Search the Community

I have yet to come across a nut I didn't like. My absolute favourite for eating on their own are pecans, cashews and almonds. Not so keen on raw peanuts, but I like them roasted. Suman

Well, the first breakfast I ever ate in the South was at a Waffle House, which is a Southern thing, while at the same time it is not, as they do not have biscuits. I was a child travelling with my parents, and my sister happened to receive cold eggs on this occasion. She told the waitress that her eggs were cold, and the waitress looked at her quizzically, so she repeated the statement a couple of times. After a few more moments of confusion, the waitress' eyes lit up, and she said, "Oh, they're CAWLD!" That was the first moment that I realized that a few differences in pronunciation could amount to the definition of a separate dialect among the American English language. My memorable first Southern breakfast, however, was at a convention in a retreat near Talladega, Alabama. The place is called Lake Hypatia, and run by a very sweet couple. Because it's quite remote, or at least it was when the conventions began, there is not much good food to be had at local restaurants. Later on, I ended up catering a meal for a future convention, and the best I could come up with for dinner for 100 people on a limited budget was bucketloads of sloppy joes, with a TVP option for vegetarians, huge trays of baked beans, vegetables and dip, plus some potato chips. It must have not been horrible, since every bit was scraped up within a half hour. So the meals during the retreat are somewhat slim pickin's, and there are tons of activities inbetween, so you're starving by the time you get whatever is available to eat. The last day of the event is a Sunday morning, when you get a big Southern breakfast for the final meal, and then you head home. My first time there, after a weekend that included being seated for nearly 2 and a half hours at a local restaurant with nothing to eat but a few, tiny raw peanuts from a friend while we were waiting to be served, I got this huge gift of a meal. Big biscuits, eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, white gravy. I was like an escaped prisoner from a concentration camp who was finally allowed to eat. And every bite was lovingly prepared by a couple of nice Southern ladies. I can't remember a meal that I've appreciated much more than this. And an hour later, they came back with trays of fresh, warm banana pudding. Another first for me. It is indelibly etched into my brain as an ethereal comfort food.

I use peanuts to make a starter. Just roast raw peanuts, cool and toss with lemon juice, chopped onions, corriander, salt and chillies. Episure you are forgetting the famous sindhi "sel dabal"... Some gujju things done in my house... take leftover namkeens, combine in a bowl, toss with diced onion, tomato, chilli and fresh corriander and serve. Also a dich the maharaj in my house used to make was bhujia in the usual onion tomato pcurry paste yummmm. Rushina

I think perhaps what you are experiencing is a difference in preparation rather than the base peanuts themselves. The saltiness comes from how much salt is put in the boiling water, and the firmness is a matter of how fresh the raw peanut was and/or how long it was boiled. I'm no peanutologist, mind you, and they certainly come in different varieties (size of pea, number of peas, etc.), but the variations you describe are cook influenced, I think, and not botanic or geographic.

*Not* a problem! Currently 38degC in my office... Cucumber sounds like an addition my sons would enjoy too. This is a peanut-growing area, so raw peanuts are cheap too. Sounds good! Cumin and mint? I often wonder exactly where the middle east and India stop and start. I've been using a home-made Bulgarian yogurt - that has plenty of flavor, but is mild and not sour.

Green peanuts are late summer/fall (varies with where you live), but you don't have to use green peanuts, just raw peanuts (that aren't fresh out of the ground, but also haven't been roasted or otherwise processed yet). I can get them easily (pretty much any grocery store) but then I live in Atlanta. If you live in an area that doesn't routinely use raw peanuts you should still be able to find them in asian markets. NolaFoodie's 5 lb bag of frozen boiled peanuts for $10.99 sounds like reasonable retail mark-up. Do note that 5 lb of boiled peanuts is fewer peanuts than 5 lb of non-boiled peanuts, as the boiled peanuts are considerably heavier (because of the water they've absorbed). Dignan's half pound of "hot, wet, fresh nuts" for $5 doesn't sound too bad, given the convenience factor. The prices at southernpeanut.com are high, and the statement that "Any one can throw salt into a large pot and boil peanuts, but the peanut preparation and selection makes them 2nd to none" leads me to think that southernpeanut may have mistaken readers at eGullet for eGullible. Yes, anyone can throw salt in a large pot and boil peanuts. It's that simple.

I don't like peanuts (yeah, heathen, I know), but I love me some boiled peanuts. I like 'em like I like my pintos---soft and so salty they make your mouth hurt if you eat too many. I like them cold, too. MIL says that green peanuts are the best for boiling, but we've done it with regular raw peanuts as well. Doesn't work quite as good, takes a little longer, but satifsies when you have a hankering for boiled peanuts sometime other than September (when we tend to see the green ones in NC).

