I usually leave them for 12-20 hours.
2. It is recommended to soak hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios for 8-10 hours.
3. The apricot kernels are about the same amount as the previous ones.
4. Leave the cashews for 2-3 hours, maximum 6. Otherwise, they may become tasteless (for this reason, I usually fry them).
5. Regarding cedar, I came across information about eight-hour soaking. However, another site said that 15-30 minutes would be enough.

It is better to remove the skin (skin), if present, before use. Since it contains the maximum amount of digestive enzyme inhibitors. When soaked, it comes off quite easily.

It is recommended to soak for 1 use or 1 day. Although it is believed that soaked nuts will not spoil in the refrigerator for several days.

And if you dry them in the oven, they will keep at a low temperature for up to two weeks in a hermetically sealed container. But I prefer to eat fresh ones.

How many nuts can you eat a day?

Quite a long time ago I read that you are allowed to eat no more than 100 grams. nuts per day, because they are very high in calories. I don’t really watch calories, so this question didn’t interest me. So sometimes I could eat a lot of this delicacy

But after a while I found out that the allowed amount per day is generally a paltry 40-50 grams. This limitation is explained by the following factors: they are poorly digested and put a lot of strain on the liver. This encouraged me to stick to the recommended amount.

How many nuts can you eat a day?

What time of day is best to eat nuts?

You definitely shouldn't consume them in the evening. They stimulate our body and brain to be active. This is probably the effect of the impressive amount of B-group vitamins contained in the composition. Or, due to heavy digestion, the body is activated. Maybe something else is influencing it.

Now I don’t remember the specific reason. In any case, there may be interruptions in sleep. Personally, I had such problems. Thus, the best option is to eat them for breakfast or lunch.

How to eat nuts and what to chop them with?

It’s not just inhibitors that interfere with the normal absorption of nuts. Their dense structure prevents our digestive system from digesting them properly.

Everyone knows that any product must be chewed thoroughly before swallowing. And this concerns nuts most of all. They need to be distilled almost to a powdery state. It's easier, of course, to use a blender.

Just choose a model with a turbo mode for grinding to powder. And it is best if the chopper is small in size. There is one more nuance - in turbo mode, the knives should not only spin very quickly, but also pulsate as they rise/fall. In this case, everything will be crushed super high quality.

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For example, on my Redmond blender, grinding dry nuts to a powder is not so easy. And it will take a lot of time.

How to chop nuts?

I proceed as follows: first, using a blender, I make a paste from any fruits or berries. Next, I sprinkle nuts there and turn on the turbo mode. I keep it until I reach the consistency I need.

During the entire process, it is necessary to monitor the ratio of nuts and fruits/berries so that they do not stick to the walls of the chopper or become too liquid.

I can add some sweetener at the end if needed. I put it in the freezer to cool for 15-20 minutes, then take it out and enjoy some nut curd or yogurt! Vegans will love this dish.

That's all I wanted to tell you today. Eat nuts, but just try to do it correctly and with maximum benefit for your body. I look forward to your questions in the comments

How to wash shelled walnuts

Typically, inshell nuts are not treated with chemicals. Therefore, everything is simple with them: just rinse them in running water, thus getting rid of dirt and dust that will settle on the kernels during the splitting process.

Therefore, it is worth washing walnut kernels more carefully if the product was sold peeled:

• poured into a colander;
• rinse thoroughly under running cold water;
• additionally rinse with bottled or cooled boiled water.

The described method is relevant for shelled walnuts purchased from a trustworthy seller. If the purchase was made at the market, you should scald the fruits with boiling water - this will kill most of the microbes.

It is important not only to properly wash walnuts before eating, but also to correctly remove them from the water. So, if the water is drained only by holding the kernels with your hands, the dirt particles that have settled on the bottom of the dish will most likely stick to the clean product again. To prevent this from happening, you should use a slotted spoon.

Step-by-step instructions: how to carry out the procedure?

If the nuts were sold in packaging from a well-known, reliable manufacturer, wash them as follows:

1. pour a small amount into a colander;
2. washed under pressure of running tap water, while stirring;
3. rinse with drinking (purified) water.

