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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
(269,253 posts)aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)malaise
(269,253 posts)They taste the same and don't get soft. How did an old fool like me not know this?
aikoaiko
(34,185 posts)and we were advised to freeze them.
malaise
(269,253 posts)I thought I knew a lot of preserving food.
SKKY
(11,831 posts)Thanks for the info!!
malaise
(269,253 posts)CentralMass
(15,265 posts)Last edited Fri Nov 29, 2019, 09:22 PM - Edit history (1)
malaise
(269,253 posts)Not those nuts
magicarpet
(14,202 posts)Shame on him.
blogslut
(38,021 posts)malaise
(269,253 posts)but they're perfect
blogslut
(38,021 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
(269,253 posts)She bought everything in bulk
robbob
(3,539 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
(38,021 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
(269,253 posts)Thanks
Brother Buzz
(36,489 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
(269,253 posts)Only the pistachios are shelled - I learn something new daily
Brother Buzz
(36,489 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
(269,253 posts)let alone a gallon
Brother Buzz
(36,489 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
(33,543 posts)chowder66
(9,098 posts)malaise
(269,253 posts)OK
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,543 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
(269,253 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
(269,253 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
(269,253 posts)so the ability to freeze is good news
Aristus
(66,503 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
(269,253 posts)My frozen nuts are walnuts, pecans and pistachios
CTyankee
(63,926 posts)malaise
(269,253 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,943 posts)malaise
(269,253 posts)and was pleasantly surprised
Disaffected
(4,572 posts)yourself.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,943 posts)Disaffected
(4,572 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)gosh, can't believe I said that..
but I did...
malaise
(269,253 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)if one walks in deep snow.
dweller
(23,690 posts)of perineum freezing fads ?
i guess so...
✌🏼
malaise
(269,253 posts)dweller
(23,690 posts)a day or so ago, perineum sunning for health benefits... even there i was concerned about side effects ...
🤔
✌🏼
nuts?
dweller
(23,690 posts)my eyes watered just writing that
😡
✌🏼
malaise
(269,253 posts)very painful
dweller
(23,690 posts)to the benefits of perineum freezing 🤣
🤔
✌🏼
magicarpet
(14,202 posts)malaise
(269,253 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,498 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
(269,253 posts)Now I get it
WhiteTara
(29,730 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
(269,253 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
(269,253 posts)Thanks