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Having just read Greenspot's summary about dry roasted nuts, I decided there 
was information that could be added that might be helpful, and sent the 
following on to the sender..  He/She wrote back suggesting that I  send the 
message to the whole list - so here it is.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gayle Kennedy" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Greenspot" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 6:03 AM
Subject: Re: Dry Roasted Nuts Summary


> Having just read your message about Dry Roasted Nuts, let me add one or 
> two
> things that seem necessary and were not included:
>
> Peanuts are NOT nuts, they are legumes.  That may not sound important, but 
> anyone who has a problems with beans should be mindful of that fact.  And 
> anyone who has reactions to peanuts should be alert to possible problems 
> with beans - all types of beans.  Perhaps that is why beans need to be 
> soaked in many waters and drained well before cooking.
>
> I'm  near 80, and have loved cooking all my life.  Therefore I have 
> occasionally fixed roasted nuts in strange ways.  Years ago, one or more 
> recipe for roasting nuts included mixing flour (ordinary wheat flour), 
> salt, and sugar,  and cooking that with water until it was a kind of 
> slurry, then putting  raw nuts in and stirring it around, to coat the 
> nuts, then  lifting the nuts out with a seive or slotted spoon and 
> spreading  a single layer on a cookie sheet and roasting in the oven.  One 
> could add cinnamon or any other spice to the slurry. I do not remember the 
> amounts, but as I learned to cook  > from my grandmother who used a 
> handful of this and pinch of that, I'm not too    > careful about amounts 
> anyway.  It is logical that some  "gourmet" processor is using the same 
> kind of recipe in their cooking.
>
> Another coating for nuts uses any combination of salt, sugar, and  spices 
> glazed with beaten egg whites, and then roasting.  That is usually called 
> a glazed nut. They turn out shiney.
>
> Many of your contributors said that  the writer only ate raw nuts.  That 
> SOUNDS great, but I have always been allergic to raw almonds (itchy 
> throat, swollen tongue, etc.).   That forced me to roast my own almonds - 
> now purchased at Trader Joe's if there is a store near me - purchased raw 
> and spread on a flat pan with a lip, or even a cookie sheet, then  roasted 
> approximately 15 minutes at 325 degrees.  I find it works best if a metal 
> pan is used and not a flat glass dish.  Also, the nuts roast best when 
> spread out so they are not clumped. Oven temperatures vary, and I find 
> that the time varies from one oven to another.  I judge when they are 
> ready by the aroma coming from the oven.  Under cooking still causes an 
> allergic reaction.  Over cooking and they are burned and loose their own 
> unique flavor.
>
> Pistachios are tricky.  They are picked and processed within 24 hours.  If 
> the time between picking and processing is longer than 24 hours after 
> picking (or gathering,, as sometimes the trees are shaken and then the 
> nuts are gathered or vacuumed up). If the time between gathering and 
> roasting is longer than 24 hours, the nuts will frequently develop a kind 
> of mold that can be quite dangerous to eat. If nuts have fallen before the 
> actual picking starts, >  they may already have a mold and be a health 
> problem. Pistachios are grown professionally all around where I live in 
> Arizona.  The trees are small and very    regulated.  Interesting to see, 
> when compared with our acres (square miles!!) of > pecan trees that are 
> also growing  in the state.
>
> Pecan  trees are tall, and require a lot of water to produce good nuts. 
> The blossoms are so small one must get very close to even see them.  Pecan 
> trees are shaken and the nuts vacuumed and then taken to the processing 
> plant for cleaning.  I have never asked about that process, so cannot give 
> you any information about that.  I  assume that once cleaned, the closed 
> nuts are sold, and those that do not have pristine shells are then cracked 
> open and the "meat" of the nut is removed from the shell.  The nut meat 
> is sold at the processing plant (still  NOT cheap).  Some is just raw nut 
> pieces, some are flavored, and probably gently roasted to make the flavor 
> stick. Is flour or some other 'glue' added?  I've no idea. In Arizona they 
> even add chili pepper.
>
> Only one or two of your writers mentioned  cashews.  Those nuts, as well 
> as macademia, and Brazil nuts have a high fat content.  I  have no idea 
> how they are processed, but a friend who lives in Hawaii has grown ithem 
> in her yard, and roasted macademia in her own kitchen.  With the high fat 
> content, it is very possible these nuts  would  develop mold/mildew or go 
> rancid if not heated in some way.
>
> When first diagnosed with  hypoglycemia, many years ago,  I frequently 
> snacked on Brazil nuts, macademia nuts, and cashews, as they seemed to 
> keep me from getting overly hungry and shakey.
>
> It is a little dicy to think that a nut is a nut  is a nut.  I have not 
> bothered to do any internet search, but it would probably be a good idea. 
> I would think that the University of California in Davis would be where a 
> lot of nut research is done, as that location is in an area where many 
> almonds are  grown.  A PhD research professor there is also a specialist 
> in wheat.
>
> In Turkey there are large, rather flat almonds grown, and they have a 
> slightly different and wonderful flavor. They seem to be roasted with 
> very, very finely ground salt and some oil.  Perhaps the oil is olive oil. 
> I'm not sure.
>
> Inside a peach or apricot pit there is a nut - I remember that the one in 
> the apricot was once thought to be a natural cure for cancer and used in 
> clinics in  Mexico.  American research was done and I believe the theory 
> was disproved.  In thinking about it, there is probably a tiny nut inside 
> a plum pit and even a cherry pit.   Of course, nuts are the cased seeds of 
> the trees  on which  they grow.

> This message should not close without a mention of sunflower sees - as 
> nuts are seeds, too.  Then there are pine nuts.  They are high oil content 
> like macademia.

> Presently there are green peas covered in a hot-pepper glaze that are 
> popular at cocktail hour.  They are, of course, legumes and fall in with 
> peanuts.
>
> > Gayle Kennedy
>
>
> 

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