1. Correct pistachios – these are clean, opened nuts, with a developed kernel. A fully formed kernel fills more than three-quarters of the shell cavity.
2. Pistachios should be moderately firm, have a nutty flavor without any moldy or rancid taste.
3. Pistachios can be fried and salted right in the shell. Optimally, if not more than 5% of the nuts have not opened.
4. The largest size is 71–80 nuts per 100 g, the smallest is from 106 to 113 nuts per 100 g.
5. Excess salt is one of the main disadvantages of pistachios. Almost all pistachios are sold in bags where the transparent window takes up a minimum of space. Therefore, it can be difficult to accurately determine the quality of a product.
We offer a simple but effective way to understand how much salt, debris and husks are in pistachios. To do this, it is enough to place the bag horizontally, shake it well and raise it above your head. If there is a lot of salt, you will immediately see it in the window. If the package states that the pistachios are “salted”, then salt in this case is only a shade that should not obstruct the natural taste of the product. If there are a lot of “salty” and salt at the bottom, then, most likely, to use such nuts in cooking, they will have to be soaked in water.