How to store nuts

If your kitchen is anything like mine, it’s being consumed by nuts.

Year-round I try to keep pine nuts for pesto and almonds for snacking. I also keep flaxseed and chia seed for smoothies. For the holidays, I pick up walnuts, pecans, and pistachios. Needless to say, I always find myself with random opened bags of unused nuts.

I buy in bulk and save them for the occasional nut recipe throughout the year. Which brings me to this kitchen lesson, how to properly store nuts.

Nuts are best stored in the freezer. The freezer is dark and cold which will prevent their natural oils from seeping out and aging the nut.

Place them in a freezer safe bag or container and place in the freezer. I know that they will stay for up to 6 months, if not longer, I end up using them before they go bad.

You can use the nuts directly from the freezer, there is no need to defrost. They will not lose their taste or integrity – they will be just as good as they were on the first day you bought them.

Natural organic peanut butter is best stored in the refrigerator. When stored at room temperature the oil will separate and rise to the top. If you stir your peanut butter until the oils are fully immersed evenly and then store it in the refrigerator it will prevent the oils from separating again.

Another fun fact, if you want to skip the manual labor of stirring, before you open the peanut butter, place it upside down in your refrigerator for a day or so and the oils will fully immerse into the peanut butter on their own so all you have to do is open and enjoy.

Short and sweet, I hope you find this to be useful!