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Nuts

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04:32 PM EST on Monday, December 15, 2003

Sherri Brennen, WVEC-TV

Wendy Juren, WVEC-TV Cracking open nuts over water will help separate the shell pieces from the fruit.

Store them properly. Nuts can become rancid if kept in the pantry too long. Most have a high fat content and are best stored in the refrigerator or freezer in an air tight container.

When you’re cracking nuts, pieces of shell can get mixed up in the nut meat. Just drop everything in a bowl of water and the shells will float to the top.

Experts recommend that you don’t chop nuts in a food processor because they will be too fine and lose their unique texture. Use a chef’s knife and chop them by hand on a cutting board.

Wendy Juren, WVEC-TV Store nuts properly to keep them from going rancid.

You can also toast nuts on the stove. Just place them in a frying pan over medium heat and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes.

It’s a good idea to toast nuts before using them in recipes because it will intensify their flavor and make them crunchier. It’s especially important to toast nuts that have been kept frozen.

So there you have it, a few nutty ideas for using nuts.