Researching 10 Tips on how to store nuts for food storage isn’t exactly the thing most mothers do the week their eldest son gets married, but researching seems to relax me. I am so excited for my son Joshua’s wedding to his beautiful bride, Melissa! We have a great weekend ahead of us.
Here are some useful tips I’ve learned about nut storage:
- Nuts need to be stored carefully because of their high oil/fat content. They will go rancid if not stored properly.
- The definition of rancid is “having a rank smell or taste usually due to a chemical change or decomposition.” A rancid nut can upset your stomach. They are yucky.
- Nuts store longest in the freezer (about 8 months to a year), but they can be stored in the refrigerator for about 4 months.
- Store nuts in an airtight, moisture proof container in a dark, cold (less then 70 degrees), dry, safe-from-rodent place. Glass jars or Ziploc bags with the air removed work well. If you have a Foodsaver with a Mason jar attachment, you can remove the air. (I want one of these!)
- Unsalted nuts stay fresher longer than salted nuts.
- Whole nuts last longer than chopped nuts.
- Nuts in the shell store longer than nuts out of the shell. However, if you are limited on freezer space, replenish shelled nuts often.
- Mark the container with the date you purchased the nuts.
- Nuts are high in fiber, fat (primarily unsaturated fat) and protein.
- Smell, then taste a nut before using.
Here is an interesting 5 minute video on how pistachios are harvested and processed.
Also, go to Wendy Dewitt’s blog EverythingUnderthesun.Read her post and look for Vacuum Sealing Foods as she discusses using the Foodsaver Mason jar attachment.