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Nucleoli purchased on the market by weight, without packaging, are processed more carefully:

1. place in a colander;
2. wash under running water;
3. rinse with drinking water;
4. pour over boiling water or immerse in it for 5-10 s.

To get rid of the characteristic chemical taste that occurs in peeled cashew fruits treated with special substances to protect against food moths and other pests, you must do the following:

1. place the kernels in water at room temperature for half an hour or in hot water for 10 minutes;
2. Drain the water and rinse the nuts with clean drinking water.

This procedure softens the surface of the kernels and removes the chemicals.

Which is better: wash or soak?

There is a point of view that it is not enough to simply wash shelled walnuts - they should be soaked.

There is no particular difficulty in the procedure. Unroasted peeled kernels are placed in a container, filled with drinking water and left in this form for several hours (or overnight). The product can be stored for up to three days in the refrigerator. After the specified period, they begin to deteriorate, and their taste characteristics deteriorate.

It is better to use hot water for soaking. But when using baking soda, cold soda will do. An alkaline environment will no less effectively kill all viruses, bacteria and eggs that parasites have managed to lay.

The soaking process is often used by raw foodists. It is generally accepted that placing a raw product in water for a while helps to revive it. The taste of peeled walnuts becomes sweeter and more delicate after soaking. If there was some bitterness in it previously, it disappears. The nut stops crunching, but many people even like it.

Attention! Revitalized walnuts that have been soaked contain twice the nutritional benefits. They take an easily digestible form, and the body requires minimal effort to digest. A product devoid of heavy substances in its composition will become soggy in the stomach in a matter of minutes.

How to properly dry nuts after washing

Having figured out how to wash shelled walnuts, it is worth learning about how to dry them. There are several ways.

Natural drying

Natural drying does not involve heat treatment. The washed product is laid out on a cloth or sheet of paper in a well-ventilated area for 2 - 3 days. The fruits should be stirred periodically to ensure even drying.

In an electric dryer

When drying using a specialized household appliance - an electric dryer - it is important to set the correct temperature, which is intended for heat treatment of fruits and nuts. The procedure will take about 5 - 6 hours.

In the oven

When drying washed, peeled nuts in the oven, it is necessary to set the temperature in the range from 70 to 90 degrees. A higher figure is not acceptable. Before placing the nuts in the oven, they must be laid out on a baking sheet (preferably in one layer). The drying process will take 2 to 3 hours. After the designated time has passed, the fruits must be removed, laid out on a flat surface and allowed to cool.

In the microwave

Drying washed, peeled nuts in the microwave is not the most common method, but it is sometimes used. It will take literally 1 - 2 minutes to dry the fruits. In this case, it is important to set the time mode correctly: if you make a mistake, the walnuts will burn.

Alternative to washing: roasting nuts

Not everyone decides to wash fruits before eating, fearing about their taste. In such cases, it is worth considering another way to make the product not only safe to eat, but also more tasty. We are talking about frying in a pan.

To obtain tasty and safe nuts by roasting, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat.
2. Place the kernels in it in one layer, previously cut in half or into 4 parts. There is no need to use oil or fat: the fruits themselves are quite fatty.
3. Keep it on the fire, stirring constantly, until it turns brown. On average, the process takes no more than 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Let the nuts cool.
6. Serve.

Practice shows that roasted walnuts have a brighter and richer taste.

How long and how to store processed ones?

Walnuts are best stored unprocessed. After they have been processed, they must be handled as follows.

You can store washed nuts like this:

• In a cool, dry place. In this case, it is highly advisable to place them in a tied bag or closed jar: nuts absorb foreign odors very well. The shelf life in this case is 3-4 weeks, for soaked ones - no more than a week.
• In a refrigerator. Here, a closed container is even more important, but you can store it for up to 3-5 months.
• Nuts can be stored in the freezer for a year or more. In fact, the shelf life at temperatures below zero is unlimited.

After roasting

There are practically no problems with storing roasted nuts: just put them in a container with a tight lid (so that they don’t pick up moisture and unnecessary odors). In this form they can be stored for at least 5-6 months.

If the container is glass, then it is better to place it in a dark place.

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Washing walnuts can be either part of the soaking procedure or a separate cleaning. If you plan to roast nuts, it is also better to wash them first.

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