Easy Ways to Use Versatile Peanuts

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Among nuts, peanuts are second only to pine nuts in terms of protein content, which makes them a pretty hearty stand-in for meat. And they’re practically second to none in their penchant for playing well with other foods.
Among nuts, peanuts are second only to pine nuts in terms of protein content, which makes them a pretty hearty stand-in for meat. And they’re practically second to none in their penchant for playing well with other foods.
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Roast raw peanuts yourself for one of the best-tasting simple snacks you’ve ever had.
Roast raw peanuts yourself for one of the best-tasting simple snacks you’ve ever had.
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Honey roasted peanuts are simple to make, and their aroma is amazing. Serve ’em hot!
Honey roasted peanuts are simple to make, and their aroma is amazing. Serve ’em hot!
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Boiled peanuts are a fantastic Southern treat. You can make them with fresh, green peanuts, or approximate the real thing with raw, air-dried peanuts.
Boiled peanuts are a fantastic Southern treat. You can make them with fresh, green peanuts, or approximate the real thing with raw, air-dried peanuts.
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For fresh and superior flavor, begin your peanut recipes with fresh green and raw peanuts. 
For fresh and superior flavor, begin your peanut recipes with fresh green and raw peanuts. 
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As this scrumptious Southern stew demonstrates, peanuts are practically second to none in their penchant for playing well with other foods.
As this scrumptious Southern stew demonstrates, peanuts are practically second to none in their penchant for playing well with other foods.
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Totally tasty, soul-satisfying homemade peanut butter. “Yum” isn’t even the word!
Totally tasty, soul-satisfying homemade peanut butter. “Yum” isn’t even the word!
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Peanut brittle makes a wonderful topping for vanilla ice cream.
Peanut brittle makes a wonderful topping for vanilla ice cream.

After pure oils, nuts are the richest foods we eat. The weak cell walls of these fat seeds lend them an appealing tenderness, while their oils make them mouthwatering. This characteristic richness is what made prehistoric guys and gals value nuts for nourishment, and it’s what makes squirrels and people store them away today.

Peanuts, though actually legumes, are one of America’s most prized nuts. We love our PB&Js and our grandmas’ peanut butter cookies. But we aren’t the only ones who’ve gone nuts for them. They flourish in the hot climates of Africa and Southeast Asia, where you’ll find them in all kinds of creative recipes that find their sweet spot where salt, sugar, spice and citrus happily coexist.

Mr. Peanut wears many hats (not just the black top hat sported by a certain peanut mascot). His uniquely nutty flavor is the product of hundreds of distinct compounds that range from fruity and flowery to fried and smoky, many of which can be altered or amped up by various cooking processes. One reason that peanuts boiled in the shell taste so terrific is because the shells contain vanillin, a sweet flavor enhanced by boiling. Red peanut skins also contain antioxidants and other compounds that transfer a depth of flavor to the nuts within if left on during roasting.

Among nuts, peanuts are second only to pine nuts in terms of protein content (26 percent), which makes them a pretty hearty stand-in for meat. And they’re practically second to none in their penchant for playing well with other foods. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of The Flavor Bible, list nearly 60 foods that love peanuts: cayenne, coffee, fish sauce, mole sauces, pork, shrimp, strawberries and red wine vinegar, to name a few.

Not Just Versatility. Also Variety.

  • Published on Jul 5, 2011
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