Walnuts vs Pecans

[CanadianBakin']

I grew up eating walnuts rather than pecans, I suspect because walnuts were a lot cheaper, but this led to an aversion to walnuts. Now I seldom use walnuts unless the recipe specifies and even then I often use pecans. I'm finally open to using walnuts more often but I'm not sure which types of desserts lend themselves better to walnuts. (Do you think I could use the word walnut anymore in one paragraph?! ) In what type of recipes do you like them best?..or better than pecans?

Edited July 8, 2007 by CanadianBakin' (log)

[andiesenji]

In my experience I have found that walnuts work better with fruits and things with distinctive, strong flavors, i.e. bananas, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc. Also in chicken salad, Waldorf salad - braised celery with walnuts was a family favorite when I was a child, complimentary flavors.

Pecans go better with less assertive flavors, i.e. peaches, pumpkin, and so on. Caramel/pecan works much better than caramel/walnut, and I have no idea why.

I can't eat solid chocolate so have no idea which nut works better, I use either or both in cakes made with cocoa.

I have noticed that some things seem to taste a bit "off" when combined.

For instance, coconut/pecan tastes fine and both flavors seem to be enhanced when combined.

However, when combined with coconut, walnuts (to me) taste bitter and/or sour. In fact, I started to toss out a bag of walnuts, thinking they were rancid, after I tasted a test batch of cookies made with coconut.

Some time later a friend came into my kitchen and saw the bag of walnuts laying on the end of the counter (I had planned to toss them where the squirrels could get them), grabbed a handful and began munching. She said they tasted fine so I tried a couple and they were fine. As a test, my friend and I both tried them with some grated coconut and again, they tasted odd to both of us.

Try it and see what you think.

Edited July 8, 2007 by andiesenji (log)

[pennylane]

I also grew up eating walnuts (pecans were unavailable or too expensive in Asia) so I tend to prize pecans more. But I still think walnuts go better with chocolate or chocolatey things, like brownies. Also I think walnuts are better (or just more traditional?) in oriental dishes and desserts. Like those pastries with walnuts and dates and stuff in them.

[annachan]

I think I don't care for walnut as much because of the bitter skin. I see them as suitable substitute of each other and always use pecan instead.

[merstar]

I think I don't care for walnut as much because of the bitter skin. I see them as suitable substitute of each other and always use pecan instead.

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Same here - I find walnuts too bitter.

[jsmeeker]

I tend to prefer pecans in/on things like cookies and brownies. Maybe it's because I live in Texas and that they seem pretty common for this part of the country.

[GlorifiedRice]

My favorite cake is Amish Black Walnut, preferably from Shady Maple farm mkt (actually more like superstore) in East Earl, Pa

[baroness]

I think I don't care for walnut as much because of the bitter skin. I see them as suitable substitute of each other and always use pecan instead.

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Same here - I find walnuts too bitter.

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If you toast walnuts, most of the skins will fall away and can be discarded.

I find many pecans to have the same slightly bitter quality from their skins; luckily for me, I *like* bitter things.

[Carolyn Tillie]

During the late 70s, I did this horrific vegetarian thing which lasted two to three years. But back then, there was little or no fake meat or soy-versions of anything (which might be a good thing!). However, walnuts were frequently the "meat" of choice in both loaves and sauces.

I recall making a version of an Italian meat sauce where chopped walnuts were sauteed with diced onions to give it the texture of ground beef before adding the tomato sauce for pasta.

To this day, I can't really abide walnuts in sweet confections as I just get an overwhelming taste of the memory of pretty horrible make-shift, vegetarian pasta sauce.

I just use pecans...

[Pam R]

I'm with you. I use pecans 99% of the time. I find that good walnuts are really good, but too often, they aren't good (remember when you use to get the big bag of mixed nuts in the shell at Loblaws and you had to crack them yourself? Those were good walnuts).

The one thing I still use walnuts for is carrot cake. But only after tasting them to make sure they're up to it - if they're not, I use pecans.

[Becca Porter]

It's funny, the reason I like walnuts so much is their bitterness. I grew up with pecans, I find them too sweet most times. Basically though I use both interchangeably. Btw, I have made several caramel walnut tarts, and I think it's a great combination.

