A Simple and Easy Way To Toast Nuts
By MickiS
Nuts are fine to eat raw as a snack. When it comes to using nuts in cooking or baking, however, toasting them brings out a deeper and richer flavor as it brings out the essential oils. Whenever I use nuts in cooking–even to simply garnish a salad--I always use them toasted.
The premise is quite simple: use high heat and short cooking time to toast the outside. When following the directions below, keep in mind that it’s a better result to slightly under-toast than to burn the nut, so if you are unsure, err on the side of the shorter cooking time in the range below. This is especially true for delicate pine nuts.
The Best Nuts for Toasting
These are the nuts most commonly used in cooking and baking:
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Hazelnuts
- Pine Nuts (given their small size, err on the side of 5 rather than 10 minutes)
- Peanuts (though technically a legume and not a nut, they are used as nuts for cooking and baking purposes)
- Macadamia nuts
- Almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with a single layer of selected nuts.
- Roast for 10 minutes or until the outside is golden brown (no black…that’s burnt!) and the nuts smell toasty.
- If you are toasting pine nuts, err on the side of 5 minutes as they are small and delicate.
Tried this Method? Rate it.
Comments
Is 350 degrees hot enough to get nuts crispy in the oven? I've been roasting more nuts and vegetables and they seem to get soft on the inside, but not crispy on the outside.
Simone, totally simple. I just did some pine nuts last night and my neighbor commented that she could smell them in the hall!
Paul, yes, I've found 350 to be sufficient for nuts because the point is to bring out their natural oils. Higher than that and you can burn the oils which usually have a flash point around 360-375. So, you want to stay below that.
Simone Smith 2 months ago
Wow, that's so simple! I should totally do this. I bet it makes one's kitchen smell delicious!