Yes, if they say they are raw (and they will, plus they won't say anything about being roasted or salted or whatever). They're moisture content will be relatively low, though, so you'll need to cook them longer. And in Atlanta, at least, you don't have to go somewhere fancy to find raw peanuts, as grocery stores stock them routinely.

You can make boiled peanuts from any raw, in-shell peanuts. But they are traditionally made in the early fall, when the peanut crop has just come in. So if you buy your boiled peanuts from somebody who actually grows them (or has easy access to them) you'll likely get the new version, at least in the early fall. The mature raw peanuts give a much more uniform final product, whereas as the new peanuts will include all sorts of little mutant forms that will have been culled from packaged fully mature ones. I like both, and the really baby ones will have a thick sort of spongy shell that's not particularly well-separated from the nut itself. They seem to have a "greener" flavor as well. By the way, if you can't cook boiled peanuts you can't cook, period. And the idea of eating canned boiled peanuts is simply beyond, well, beyond something. If you are that desperate let me know and I will come to your house and cook them for you, okay? Here's my recipe: Get peanuts, water, salt, and a slow cooker (you can do it on the stovetop but you have to keep adding water as it boils off; you can leave it overnight in the slow cooker). No sugar. Put the peanuts in the slow cooker and add enough water to cover (the peanuts will float, so the water won't really cover them, but you know what I mean). Add salt until the water tastes salty. I have no idea how much salt this is; depends on how much water you add, I guess. Cook them until they are done. This will vary a lot depending on how mature the peanuts are, etc. They are done you find that the shell has been soaked and there's salty water inside and the peanuts are soft. How soft? No crunchiness left, but not falling apart (though some people like them fallling apart). If you find that they are too salty you can pour off the salty water and replace with fresh; the salt will equilibrate pretty rapidly with a bit more cooking. If you have undersalted them you will hopefully have figured it out before they're fully cooked and corrected the water. Undersalted boiled peanuts are completely useless. Do not attempt boiled peanuts unless you are willing to eat salt. I store them undrained in the slow cooker in the fridge, scooping them out for microwave heating as necessary.

okay here's a question i have.... the boiled peanuts i eat seem to be mature, ones that come in the netbags. the raw peanuts i see in the farmers market are soft, tender, and little baby peanuts with dirt still on them. i've fad the "new penauts" boiled, and it tastes nothing like the mature peanut boiled. am i missing soemthing? are the mature penauts in net bags considered raw as well?

These are absolutely my favorite thing in the world! The first time I had roasted chestnuts in NYC, they reminded me of boiled peanuts. You have to have raw peanuts. They look soft -- right out of the ground. If you just get the raw 'unroasted' ones, they won't cook. I buy them by the sack at the farmers markets here and use my largest stockpot! This is the recipe we use -- Boiled Peanuts Boiled peanuts are one of my favorite treats. Did you know that there was a time when community “peanut boilings” were nearly as common as barbecues and fish-fries in the Deep South? True. MoMo makes us boiled peanuts all of the time, and they are delicious. I hope you enjoy these as well. 3 pounds raw peanuts in shells 1 gallon water ½ cup salt 2 tablespoons sugar Rinse peanuts very thoroughly in several changes of water making sure they are clean. Pour water into 6-quart stockpot, and stir in salt and sugar. Add peanuts; cover lightly, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil peanuts 2 to 4 hours, depending on size of nuts. After 2 hours cooking time, check peanuts periodically for doneness. Add additional boiling water, if needed, but do not add extra salt. When peanuts are done, remove from heat and allow to cool in cooking water to absorb salt, 45 minutes to 1 hour or longer, depending on taste. Drain peanuts, but do not rinse or refrigerate. [2002]

Ask and you shall receive: http://www.boiledpeanuts.com/. If you get some raw peanuts, boiling them is a snap. Just make sure your water is salty enough! I consider them American edamame. Cold boiled peanuts can be quite nasty, but when they're warm and fresh -- YUM. Oh, you pronounce it "BAWLED" peanuts. Have fun.

If you are looking for Capt. Fresh, the store changed owners. It has a similar inventory and a new name which I don't remember. They also carry some interesting aisian items as well as produce such as fresh raw peanuts. I have also seen durian there.

