What do a baseball game, a common school-lunch sandwich, and a party snack mix all have in common? Nuts. There are so many types of nuts that bring texture, crunch, and flavor to so many of our favorite cookies, pastas, salads, pestos, and even fish, chicken, and beef recipes. Combined with honey, sugar, maple syrup, or chocolate, these savory nuggets become sweet while retaining their bite and base flavors. Their small size belies their importance as an ingredient—they're something to be reckoned with!
Peanuts, almonds, pecans, and walnuts top the list of the most consumed nut varieties in the United States, showing up most often in sweeter items. However, nuts are inherently healthy: While they do pack some fat—with almonds being on the lower side (15 grams per ounce, dry-roasted and unsalted) and macadamia nuts on the higher side (21 grams per ounce, dry-roasted and unsalted)—they contain the good monounsaturated fats and omega-3s, for heart health, as well as fiber and vitamin E, especially important for vegetarians and vegans. And the proliferation of commercially made nut-based products such as almond and cashew butters, and nut flours and meals made from almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts, benefits varied taste preferences as well as those with dietary and medical issues.
Read on to discover 11 kinds of nuts, their unique characteristics, and delicious recipes to use them in.
1. Pistachios
Characteristics: Originating in parts of Western Asia and the Middle East, the pistachio (technically a seed) has proven its appeal as a key ingredient in dishes such as baklava, ma'amoul, haroseth, and halvah. California pistachios dominate our domestic market but if you can, seek out the Turkish and Persian varieties, which are smaller, have a darker shell and skin, and are more flavorful.
2. Hazelnuts
Alternate Names: Filbert, cobnut
Characteristics: This round nut plays a big role in a beloved sweet spread gianduja, better known as the commercially available Nutella. The woodsy notes in the hazelnut coax out chocolate's own nuttiness, making for a pairing made in heaven. They are edible raw, but to really enhance the flavor, you'll need to roast them and remove the bitter skin. Plus, roasting increases their crunchiness, making them the perfect textural counterpart in salads and soups.
3. Cashews
Characteristics: This crescent-shaped South American nut made its way into other cuisines such as Indian and Thai, thanks to Portuguese explorers and traders. Its almost-neutral flavor makes it a perfect candidate for when you're seeking to add texture, shape, or crunch to a recipe. Cashew milk, like almond milk, makes for a nutritious alternative to dairy.
4. Walnuts
Alternate Name: English walnut Characteristics: The walnut is an extremely popular baking ingredient, and one of the few nuts you can still find in the shell (depending on the season). The ruffled flesh is relatively high in tannins, which give walnuts their slightly bitter, dry taste. (If tannins trigger migraines, avoid them, as well as pistachios, pecans, and cashews.) However, their astringency is what makes walnuts a good complement to sweeter flavors.
5. Marcona Almonds
Characteristics: Rounder, flatter, and sweeter than regular almonds, Marcona almonds are from Spain. They're usually sold pre-cooked—fried or roasted, and salted—and make for great snacks. If you want to cook or bake with them, use them in their raw state.
6. Macadamia Nuts
Alternate Names: Queensland nut, Australian nut
Characteristics: Originally available only in Hawaii or Australia, these large and now ubiquitous nuts are palpably rich with an almost buttery flavor. Chopped up, they pair especially well with fish, as well as in baked goods such as cookies and pies.
7. Peanuts
Alternate Name: Goober
Characteristics: The peanut is technically a legume (like peas, lentils, and beans), but it's considered a nut due to its culinary usage. Aside from its low price and year-round wide availability, what makes the peanut so good is its high protein content: One cup has 40 grams, making it the most protein-rich of its nut brethren. Raw peanuts possess a hearty earthiness that becomes even more pronounced when they're roasted.
8. Almonds
Characteristics: Unlike many other nuts, almonds are sold whole, sliced, and slivered; blanched; with and without the skin. Pulverized, they're also sold as flour to be baked in tortes and flourless cakes. Almonds have a mildly sweet flavor that is magnified in products such as almond extract, almond paste, and marzipan.
9. Brazil Nuts
Alternate Names: Paranut, cream nut
Characteristics: One of the largest types of nuts available, this giant, elongated nut is native to Brazil and can be found throughout the Amazonian rain forest. Eating just two of the crunchy, mild-flavored nuts will provide a daily dose of the antioxidants selenium and vitamin E.
10. Pine Nuts
Alternate Names: Pignoli, piñon nuts
Characteristics: Harvested from pine trees, the tiny beige nuts are now mostly imported from China and Italy. The Italian pine nuts are longer and more slender than their Chinese counterparts. With its mildly piney flavor and soft, chewy texture, the pine nut is often more pleasing to many palates when toasted or incorporated into a pesto.
11. Pecans
Characteristics: Native to North America, pecans have a distinct place in American culinary history, used in a host of traditional Southern dishes. Grown mainly in Georgia and Texas, the pecan is ever so sweeter than the walnut, and thus used mainly in baking.
Tips on Buying and Cooking with Nuts
Here are a few tips that will help you out no matter what type of nuts you're using.
Nuts can be costly; save money by buying in bulk.
To prevent them from going rancid, store nuts in airtight containers in the freezer.
Unless you're using nuts for baking, you'll need to roast them before cooking with them. You can roast them in the oven by spreading the nuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet and placing them in an preheated oven set to 275°F for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Or, you can use a skillet. Roast the nuts over a medium-low flame, shaking the pan every so often, until golden brown, forabout 5 minutes. Both methods require a watchful eye: The nuts can go from a beautiful golden brown to an acrid, burnt mess in a matter of seconds.
