So, pistachio fans ... you buy them in the shell or just a bag of nuts?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

I firmly believe they are slightly tastier when the come to in the split shell. Sometimes way tastier.

And more just ... fresh-tasting generally.

Sometimes I buy the nuts for convenience/better portability, but around the house? Gimme the ones in the shell!

What say you DU'ers?

Here's what Google Bard said when I asked "why do pistachios taste better when they come in the shell?"

There are a few reasons why people might think that pistachios taste better when they come in the shell.

* The shell protects the nut from oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can cause nuts to lose their flavor and nutrients over time. The shell helps to prevent this by keeping the nut sealed in an airtight environment.
* The shell adds a bit of crunch. The shell adds a bit of texture and crunch to the nut, which some people find enjoyable.
* The shelling process can be a fun and satisfying experience. Some people enjoy the challenge of shelling the pistachios, and the feeling of accomplishment when they finally get to the nut.
* The shell can help to slow down the eating process. When pistachios are in the shell, it takes longer to eat them, which can help people to avoid overeating.

Also ... what happened to the Red ones?

https://www.thespruceeats.com/red-pistachios-overview-1807049

[Diamond_Dog]

1. I love pistachios!

Recent dental work has put me on pause with them, though.

I like them either way - fresh out of the shell or already shelled. Whatever is convenient at the time, I guess. Already shelled are a bit more expensive ….. so there’s that ….

[womanofthehills]

29. My dentist warned me not to eat almonds as they are too hard

I like pistachios as they are definitely a softer nut.

[Diamond_Dog]

34. I can definitely understand that.

[IcyPeas]

35. Can confirm. I cracked a tooth eating almonds.

[Niagara]

2. I can eat the heck out of pistachio's.

I buy them in the shell. Every once in awhile a shell may not have a split in it, so I throw them outside for the squirrels.

[cilla4progress]

3. In the shell at Costco!

Pistachios, it turns out, are really healthy for you!

Remember when they used to be dyed red?!

WTF??!!

[Hugh_Lebowski]

5. I do remember that. When I was a kid the only place I ever had them

Was visiting my stepdad's folks. They were recently returned to the States from Iran where gramps worked for Foremost for about a decade before seeing that the revolution was coming.

Anyways, they always had pistachios for snacks, and I used to scarf those suckers. And yeah, they were a lot more red, come to think of it. I'd forgotten about that!

[LakeArenal]

19. In Boston my first was at Kitty's Pizzeria.

In a gum machine. Red shells. A nickel got a little girl handful.

[mopinko]

4. depends.

if on a camping trip, shells r must. they burns so very well. fun to sit by the fire and toss them in.

if i’m looking for a quick snack, i’ll get a small bag of unshelled. just stuff them straight in my face. i think they tend to be saltier, tho. i try to find unsalted nuts. both for me and for the parrots i share them w.

[CentralMass]

6. In the shell.Pistachios are my "crack". I can't stop eating them.

Last edited Tue May 16, 2023, 01:25 PM - Edit history (1)

To my horror I seemed to have developed a bit of an allergy to them and cashews. I can only eat a limited amount of them.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

11. Makes sense as they're both from the Cashew family of trees ...

That's a bummer! I love both.

Neither are true nuts in the botanical sense of the word. Also true of peanuts, almonds, pecans, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, and macadamias.

In fact the only 'true nuts' people eat are acorns (yuck), hazelnuts (yum!), walnuts, and chestnuts.

[CentralMass]

20. I seem to tolerate hazelnuts ok. They grow alot of them here in Oregon.

The next time I drive by a hazelnut farm I'm going to have to stop in and buy a "sack" of them.

[ms liberty]

7. I love pistachios, and I have five words: Pistachio butter and Pistachio cream

OMG. This is the best stuff ever invented, ever. I currently have 2 jars of the butter right now. The cream is sweeter and it is so good, but it's more expensive and comes in a smaller jar so I make my cream from the butter.

[Emile]

8. In the shell. Hard on finger nails, but I love them.

Good on my digestive system too, 😁.

[electric_blue68]

22. Use a half shell as a "fingernail", read that as a suggestion - works great!

[Emile]

25. Thanks I'll try that 😃

[Sneederbunk]

9. Weren't the red ones smaller?

[yellowdogintexas]

10. I thought the red ones were dyed

because they stained my fingers just like Cheetos will.

