Tom:

> Note that Orkos, the well-known supplier for instinctive eaters in France,
> sells shelled cashews that are apparently truly raw.

I confirm. Last May, I obtained fresh cashews (still soft and moist, and with a
brown skin around it) from Orkos. But except from Orkos, I have never found any
truly raw cashew anywhere, whether in France or in the US. My impression is
however that there are different degrees of denaturation, and the least heated
ones, although they are not interesting for purists, still have a taste-change.

> Recommendations: suggest in-shell, cracking manually in small quantities to
> insure freshness. An easy way to crack macadamias: place a layer of in-shell
> nuts between two layers of an old towel, on the floor. Use hammer - tap
>lightly. The towel will hold the nuts in place, while you crack them.

I confirm that macadamia shells are very hard. I succeded in cracking a few with
a pair of pliers, but then it broke. So, I tried with 2 different ordinary
nut-crackers... which broke too.

Any tips to shell Brazil nuts? I usually do it with pliers: I try to control
them, so that I crack the shell but not the nut; and I repeat at different
points of pressure until the shell goes away easily. But that method is only 75%
efficient, and the rest of the time the nut is broken into 2 or more parts and I
need to remove bit by bit with a sharp knife... Very tedious.

However, I read somewhere that putting them in the freezer for 24 hours makes
cracking easier [and let it thaw before serving]. I haven't tried yet. I know
that some purists are against freezing, which constitutes a denaturation, but I
think that, due to the low water-content, freezing leaves nuts almost intact.

Best wishes,

Jean-Louis
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