Pine nuts are widely known for their beneficial properties. They provide the human body with vitamins of group B, A, P, C, E, as well as manganese, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper. The content of boron and tryptophan allows you to increase physical endurance and promote good sleep, and a small amount of nuts satisfy the daily human need for protein foods. Healthy, tasty and nutritious, pine nuts should be present in the daily diet .His small portion in a salad or dessert will saturate the body with nutrients and help maintain health. Let's talk more about how to store this useful product for the winter at home.
Table of contents
- How many pine nuts are stored?
- Pine nuts selection for storage
- Preparation, how to remove and store nuts at home
- Storage of cones
- Storage of inshell pine nuts
- Storage of peeled nuts
- Roasted nuts and their storage
How are pine nuts stored?
Pine nut does not have a long shelf life. This is due to the chemical composition, a significant proportion of which are vegetable fats.
If storage conditions are not followed, fats change their properties, giving the nut flavor to rancid .Mold and loss of characteristic aftertaste are also signs of a spoiled product, i.e.terms and conditions of storage of this valuable and rather expensive product were violated.
Pine nut grows in pine cones It should be noted that the pine nut is a conditional nut. This name stuck in cooking. So in the minds of the consumer stuck opinion that all nuts have a long shelf life. Pine nut is the seeds of Siberian cedar pine, well-protected from external damage by strong shells and hidden in the cone .Being under such protection, the nuts do not lose their nutritional and beneficial properties for six months, in a purified form, the shelf life is reduced to 2-3 months, subject to certain rules.
Signs of violation of the terms and conditions of storage may be a change in the color of the core , the presence of mold or dark spots on the grains. The taste of pine nuts changes dramatically - the taste becomes initially more sour, and then rancid and sharp.
Pine nuts for storage
Pine nuts are best used in small portions. It will be useful for health( the valuable properties of pine nuts are absorbed by the human body by 99%), and will not make you think about the long-term storage of large volumes. The choice of nuts for eating has some peculiarities of - the nut should not be too dry, sprinkled with powder( stabilizer) or be in a bright room for a long time.
When there is a need to preserve a large amount of nuts, should pay attention to the raw material - it is important how all the components look like - cones, shells, pine kernel. The origin of the product also plays a role - nuts from the Siberian taiga are better preserved. For Chinese nuts should be treated more carefully - among them are often modified or damaged samples.
Preparation, how to remove and store the nut at home
This stage ensures good preservation of the product and allows you to weed out those nuts, which for some reason raise doubts in quality.
Pine nut extraction from cones Nuts are released from the cones( how to do this, shown in the video below), pour a thin layer onto the dry and flat surface of ( thick cloth or baking tray) and dry for several days. Under natural conditions, it is possible to use heat from a stove or fire, which will speed up the drying process.
Drying has a negative effect on the quality of the product, so drying must be constantly monitored - mixed, removed dubious nuts.
Storage of cones
Creating the most natural conditions for storing pine cones, allows you to save them as long as possible. This is the best way to store nuts.
Bumps should not be crumpled and damaged. The integrity of the cones also means the integrity of the nuts. Wrinkled and wet cones will not be stored, they should be selected among all cones, cleaned, bypassing the damaged area, and try to dry whole good nuts.
Store cedar cones in a dry, cool room. A dry, cool room is the best option for storing cones. It is necessary to free them from foliage or needles, if that is stuck to them when collected from the ground, pack the cones into bags of natural fabric( linen, linen) a few pieces, carefully tie, remove out of reach of rodents.
In the conditions of an apartment it is possible to store the cones in the refrigerator. The maximum storage time for nuts in this form is 6 months in .
Inshell Pine Nut Storage
Inshell nuts also require selection and special storage conditions. In the selection of seeds should pay attention to the integrity of the shell, make sure that among them there are no spoiled, moldy nuts.
The product is laid out in special gas transmission bags, ceramic containers or glass jars, protected from light and moisture. Tightly closed and periodically inspected, these nuts will persist for for 2-3 months .A dry, cool room( pantry or refrigerator door) is recommended as a storage space.
Keeping Peeled Nuts
How to clean pine nuts to those who need them in large quantities? After all, buying a hot kernel is not recommended.
There are several ways to remove the pine nuts at home, here are a few:
- Soak the nuts in water on 12-24 hours .The shell becomes softer.
- can be poured over with boiling water for several minutes( 5-10 minutes) and then it is easier to throw them.
- To facilitate their cleaning, it is often recommended that be fried in a frying pan or calcined in an oven at 110-120 ° C for 2-3 minutes( you should try them).You do not need to add any fat, it does not need anything here.
- Another option similar to the previous one. Heat the nuts in a frying pan or in the oven ( 2-3 minutes at t = 110-120 ° C) and then immediately pour the hot nuts in a bowl with very cold water( preferably ice in ice water).The shell of nuts cracks due to temperature and pressure difference.
Pine nuts are often found in stores or markets in this form. It is best to eat a peeled nut right away, as it most likely has been stored for some time .
Peeled pine nuts should be stored in a tightly closed container. Peeled peanuts should be light, uniform and dense, with a black dot on top. Nuts that are too wet will not be stored, and those that are too dry will most likely have been stored for a long time or have been sprinkled with a powder stabilizer. This significantly reduces the beneficial properties of cedar nucleoli and increases the risk of obtaining a product that has lost its valuable beneficial and taste properties.
Nuts are stored only in a tightly closed container, without contact with moisture ( storage tank must be dry, like raw materials), air and light. Storage location - only the refrigerator. If all conditions are met, the nuts will not lose their nutritional and healing properties for for 2-3 months .
Pine nuts in all forms can be stored in the freezer, in a tightly closed container. Peeled walnut retains its properties in such conditions for six months, in a cone - up to a year of .When storing in the freezer, attention should be paid to the tightness of the container in which the product is stored.
Roasted nuts and their storage
Pine nuts do not retain their beneficial properties when frying, but their taste is revealed even more with this variant of heat treatment. Frying is done in a dry frying pan without oil, over low or medium heat with constant stirring and control .Fatty substances contained in nuts, will become the natural basis for roasting. The product prepared in this way is immediately consumed and not stored, since its fatty base has already been transformed due to heating.
When roasting the kernel, they emit cedar oil. The closer the pine nuts are to the place of growth and by the time of their ripening, the more beneficial their use. Properly preserved pine nuts will delight you with its rich aroma, excellent taste, useful properties. If you plan to use the product as a raw material for the preparation of oils, recipes of traditional medicine, then the storage conditions should also be strictly observed. Incorrect storage conditions can lead to the development of mold fungi and rancidity, because in their origin they are cedar seeds rather than nuts, which withstand longer aging periods.
