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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSerious question for my Friday night chill
Why don't nuts freeze?
Got three 3lb bags of walnuts, pecans and pistachios respectively and and a wise person suggested that we freeze them. I was skeptical but decided to give it a try. They are perfect.
malaise
(269,295 posts)aikoaiko
(34,186 posts)malaise
(269,295 posts)They taste the same and don't get soft. How did an old fool like me not know this?
aikoaiko
(34,186 posts)and we were advised to freeze them.
malaise
(269,295 posts)I thought I knew a lot of preserving food.
SKKY
(11,835 posts)Thanks for the info!!
malaise
(269,295 posts)CentralMass
(15,265 posts)Last edited Fri Nov 29, 2019, 09:22 PM - Edit history (1)
malaise
(269,295 posts)Not those nuts
magicarpet
(14,219 posts)Shame on him.
blogslut
(38,022 posts)malaise
(269,295 posts)but they're perfect
blogslut
(38,022 posts)Last edited Fri Nov 29, 2019, 11:32 PM - Edit history (1)
It makes it crumbly but it still tastes fine.
Also, always freeze tofu.
malaise
(269,295 posts)She bought everything in bulk
robbob
(3,541 posts)Do you drain all water off the tofu before freezing? Because I once froze an unopened package of tofu at a friends recommendation and it turned into a giant bath sponge when thawed out. Kind of gross and inedible!
blogslut
(38,022 posts)Drain it, press it under something heavy-ish to remove excess moisture, then freeze it.
Me, I'm lazy. I just throw the unopened packed in the freezer and squeeze the liquid out after it thaws.
The purpose of freezing it is to give it a firmer texture that will stand up to frying and stuff.
malaise
(269,295 posts)Thanks
Brother Buzz
(36,502 posts)the insect eggs before they hatched into larvae. Almonds and pecans, not so much.
Today, all shelled nuts go into the freezer. The unshelled nuts do alright in my cellar until I get around to them as long as they go in dry, and a week in California's triple-digit dry fall heat assures they are DRY!
malaise
(269,295 posts)Only the pistachios are shelled - I learn something new daily
Brother Buzz
(36,502 posts)Give her a sixteen ounce claw hammer and she can go through a sack of black walnuts in a flash.
My almonds are paper shells so they only need a twist, but I'm a wussy and my fingers get tender after shelling about a gallon.
malaise
(269,295 posts)let alone a gallon
Brother Buzz
(36,502 posts)That's the most fun. Then straight into an oven to roast them with a tiny bit of butter to help the salt stick. Friends and family have come to expect quart jars from us for the holidays. A select few get almond brittle, and that's to die for.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,554 posts)chowder66
(9,104 posts)malaise
(269,295 posts)OK
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,554 posts)I realize they're not native, but just wonder if anyone ever tried growing an American black walnut.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_nigra
https://www.wood-database.com/black-walnut/
malaise
(269,295 posts)but I will check
rufus dog
(8,419 posts)1. As a male, I can confirm nuts freeze.
2. I am guessing the oil in pecans/walnuts create a lower freeze point.
Now to read the thread to see how many male responses are similar to mine.
malaise
(269,295 posts)rufus dog
(8,419 posts)1. You can never underestimate the stupidity of the general public
2. You can never make a nut or flatulence comment without 20 to 50% of all males make jokes.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)rufus dog
(8,419 posts)Limited moisture, etc. Some sites say pecans can last for a couple of years. As I recall from picking up nuts for my wife's baking day, nuts are DAMN expensive. Conversely, I don't believe she values mine nearly enough.
1. Nuts and nut flours: Because of their high oil content, nuts can go rancid very quickly. We recommend freezing both nuts and nut flours if you don't plan on using them right away. To freeze peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds (shelled or unshelled), simply wrap them well in plastic, then place in a resealable freezer bag.
malaise
(269,295 posts)so the ability to freeze is good news
Aristus
(66,527 posts)I worked the night shift in Bremerhaven, Germany on the North Sea, working to get tanks and trucks loaded onto ships bound for the Gulf.
My nuts nearly froze!...
malaise
(269,295 posts)My frozen nuts are walnuts, pecans and pistachios
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)malaise
(269,295 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,985 posts)malaise
(269,295 posts)and was pleasantly surprised
Disaffected
(4,574 posts)yourself.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,985 posts)Disaffected
(4,574 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)gosh, can't believe I said that..
but I did...
malaise
(269,295 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)if one walks in deep snow.
dweller
(23,702 posts)of perineum freezing fads ?
i guess so...
✌🏼
malaise
(269,295 posts)dweller
(23,702 posts)a day or so ago, perineum sunning for health benefits... even there i was concerned about side effects ...
🤔
✌🏼
nuts?
dweller
(23,702 posts)my eyes watered just writing that
😡
✌🏼
malaise
(269,295 posts)very painful
dweller
(23,702 posts)to the benefits of perineum freezing 🤣
🤔
✌🏼
magicarpet
(14,219 posts)malaise
(269,295 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,500 posts)at only 3 or 4% by weight while containing around 40 to 70% fats, which simply do not freeze but instead thicken and become waxy.
In order for something to "freeze" it by definition must form ice or ice-like crystals in a matrix so the larger mass becomes hard like an ice cube at some specific "ice point" temperature.
I suspect for foods like nuts that have both water and oil content, there would be a crossover point where water content is high enough to freeze solid. For example, consider the difference between regular ice cream that stays semi-soft and thin milk shakes or 2% milk that can be frozen practically solid due to high water content and low fat content.
Freezing or refrigeration of high oil-content foods simply slows down the rate of oxidation of the fats (from exposure to air) which results in what we call a "rancid" taste or odor. An oxidized edible oil is a totally different chemical from what we started with, say in our bottle of olive oil or pound of butter.
That's my amateur chemist/old fart retired engineer school of hard-knocks best guess....... ......
A little "PS" side story for your entertainment....
Being the science-minded guy I am, years ago it got my curiosity as to why dirty dishes and silverware left in the sink a while at an elderly friend's house were extremely difficult to clean, with many still looking nasty even after a good run through the dishwasher. The answer was this: When thin layers of vegetable oils on dishes stay in open air at room temperature, the oils actually transform into waxes. That's why regular dish soaps won't easily remove them. That's also the reason residue collected on car windows from using an e-cigarette is so damned hard to remove - it's actually a thin layer of oxidized propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine from the e-cig liquid that has condensed on the windows.
malaise
(269,295 posts)Now I get it
WhiteTara
(29,736 posts)I buy in bulk and then freeze them until they're needed. All nuts work the same as pecans. Seeds too. I also freeze flour.
malaise
(269,295 posts)since we don't eat it that often - stays fresh and nice - just pop it in a toaster.
lillypaddle
(9,581 posts)if anyone is interested!
malaise
(269,295 posts)Thanks