Pistachio paste

[Jim D.]

Not that this quote will completely clear up the difference between paste and butter, but this is what Fiddyment Farm has to say:

 

Our Pistachio butter and paste are both 100% pistachio! Our paste goes through a multi step process which makes it more fluid, ultra smooth, and mixable where our butter is similar to old fashion peanut butter consistency. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Jim D. said:

Not that this quote will completely clear up the difference between paste and butter, but this is what Fiddyment Farm has to say:

 

Our Pistachio butter and paste are both 100% pistachio! Our paste goes through a multi step process which makes it more fluid, ultra smooth, and mixable where our butter is similar to old fashion peanut butter consistency. 

 

Odd, I would have guessed the other way around.

 

[Chocolot]

I just talked to Dana at Fiddyment Farms. She said the only difference is in the amount of refinement. The butter is grainier and thicker than the paste, which is smooth. Flavor is the same, texture is not.

[Luke]

Here is some video of the premier wonder grinder in action with pistachios...

 

 

I always coat the pistachios in a small amount of crystallized sugar to act as an abrasive to help the grinding process.

 

Cheers

Luke

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, Luke said:

Here is some video of the premier wonder grinder in action with pistachios...

 

I am intrigued.

 

However I note on the amazon page the seller says for nut butter or chocolate grinding to use the premier chocolate refiner instead.  I gather these are similar construction but with heavier duty parts, not to mention orange color.

 

[pastrygirl]

27 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I am intrigued.

 

However I note on the amazon page the seller says for nut butter or chocolate grinding to use the premier chocolate refiner instead.  I gather these are similar construction but with heavier duty parts, not to mention orange color.

 

 

This page details the upgrades specific to chocolate making, no doubt helpful if doing any serious production but not crucial for the occasional small batch.  https://indichocolate.com/collections/chocolate-making-machines/products/chocolate-refiner

[JoNorvelleWalker]

What are the height requirements and counter space requirements of the Premier grinders?  They seem to come in three form factors:  the one posted by @Luke and two others, a tilting model and a low height model.  I might retire my bread machine to the bedroom.

 

Also I wonder how well the Premier grinders work with smaller quantities of nuts?  I note with my Waring I have to use a couple cups or more at a time and scrape down often.  The final result is fairly smooth but the paste gets rather hot.  (If I'm making a nut paste with a lot of other ingredients in the Waring it's not much of an issue.)  With the Premier could I grind a cup or two of nut meats at a time?

 

And now that I think about it does anyone have a method to induce recalcitrant pistachios to leave their shells?  Every time I go through a bag there's a handful or two that won't give up.  I've tried a knife but that is more than a little dangerous and often as not the nut meat goes on the floor.  Probably not great for the knife edge either.

 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

And now that I think about it does anyone have a method to induce recalcitrant pistachios to leave their shells? 

This as recommended by John Thorne in his book Mouth Wide Open.  And you get enough of them that you can leave them all over the house. 

Edited January 1, 2018 by Anna N
To fix title of book and add additional info (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

30 minutes ago, Anna N said:

This as recommended by John Thorne in his book Mouth Wide Open.  And you get enough of them that you can leave them all over the house. 

 

 

Would be nice if those things would replace quarters doing my wash.  Seriously, I still think I would hurt myself.  How are pistachio shells removed commercially, anyone know?

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

And it turns out these folks are in the next town over.  I could almost walk there.  Though I'd be hard pressed to carry home a millstone.*  Fortunately the large machine has wheels.

 

*by coincidence "Millstone" is the name of another nearby town.

 

[Kerry Beal]

54 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

And it turns out these folks are in the next town over.  I could almost walk there.  Though I'd be hard pressed to carry home a millstone.*  Fortunately the large machine has wheels.

 

*by coincidence "Millstone" is the name of another nearby town.

 

I bet he'd drop it off for you. He's a delightful fellow. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On ‎1‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 6:18 AM, Luke said:

Here is some video of the premier wonder grinder in action with pistachios...

 

 

I always coat the pistachios in a small amount of crystallized sugar to act as an abrasive to help the grinding process.

 

Cheers

Luke

 

What weight of pistachios is in the video?

 

[pastrygirl]

On 1/1/2018 at 11:39 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Also I wonder how well the Premier grinders work with smaller quantities of nuts?  I note with my Waring I have to use a couple cups or more at a time and scrape down often.  The final result is fairly smooth but the paste gets rather hot.  (If I'm making a nut paste with a lot of other ingredients in the Waring it's not much of an issue.)  With the Premier could I grind a cup or two of nut meats at a time?

