Peanuts I have loved and eaten

[Fat Guy]

I'm repeatedly amazed at the range of quality in roasted peanuts available in the marketplace. This is also true of other nuts, but peanuts seem to have the widest range. The crummy little peanuts sold in glass jars in the supermarket are such a far cry from a product like Aunt Ruby's Roasted Redskin Peanuts that it's hard to think of the as the same food.

[heidih]

What irritates me is the lack of consistency in the degree of roasting. I keep dry roasted jarred ones on hand for crushing to top Asian dishes and roasted in the shell ones for snacking. My preference is for a very dark roast. Often I will find that level of roast and think I have finally hit the jackpot only the have the next purchase of the same product be full of wimpy blonds. Today I picked up some Hampton Farms in the shell and they are almost perfect. Not a single one has been flung into the waste bin. These have been running 50/50 in repeat purchases. I initially purchased them during last year's baseball season where the local Safeway derivative was selling them packaged as either Dodger or Angel peanuts with appropriate logos. Those were also inconsistent, but when I got a well roasted bag they were heavenly.

[LindaK]

Trader Joe's Thai Lime & Chili Peanuts. Keep them away from me, please, I can't stop...

[Fat Guy]

I really enjoy the TJ's "blister peanuts."

[sclemmons]

Uncle Bud's Deep Fried Peanuts are a distinctive addition to your peanut diet, and you eat the shell and all, so they represent good roughage, too.

[Pierogi]

I really enjoy the TJ's "blister peanuts."

Those are the sine qua non of peanuts as far as I'm concerned. The salted ones only, though.

But the baseball branded shell-one bags that Heidi mentioned are also pretty darned good.

[Mjx]

. . . . The crummy little peanuts sold in glass jars in the supermarket are such a far cry from a product like Aunt Ruby's Roasted Redskin Peanuts that it's hard to think of the as the same food.

Are the Aunt Ruby's nuts the very small ones (I can't tell from the image)? Those are my hands-down favourites, but I haven't been able to find them since I was a kid, and I miss them

I have found (still very rarely) skin-on peanuts, but they're inevitably the larger ones, which have a softer, mealier texture and flatter flavour than the tiny ones.

Edited March 1, 2011 by Mjx (log)

[Shalmanese]

Is there a significant difference in taste between fresh roasted peanuts and those that have been stored? I notice that when I bother to roast my own, the peanuts taste significantly better than store bought but I'm not sure if that's because of the cooking or the type of peanut I'm buying.

Also, I love the tiny, asian style peanuts with the old man on the front.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I am bent out of shape with a response from Hormel regarding rancid Planters Peanuts.  As anyone who knows me knows I purchase a lot of Planters Peanuts.  The jar I recently opened was horribly rancid.

 

The Hormel customer service rep explained the peanuts were rancid because they were past the date code (by less than a month, I might add).  I opened another jar and they were fine.

 

I expected at the very least Hormel would have offered me a replacement jar of peanuts.  I am not planning to boycott Hormel, as I like their products too much.  But I will voice my dissatisfaction with Hormel customer service till the end of the internet.  Or of time.  Whichever comes first.

 

I used to run a company.  That is not how one treats customers.

 

[heidih]

Ack stale peanuts. I gave up on Planters - too much disappointment. The Kroger brand generally lives up to expectation. Worst case I re-toast. As to customer service - yes like you I ran a company and wow the lack of it! My major beef is foil. Seriously the stuff is not cheapn and when i send pics of how you mangled the roll to your CS and you promise at least a coupon and it never shows.... As to poeanuts treat yourself to Hubs - my neighbor brings me some every Christmas. I've not ordered myself - off to wring last bit out of my free Prime  https://www.hubspeanuts.com/product/salted-peanuts?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

29 minutes ago, heidih said:

Ack stale peanuts. I gave up on Planters - too much disappointment. The Kroger brand generally lives up to expectation. Worst case I re-toast. As to customer service - yes like you I ran a company and wow the lack of it! My major beef is foil. Seriously the stuff is not cheapn and when i send pics of how you mangled the roll to your CS and you promise at least a coupon and it never shows.... As to poeanuts treat yourself to Hubs - my neighbor brings me some every Christmas. I've not ordered myself - off to wring last bit out of my free Prime  https://www.hubspeanuts.com/product/salted-peanuts?

 

Pricy, thanks, but I might give them a try.

 

[BeeZee]

I can recommend City Peanut Shop’s peanuts from Boise, Idaho. We got some at the office as part of a Holiday gift basket. www.citypeanut.com

I have had the plain (Virginia Redskins) and the BBQ, those have a little “kick”.

