How to choose nuts to keep them fresh and tasty?

Oct 19, 2022

I love nuts and ate a lot of them. As a child, I loved hazelnuts. Every now and then, my grandmother would give me some "student trail mix." I always started by searching for the few hazelnuts that were in the package. That was until the day when, while on vacation in Italy, some Dutch people I met offered me pistachios. After returning to Poland, I searched for them in local stores, unfortunately to no avail. I waited impatiently for the next vacation...

From my years of observing nuts, I've found that macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and Brazil nuts are the least durable. These nuts are quite fatty and prone to rancidity, especially macadamia nuts. Otherwise, I've never had any issues with freshness.

How to recognize fresh macadamia nuts?

It's best to buy unshelled macadamia nuts, but they're very difficult to find. I've only personally encountered them once. The shell is hard and cracking them is quite difficult.
When buying shelled nuts, it's best to choose pale yellow ones. These are the freshest. Over time, darker, oily spots will appear on the nuts. This is a sign that they will need to be eaten within a few weeks. If the nuts are completely dark yellow and oily, it's best to look for other varieties; their best days are behind them and they may no longer be tasty.

It's also best to choose whole or halved nuts—these will stay fresh the longest. Small pieces will go rancid more quickly.

Shelled nuts - available in our store:

Pine nuts and cedar nuts

Similarly, we can distinguish between fresh pine nuts and cedar nuts. They will be pale yellow. Over time, they will darken and appear coated in grease. These should be avoided or made into pesto as soon as possible.

Pine Nuts and Cedar Nuts - see our offer:

Cedar nuts