Cashew Cream Cheese (gasp!)

[DanMLondon]

Hi guys I am needing to make a vegan 'cream cheese' - I am not a vegan in any way but respect others wishes so want to offer my guests a vegan cream cheese substitute instead of buying them Tofutti.

It's super simple to make; bunch of cashews + garlic + lemon juice + salt + pepper + Apple cider vin + chives and blend to a cream cheese texture.

However!

All the recipes I can find call for 'raw cashews' to be used and to 'soak them overnight or for 2+ hours' - this sucks - using raw cashews I run risk of poisoning people as you should always cook cashews before eating. I am not interested in offering a raw product just one Vegans can eat. So can I use normal roasted (plain) cashews for this sort of recipe? If they are cooked do I have to soak them to make them easier to blend?

Anyone have any ideas for me?

[Shel_B]

 using raw cashews I run risk of poisoning people as you should always cook cashews before eating.

 

Where did you get that idea?  "Raw" cashews have been available for sale in numerous commercial venues for years, however, it’s not likely you’ll encounter completely raw nuts. The so-called raw cashews sold in natural food stores are not exactly raw, but have been steamed. It is the case that the double shell surrounding the raw cashew (which technically is a seed, not a nut), contains a chemical that can cause skin rashes, and which can be toxic when ingested in large enough quantities.  The outer shell of the nut is removed by the steaming process thereby eliminating any concern about toxicity. 

 

Here's one citation: http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawcashew.html

 

and another (#7):  http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-toxic-foods-we-love-to-eat.php

Edited October 9, 2014 by Shel_B (log)

[andiesenji]

Soak the roasted ones and overnight is best.  I make cashew milk and they have to soak a lot more than 2 hours.  I put them in cold water and into the fridge overnight.

I have a Soyabella - I use some raw nuts - almonds, for instance, but not cashews.  Not that I worry about poisoning but to me raw cashews have a metallic flavor that I do not like.

 

You can also steam the cashews (I use steam a lot) and I also steam almonds and other nuts that have been stored for awhile. 

 

Steam them for at least 15 minutes - they will release much more oil and your product will be richer.

[Anna N]

You are most unlikely to come across truly raw cashews unless you are harvesting them yourself:

http://www.wisegeek.org/are-raw-cashews-really-poisonous.htm

[Shel_B]

You can also steam the cashews (I use steam a lot) and I also steam almonds and other nuts that have been stored for awhile. 

 

Steam them for at least 15 minutes - they will release much more oil and your product will be richer.

 

How do you steam them?  Do you just use a steamer insert of some sort in a pot of boiling water?  Some other technique?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

This may sound like humor but it is not.  Many years ago the company I worked for at the time planed to open a facility in Brazil.  They sent two engineers to evaluate the prospects.  One engineer was bitten by a venomous snake.  The other ate a raw cashew.  They both almost died.  And the company abandoned the venture.  (For what reason I do not know.)

 

Nonetheless, I think it is perfectly safe to eat "raw" cashews sold as food in the US...maybe even in Canada.

[andiesenji]

How do you steam them?  Do you just use a steamer insert of some sort in a pot of boiling water?  Some other technique?

I have an electric steamer  very similar to this one, except mine is an older model and is round instead of oval.  I usually use just one tier, but when cooking vegetables and something else at the same time, I use both.

Mine was inexpensive but I've been using it constantly for more than 10 years so it has been a bargain.

 

I prefer to use one like this because I can see what is happening.   I also have rice cookers but they seal closed while cooking and I can't check on the contents easily. 

 

I also use it for steaming potstickers and other steamed buns and dumplings.  If you check the "Dried fruit thread you can see my steamer in action "refreshing" dried fruits that have gotten too dry...

 

Other uses - steaming fresh grape leaves and other greens for wrapping stuff.   Cooking mini steamed puddings. 

[Deryn]

I love cashews. I generally buy them 'raw' - in Canada and the US. I have been known to absent mindedly munch on many of them at a time while watching a movie. I have never been ill from such consumption. My vote is with those who explained above that 'raw' merely means, in our northern American society, steamed but unroasted.

[natasha1270]

The 'raw' cashews in stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes have been steamed/heat-processed but not roasted and are safe to eat.

 

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawcashew.html

 

fyi, I've been making alot of cashew milk lately and I've heard that its best to soak less than 12 hours because they can start to ferment if left longer.

Edited October 10, 2014 by natasha1270 (log)

[andiesenji]

This may sound like humor but it is not.  Many years ago the company I worked for at the time planed to open a facility in Brazil.  They sent two engineers to evaluate the prospects.  One engineer was bitten by a venomous snake.  The other ate a raw cashew.  They both almost died.  And the company abandoned the venture.  (For what reason I do not know.)

 

Nonetheless, I think it is perfectly safe to eat "raw" cashews sold as food in the US...maybe even in Canada.

Odd things can happen in Brazil.  Several years ago some friends were on a tour in a forest near the city of Vitorio and one of the two guides was severely injured when a Brazil nut fell on him - while he was explaining why the group should stand clear of the tree because it was especially dangerous at that time of the year. 

The group of mostly Americans tipped him very generously for being so demonstrative about the subject...

[DanMLondon]

The 'raw' cashews in stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes have been steamed/heat-processed but not roasted and are safe to eat.

 

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawcashew.html

 

fyi, I've been making alot of cashew milk lately and I've heard that its best to soak less than 12 hours because they can start to ferment if left longer.

I'm in the UK - but I assume the same thing appla here. I'm going to go into Whole Foods & ask nonetheless.

This term raw is ridiculous in that case - I guess you couldn't eat truly raw cashews as firstly they'd be green and you'd likely poison yourself!

[Amy D.]

Its is the same in the UK where the raw cashews are in fact heat treated but not roasted. They are usually much cheaper (and better quality) if bought from an Asian grocers than health food shops.