I love them and can't keep them in the house because I will devour them! (regardless of shell status)

Since my daughter married into an Iranian family I have become interested in some of the desserts which feature them. One of these days I am going to bake a cake using them.

[underpants]

12. Well I have a bag of nuts

out in the garage but to your question…

I like to use a porcelain juice thing for my pistachios. There’s always a couple hiding in the empty shells.

[GreenWave]

13. I gave up on them. My parrot loves them.

I tried eating them but he got close "Want some!" "Want a cracker!"

In the shell but unsalted.

[catbyte]

14. In the shell. I don't know if it's because they get stale faster out of the shell or

whatever, but they are often hard as a rock if they're out of their shell. And they don't taste nearly as good. They shred my fingernails at times, but boy, is it worth it.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

18. Agree!!! (nt)

[ProfessorGAC]

27. What Brand?

Because my experience is the opposite. I taste essentially nothing different.
The packaging process, if done right should prevent what you've experienced.
I think in-the-shell are are little crunching (for a soft nut) the shelled.
But, I can't tell the difference in the taste.

[catbyte]

38. I've tried a few.

The kind they sell in Walgreens (sorry, I forget), Wonderful, and Oh, Nuts!

[ProfessorGAC]

40. Wonderful Is What We Get

I'm surprised our experience is so different.
Maybe distribution routes?

[catbyte]

41. It could be. I was so disappointed because I'd heard good things about that brand.

[Yavin4]

15. Did you know that you can use the shell to open other pistachios?

I never knew about this technique until a couple of years ago.

[electric_blue68]

23. Read that a few yrs ago. Works great. 👍

[2naSalit]

16. What happened to the red ones?

Umm, I think it had something to do with Red Dye #2.


They have to be in the shell, period. If they aren't in the shell, they have to be in some food like spumoni or something.

I only eat them at home, they seem sacred somehow... but only in the shell.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

17. There's a link at the bottom of my OP re: the red ones, pretty interesting :) (nt)

[thatcrowwoman]

21. In the shell for sure.

Not a fan of hazelnuts but enjoy most others, especially pecans, almonds, walnuts, and cashews.
🕊thatcrowwoman

[electric_blue68]

24. Really like them! In the shell, too easy to scarf down a lot w/o shells from a bag! 😄

[ProfessorGAC]

26. The 3rd & 4th Bullet Points Are Me

I enjoy cracking them & the cracking time means I eat less at one setting.
The first point about oxidation is fair if the nuts are pretty old.
But, they're filled and the puffed with nitrogen so until the package is opened the nut isn't exposed to hardly any oxygen.
I don't find a marked difference in taste between in-the-shell and shelled. So, i think that reinforces packaging methods protecting the nut.
But, I'll eat either version any time at all.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

31. I don't think its really marked, more subtle

And a higher % of really tasty ones in a bag when they're in the shells.

I think it may actually be due to a difference in how they're processed and roasted and salted. Like when they're making just the nut version, maybe they take 'em out the shells first, then do what they do to just the nut, whereas for the version w/the shell, they have to process both parts together, obvs.

I also like the little 'skin' that you only get in the ones in the shell

[ProfessorGAC]

33. Could Be

I've been in a peanut plant, but that's the only nut manufacturing I've seen. (And, I was there auditing peanut oil refining, not the nuts. But, I went through the shelling, roasting/frying, and packaging areas a couple times. It's a fun thing to see.
As to the skins, I can see that. There's a lot of oil in the skin and where there is plant oil there is flavor.

[a kennedy]

28. Only thing I think of when pistachios are even mentioned.......Stephen Colbert.

Last edited Tue May 16, 2023, 08:20 PM - Edit history (2)

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[womanofthehills]

30. I just made dough for Italian Pistachio cookies

Sitting in the fridge now - I will bake them tonight.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

32. So you saying I inspired ya, or just a coincidence?

[debm55]

36. I like unshelled, unsalted pistachio.and pistachio ice cream

[tblue37]

37. Shell.

[retread]

39. I eat them in the shell after every evening meal. I was going to goggle the health benefits and post

them here. This was a "benefit" that caught my attention:

Pistachios can influence sexual vitality in men, according to the International Journal of Impotence Research [12]. Studies have shown that those men who had a daily intake of about 100 grams of these nuts for three weeks improved their erectile function by around 50 percent. This was confirmed by ultrasound scans of blood flow in the penis.