[liuzhou]

If you can find them, Chinese Red Mud Peanuts are wonderful. Definitely my favourite. They are covered in a red mud before roasting and have an amazing flavour.

 

 

 

[kayb]

Personally fond of Nuts on Clark, in Chicago.

[Kim Shook]

If you have access to Costco and they have these, I can recommend them.  Virginia peanuts are fantastic and this is an excellent price.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

If you have access to Costco and they have these, I can recommend them.  Virginia peanuts are fantastic and this is an excellent price.

 

Not a Costco member.  I rarely have need of bulk purchases and the nearest Costco (that I know of) is an hour away.  By car.  If you have a car.

 

I can get acceptable peanuts from nuts.com but Planters are cheap and usually quite good, in my opinion.

 

[SLB]

Planters' roasted are good.  

 

But -- y'all, Sunnyland from Albany, GA.  [which I've always heard pronounced Al-Benny",  "Al" as in the name.].

 

Anyway.  I wouldn't mess around with the exotics, mostly the prices rival grass-fed beef.  I would stick to the peanuts and the pecans.   I have brought these as hostess gifts, they are so good.  

 

https://www.sunnylandfarms.com/

 

I admit, I love peanuts.  I remember as a child not understanding the slur against President Carter at ALL!  

 

ETA:  A podcast on peanuts which I thoroughly enjoyed.  There is a transcript here, but know that the audio version is just delightful:  https://gastropod.com/peanuts-peril-promise-transcript/

Edited January 21, 2022 by SLB (log)

[Dr. Teeth]

On 1/17/2022 at 11:16 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I am bent out of shape with a response from Hormel regarding rancid Planters Peanuts.  As anyone who knows me knows I purchase a lot of Planters Peanuts.  The jar I recently opened was horribly rancid.

 

The Hormel customer service rep explained the peanuts were rancid because they were past the date code (by less than a month, I might add).  I opened another jar and they were fine.

 

I expected at the very least Hormel would have offered me a replacement jar of peanuts.  I am not planning to boycott Hormel, as I like their products too much.  But I will voice my dissatisfaction with Hormel customer service till the end of the internet.  Or of time.  Whichever comes first.

 

I used to run a company.  That is not how one treats customers.

 

Sorry.    I can only say that when the peanuts half of “peanuts and a mai tai,” is disappointing, sometimes the solution is another mai tai.

 

Teamwork makes the dream work

[RWood]

My mother's favorite are red skinned Spanish peanuts. Always on the lookout. They got scarce in CA, but here in GA, no problem.  

We went in a local grocery here and they had these on a big rack. They are pretty good, and they make brittle as well. It's good,especially with these peanuts, but they need to cook it just a little longer, it really sticks in my teeth. 

[liuzhou]

Black peanuts.

 

Slightly larger and sweeter than regular peanuts.

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Got myself a bargain today. These peanuts were on special offer.

 

 

They are 龙脑桥麻辣花生 (lóng nǎo qiáo má là huā shēng), Longnao Bridge Mala Peanuts.

 

Longnao Bridge is an ancient bridge (built between 1378 and 1389) in Luzhou, Sichuan (Not Liuzhou!) and Mala is the signature flavour of Sichuan - hot and numbing from chillis and Sichuan peppercorns. What the connection between the bridge and the nuts may be, I have no idea. They are actually made in Guangzhou in Guangdong province. Still, the taste is authentic.

 

 

Beer food supreme.

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[lindag]

This is a pretty old thread, started by Fat Guy, whom I know we all miss.

I'd forgotten  how much I love salted-in-the-shell peanuts.  I bough a 3# bag about two weeks ago and they're almost gone now.

A fond memory was sitting side by side with my dad and cracking and eating peanuts.  Another was a bar in my youth where you'd eat the peanuts and throw the shells on the floor.  Great times.

[heidih]

When baseball season starts my local stores often get new batches of MLB themed in shell peanuts that are fresh and well roasted and featured price wise. I mentioned that above as well as Hubs which I have in my on=line order wish cart. When I could get there the raw bulk bin peanuts at Korean market that I roast myself are wonderful and my local farmers market guys used to do levels of in shell roast. I'd wait for well done. I find a perfctly fairly dark roasted peanut doe not even need salt - and I am not salt averse.

[kayb]

I have once again driven through southern Mississippi and Alabama without feeling the slightest urge to stop by any of the roadside markets and get boiled peanuts. I tried them once; a taste was sufficient to last me for the rest of my life.

 

The only reason one should boil peanuts is in a prequel to making Vivian Howard’s pickled peanuts. 
 

I will, however, eat all the ballpark peanuts I have cold beer to wash down.

[weinoo]

But in Chinese restaurants here, I’ve had great boiled peanuts. And also boiled raw ones at home, which turned out delicious.