Hosted the more-or-less-monthly get-together of a bunch of friends from high school: Congee (plain, just rice/water/S&P) with: - Dried fish with satay flavor (from Aji Ichiban) - Fried Dace (canned) - Fish Balls - Julienned boiled ham - Raw peanuts - "Sweet and Spicy Tofu" - Sauteed sliced fresh waterchestnuts - Stir-fried choy (not sure what kind) - Raw watercress - "Sour Mustard" - Julienned ginger - Cilantro - Scallions - "Fried Red Onions" - Soy sauce - Chili Garlic sauce - Sesame oil - Black vinegar - Rice wine vinegar - Oyster sauce - Fish sauce - Shichimi (togarishi) and sansho and dessert: "Paradise" cake (passionfruit mousse on a sponge base with ladyfingers and fresh fruit topping; bought) and baklava (still from the potluck!)

You can use almost anything for the filling as long as it is not too loose or liquidy. Jams and preserves work great. I almost always sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or sugar in the raw. Peanut Butter- I spread a thin layer of peanut butter first (thin!) or it will overpower the dough and any other flavor. Make sure you use good quality chocolates or chips. Peanut Butter & Jelly- self explainatory Raspberry White Chocolate- raspberry preserve , grated white chocolate (or finely chopped) then a sprinkly of coarsley chopped almonds Double Chocolate- make cocoa flavored dough, spread ganache then sprink with a mixture of cinnamon sugar and chocolate cake crumbs. Roll, brush top with egg white then sprinkle with granulated sugar I have made grated apple and ginger preserve, good but only if you like ginger. You can try fig jam.................. Anybody else have any ideas?

Trio has been throwing around the idea of eliminating bread service for some time now. We currently serve three rolls, a sour dough, a country white, and a toasted farro sour, all of which we produce onsite and all of which I feel are good, but not in line with the cuisine in terms of inventiveness. And more importantly I challenge the fuction of the bread itself within scope of the food at Trio. Bread rarely compliments the dishes except on rare occasions. The bread service itself has been elevated due to the variety, freshness, and condiments (fresh vermont butter) but I feel it is time to move on, for the sake of the food, the experience , and the movement. So, how do you all feel about bread? Is it expected when dinning? Does the history of bread require it to be present at every meal? Is it habit? Why do you eat bread at a restaurant? Satiation? Boredom? Again, habit? What makes good bread service? What meals have you consumed without bread? After much conversation we have come up with what we think is a good replacement to bread service. Something that will facilitate satiation, combat boredom, sooth habit, and add a layer of complexity to the dinning experience. Each course will be served with a snack intended to mimic the flavors present in the dish. This snack will be left on the table while the diner waits for the next course. The idea is the snack will echo the flavors of the previous course. It would be removed just before the next course arrived. Let me give an example. Our current 4 course menu reads ... Chilled English Pea Soup eucalyptus ice cube, preserved lemon, melon with this course we would serve each guest a small bowl of crunchy eucalyptus peas to enjoy with and after they consume their soup. Wild Striped Bass bee balm, summer squashes, garlic with this course thin wafers of sweet garlic Puffed and Poached Elysian Fields Farm Lamb raw peanuts, sasafrass aroma with this course a savory sasafrass scented peanut brittle the same format would be followed with the tasting and the tour menu options. It seems like another avenue for creativity and the layering of complexity to the experinece. Any thoughts?

Ting ting jahe rules! My challenge is to find snacks that my 3 teens (and the basically live-in boyfriend of my daughter while they're home from college) won't eat. Wasabi peas are better than croutons in a green salad. Mexican snack from Barbara Kennedy (?): Raw peanuts and garlic cloves fried in oil with chile powder and salt. Watch to ensure the chile powder doesn't burn. Excellent to build a thirst. Hot stuff story: Went to a drinking-in-the-afternoon party several years ago. I was running a grill next to a woman who was drunker than me (stranger things have happened). Anyway - I had brought along a selection of my favorites, and they were brutal. I had taken the precaution of marking the bottles with skulls and crossbones..... So, of course, the really drunk guy says he can take anything..... Luckily, the really drunk female grillcook kept the really-drunk-and-now-pissed-off-at-the-guy-who-brought-those-sauces from beating up the drunk male grillcook..... Saved! Hallelujah!

Raw peanut butter is made from unroasted peanuts.

I ate a lot of hippie health food. The worst was a pumpkin seaweed soup. Yech. Also raw peanut butter. Super yech. I started cooking pretty young!

The only thing I've ever seen on this subject was in Sichuan Cookery by Fuschia Dunlop. She describes how to dry-roast peanuts in a wok by filling the wok with salt and raw peanuts in their pink skins, and stirring the whole mix over heat until the skins have flaked off and the nuts are roasted. How that will help you super-salt your pistachios in brine, I don't know. But that's all I can offer. Miss J