Twice Roasted Pecans?

[keetpy]

Anecdotally, I've been really happy with the practice of roasting pecans once, coating them in simple syrup and salt and then roasting them again. Recipe here: https://www.cinc.kitchen/recipes/nfHe9Q8ziy. My thinking is that the first roast brings out roasted notes in the nuts, and then the second roast is focused on caramelizing the sugar. It seems most people just combine the pecans with sugar, salt, and melted butter and roast once.

 

Does anyone know the science well enough to tell me that roasting twice may have some demonstrably better effect? Or maybe I'm just imagining it?

[Anna N]

1 minute ago, keetpy said:

Anecdotally, I've been really happy with the practice of roasting pecans once, coating them in simple syrup and salt and then roasting them again. Recipe here: https://www.cinc.kitchen/recipes/nfHe9Q8ziy. My thinking is that the first roast brings out roasted notes in the nuts, and then the second roast is focused on caramelizing the sugar. It seems most people just combine the pecans with sugar, salt, and melted butter and roast once.

 

Does anyone know the science well enough to tell me that roasting twice may have some demonstrably better effect? Or maybe I'm just imagining it?

I do not think science can be used to determine preference in how roasted you like your nuts. 

[keetpy]

4 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I do not think science can be used to determine preference in how roasted you like your nuts. 

That's certainly true, but I'd like to have some reasoning behind what aspect about this preparation I like, so I can consider ways to improve it. I suppose the question is: if I cover the pecans in butter and roast them once, does that impede the roasting of the pecans themselves to a great degree by limiting their direct exposure to the heated air? Are there significant compounds that would be created on the surface of the pecans that wouldn't if they were coated in butter?

[Anna N]

 I would suspect that the presence of butter would increase the likelihood of them roasting more but let's wait for all the scientists to jump on this.

[teonzo]

My blind guess is that butter acts like a barrier for the internal moisture in pecans, retaining part of it. If you roast them before coating then you should get drier (more roasted) pecans, this should be the difference you prefer.

Next time you roast them (alone, no butter or other coatings) then try to weigh them before and after roasting, so you'll get an idea about how much moisture they loose during the process.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[keetpy]

9 minutes ago, teonzo said:

My blind guess is that butter acts like a barrier for the internal moisture in pecans, retaining part of it. If you roast them before coating then you should get drier (more roasted) pecans, this should be the difference you prefer.

Next time you roast them (alone, no butter or other coatings) then try to weigh them before and after roasting, so you'll get an idea about how much moisture they loose during the process.

 

 

 

Teo

 

That makes sense. In that context, you'd effectively concentrate the flavor of the pecans by drying them. Good idea on checking the before/after weight next time.

[pastrygirl]

3 hours ago, Anna N said:

 I would suspect that the presence of butter would increase the likelihood of them roasting more but let's wait for all the scientists to jump on this.

 

I would also suspect that since fat conducts heat better than air.  But the linked recipe doesn't have butter, so I'm not sure where the OP is going with that.  If you want to add butter, add butter!  It will brown a bit in the roasting, and brown butter & pecans is a winning combo in my book.