 

I think best results would be with at least a pound, to keep things moving and not spread too thin, but I haven't tried less than that.  I'll try to remember next time I'm grinding hazelnuts to see how a smaller amount does - I've been doing do 2 or 3lb at a time, pre-ground in my cuisinart until small then transferred to the grinder to finish.

[Tri2Cook]

On ‎2018‎-‎01‎-‎01 at 5:18 AM, Luke said:

Here is some video of the premier wonder grinder in action with pistachios...

 

 

I always coat the pistachios in a small amount of crystallized sugar to act as an abrasive to help the grinding process.

 

Cheers

Luke

That's a cool little machine and much less expensive than I expected to find when I followed the link to the site. Almost makes me wish I actually needed one. 

[Chocolot]

2 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

That's a cool little machine and much less expensive than I expected to find when I followed the link to the site. Almost makes me wish I actually needed one. 

 

When did NEED enter the equation?:)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

For those grinding their own pistachios, what pistachios do you use and how do you prep them?

 

[pastrygirl]

On 1/1/2018 at 11:39 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

What are the height requirements and counter space requirements of the Premier grinders?  They seem to come in three form factors:  the one posted by @Luke and two others, a tilting model and a low height model.  I might retire my bread machine to the bedroom.

 

Also I wonder how well the Premier grinders work with smaller quantities of nuts?  I note with my Waring I have to use a couple cups or more at a time and scrape down often.  The final result is fairly smooth but the paste gets rather hot.  (If I'm making a nut paste with a lot of other ingredients in the Waring it's not much of an issue.)  With the Premier could I grind a cup or two of nut meats at a time?

 

My premier tilting grinder is 16” tall and about 12” wide at the max - about the size of a stand mixer. . 

 

I tried a mere 3 Oz of nuts, that wasn’t really enough to keep things moving. 6 Oz worked better, I’d say a cup is the minimum you’d want to grind. Keep in mind that you lose some clinging to the wheels (its hard to get 100% clean with a spatula) so in a smaller batch you’d lose a higher percentage. 

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

34 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

My premier tilting grinder is 16” tall and about 12” wide at the max - about the size of a stand mixer. . 

 

I tried a mere 3 Oz of nuts, that wasn’t really enough to keep things moving. 6 Oz worked better, I’d say a cup is the minimum you’d want to grind. Keep in mind that you lose some clinging to the wheels (its hard to get 100% clean with a spatula) so in a smaller batch you’d lose a higher percentage. 

 

 

 

Thanks, that's better than I'd thought.  How do you get your shells off?

 

[Jim D.]

37 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Thanks, that's better than I'd thought.  How do you get your shells off?

 

Buy them already shelled--it's definitely worth the cost, given the stubbornness of the shells.

[pastrygirl]

36 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Thanks, that's better than I'd thought.  How do you get your shells off?

 

I buy them shelled from Trader Joe’s!  They have the best prices on nuts without having to buy a case - they even beat some of the wholesalers. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Thanks both of you.  For some reason pistachios in the shell taste better* to me than ones sold pre-shelled.  May be psychological.

 

*once removed from the shell that is.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Is there a consensus for using raw pistachios when making paste?  How about for other nuts?

 

[Kerry Beal]

20 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Is there a consensus for using raw pistachios when making paste?  How about for other nuts?

 

I believe that it is felt that pistachios don't benefit from roasting before being made into paste, but that hazelnuts and almonds do.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Now that the Premier is proudly situated on my kitchen workbench (why, oh why did I not get the little one??) it appears pistachio a la minute is not about to happen.  If one grinds up a batch of paste how long does it stay good?  Should the paste be refrigerated?

 

And if anyone is wondering the Zojirushi bread machine is now buried in the bedroom.

 

[Jim D.]

9 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Now that the Premier is proudly situated on my kitchen workbench (why, oh why did I not get the little one??) it appears pistachio a la minute is not about to happen.  If one grinds up a batch of paste how long does it stay good?  Should the paste be refrigerated?

 

And if anyone is wondering the Zojirushi bread machine is now buried in the bedroom.

 

I refrigerate my pistachio paste (all nuts pastes actually). If the paste is thoroughly mixed, it may stay that way in the fridge, but at least the oil separation will be reduced. I have had (commercially made) pistachio paste last a year in the fridge. When I buy in quantity, I freeze all nut pastes, and they defrost quickly and without any harm that I can detect. Alas, I don't have any more "burial" space for unused equipment; now even some essentials are buried.  I feel for those who will have to clean everything out once I am in that perfectly equipped chocolate studio in the sky.