[sugarseattle]

I absolutely LOVE walnut levain, and I find that I love walnut halves vs walnut pieces, because I like the way the nut is all wavy and you can really feel the nice waxy texture. I also LOVE the combination of walnut, pears and maple, again with walnut halves. I have ground up surplus walnuts to make a walnut cake (based on an almond cake) which was fabulous with milk chocolate ganache. I always make my banana bread with walnuts. One place I worked made banana bread with pecans and I was like "that's the wrong nut!". But I'm just a little nutty;)

I agree that pecans go better with sweeter softer flavors, and definitely orange fruits like oranges, peaches, etc. Pecan pie, however, can be worked with walnuts, but I think it would need a chocolate or contrasting element.

I think walnuts are like bold flavored and bitter (in a good way) and pecans are like soft and sweet. Both taste loads better toasted.

[Maureen B. Fant]

Here in Italy there are no pecans unless somebody buys them in the US and brings them over, but there are wonderful walnuts in the fall and winter, and we have a friend who supplies us from his trees in Abruzzo. One year I had extra Karo from the Thanksgiving imported-pecan pies, so I made a walnut pie using my standard pecan recipe from Joy of Cooking, a variation sanctioned in the Book. The Italians I served it to thought it was great (and highly exotic). I thought it was very good but not a patch on pecan. Incidentally, in Italian pecans are known (insofar as they are known at all) as noci americani, American walnuts.

[Hahabogus]

recently I made a cake...well a boxed mjx cake. In which Walnuts played an important factor

@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Stacy's Chocolate Chip Cake

pam to prep tube pan

flour for dusting

4 oz german chocolate; * see note

1 18.25 oz pkg plain yellow cake mix

1 3.4 oz pkg pistashio instant puddingt mix

1 cup sour cream plus 1/4 cup water

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 cup walnuts; crushed

1.5 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

icing sugar for garnish; see notes*

Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325F. Pam a 10 inch

bunt pan then dust with flour; shake out excess. Finely Grate german

chocolate.(German chocolate is a sweet Baking Chocolate a good substute is

milk chocolate).

*German Chocolate note: Use 2 cups instead of 1.5 cups of mini chocolate

chips if you can't find German Chocolate. You are using mini chocolate

chips so they don't all sink to the bottom.

Add cake mix, pudding mix ,milk or sour cream (add 1/4 cup water if

using sour cream),oil and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed for

a minute then fold in the grated chocolate and scrape down the sides.

Increase speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes more, scraping down the

sides if required. fold in the chocolate chips. The batter should look well

blended and chocolate chips evenly distributed. Pour batter into prepared

tube pan. Bake cake till golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed

50 to 60 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar or use Chocolate Glaze 1 cup sifted

confectioner's sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa 2 tablespoons strong

coffee. In a small bowl stir together sifted confectioner's

sugar, cocoa, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add a few drops of milk, if

needed, to achieve desired consistency.

additions : the 1/4 cup water as the batter was too thick ,walnuts to take

away from some the sweetness, pistashio instead of vanilla pudding.

Contributor: highly modified from Cake Doctor Cook Book

** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.82 **

[Torrilin]

I prefer walnuts with dark chocolate. Pecans I like in milkier/lighter formulations. The household nut is pecan, since my partner likes them better, and most of the chocolatey baking is tilted towards my preference for milk chocolate.

If I could just get the darn double chocolate brownie recipe to be consistent, I'd have an excuse for walnuts...

[Hahabogus]

I tend to prefer pecans in/on things like cookies and brownies.  Maybe it's because I live in Texas and that they seem pretty common for this part of the country.

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Do you save the shells and use them to smoke things?

[CanadianBakin']

I prefer walnuts with dark chocolate. Pecans I like in milkier/lighter formulations. The household nut is pecan, since my partner likes them better, and most of the chocolatey baking is tilted towards my preference for milk chocolate.

If I could just get the darn double chocolate brownie recipe to be consistent, I'd have an excuse for walnuts...

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...sounds like you need a digital scale .

Edited July 15, 2007 by CanadianBakin' (log)

[Keith Orr]

We can get locally grown walnuts here in Western Oregon. They seem bigger and sweeter than most of the commercially available brands which come from California. We crack them as soon as we can and bag them up in one pound bags and store them in the deep freeze. I almost always toast them in the oven before using them. Some folks soak them a time or two in hot water to remove some of the tannins before toasting them - I don't see that much difference in the taste and it seems like a lot of extra work.

I like the occasional pecan, but I wonder if they wouldn't be better if I could get a bag of them fresh after harvest to shell and store myself.

[butterscotch]

I can't eat solid chocolate so have no idea which nut works better, I use either or both in cakes made with cocoa..

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Walnuts are definately better with Dark Chocolate + Fudge flavors, Pecans with Milk...

Cashews are also much much better with Milk chocolate. Almonds can go either way.