How to choose the right hazelnut?

When buying hazelnuts, you must first of all understand the distinctive features of these nuts. Quite often they are confused with “hazelnuts”. The difference in this case will be in flavor and size. Outwardly, these nuts look almost the same, but the hazelnuts are always larger.

Hazelnuts can be sold in the following forms:

• in a shell;
• without shell;
• pre-heat treated.

Hazelnuts can be sold by weight or packaged in packages. Each of these types implies special rules for evaluating nuts for quality. In the first option, it is easier to inspect the kernels. In addition, they can be examined for odor and consistency.

How to choose hazelnuts

The main criteria for evaluating hazelnuts are considered to be a sufficient degree of ripeness and proper drying. The nuts should be heavy enough and not show even the slightest signs of spoilage or cause suspicion of their quality.

The nuances of choosing hazelnuts:

• if you pour the hazelnuts from one hand to the other, then a loud enough sound should be heard, reminiscent of a knock;
• the hazelnut shell must be intact (if there are spots, holes or excessive pollution, then you must refuse to buy such nuts;
• signs of diseases on the shell indicate the spoilage of the kernel (even if the kernel is intact, then it is already infected with bacteria, and it is dangerous to eat it);
• hazelnuts, regardless of the form in which they are sold, must be dry (this rule applies to both inshell nuts and peeled kernels);
• the hazelnuts in the shell do not smell (if there is a smell of dampness, mold or decay, then the kernels are spoiled);
• peeled kernels have a nut flavor characteristic of this variety (any extraneous odors should be the reason for choosing other nuts);
• small holes in the shell indicate that the nuts are damaged by insects or pests (inside such a nut there may be a spoiled or eaten kernel);
• if there is a plaque on the surface of the kernels, then it is impossible to buy them in any case (the most common fungus that infects hazelnuts is aflatoxins, which appear only when nuts are stored improperly);
• eating hazelnuts with signs of mold or poor quality is dangerous to health (hazelnuts attract a huge number of rodents, insects and animals, and if stored improperly, bacteria quickly multiply on it, therefore, you need to evaluate nuts especially carefully);
• if hazelnuts are bought in packages, then it is worth inspecting their material and construction (only small transparent windows are permissible, in completely transparent packages hazelnuts quickly spoil their taste properties under the influence of light and sunlight);
• dried hazelnut kernels should also not be bought (you can determine the degree of drying by the appearance of wrinkles on the kernel and darkening of the color);
• inshell nuts are stored longer, so the likelihood of buying high-quality hazelnuts in this case is greater (the shell reliably protects the kernel from environmental factors);
• if you shake the nut, then there should be no sound (the knock of the kernel against the shell is a sign of excessive storage of nuts and their drying);
• it is not worth buying hazelnuts if there is a large amount of garbage among the nuts (there should be absolutely no foreign debris in the nuts, only a completely insignificant presence of foliage is allowed);
• it is better not to buy peeled hazelnuts by weight (if possible, it is better to give preference to kernels in individual packages);
• the shelf life of hazelnuts is several months (if the manufacturer specifies a longer period, then the product can be considered a fake, and in no case can it be bought);
• in a store or market, hazelnuts should not be placed near ready-made food products (the department should be specialized, and products of the same category should be sold in it).

There are quite a few varieties of hazelnuts. In terms of taste, nuts of different types practically do not differ. The most noticeable difference is in shell thickness and kernel size.