Status: 14.01.2024, 15:50 PM
By: Ines Alms
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The right roasting technique can make the difference between bitter and delicious nuts. How to preserve their aroma without losing valuable nutrients.
Is roasting nuts advisable at all or do you lose important nutrients in the process? What is the best way to heat them? The answer lies in the right method. Roasting gives nuts a unique great flavor, which makes it easy to incorporate these healthy snacks into your diet. However, if the heat is too high, nuts can become bitter and lose nutrients.
As the temperature rises, nuts become less healthy
If peanuts are mildly roasted, their bitter content decreases. © Zoonar/Imago
The Maillard reaction, which takes place when grilling meat, is also triggered when roasting nuts. This chemical process gives the product a spicy, caramel-like note. In the case of peanuts, for example, roasting can help to mitigate the presence of bitter substances – provided you don't overdo it. That's why it's advisable to heat nuts only gently, because there's a fine line between tender roasted aromas and burnt nuts.
Nuts are rich in vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids and minerals. However, at high temperatures, some of the heat-sensitive vitamins E and B are lost. The higher the temperature, the greater the loss. The valuable unsaturated fatty acids are also sensitive to heat. A study by the University of Jena also showed that, for example, pistachios and almonds – botanically speaking, actually stone fruits – form the harmful substance acrylamide as the roasting temperature increases. Nuts roasted at medium temperatures of 140 to 160 degrees Celsius performed best sensorially.
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How to gently roast nuts in the pan and oven
There are several methods to roast nuts as gently as possible:
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- In the pan: The nuts are heated in the pan at medium temperature for a maximum of seven minutes. It is important to move them continuously. Because nuts are naturally high in fat, no extra fat is required for pan roasting. This should preferably be made of cast iron or coated.
- It is advisable to stay close to the pan and rely on your sense of smell – as soon as the nuts give off a fine scent, they are ready. After roasting, you should quickly remove the nuts from the pan, as they will continue to roast due to the remaining heat.
- In the oven: Place the seeds on a baking sheet in the oven preheated to 140 to 160 degrees Celsius for about ten minutes. Turn once or twice. Then remove, cover with a kitchen towel and allow to cool slightly.
Most nut oils are also sensitive to temperature, especially walnut and hazelnut oil lose a lot of aroma and valuable ingredients due to heat. Refined peanut oil, on the other hand, is particularly heat-resistant and is therefore also used for deep-frying.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model to optimize at her own discretion. All information has been carefully verified. Learn more about our AI principles here.