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Almonds have been eaten since ancient times. On sale you can find almonds in the shell or in the peel, bitter or sweet fruits that differ in purpose. Most often, kernels are used in cooking. When purchasing an expensive product, it is important to know how to peel and peel it, because clean kernels are needed for baking.
How to shell almonds
The shell in which the kernel is located is quite dense. The level of hardness depends on the degree of maturity of the nut. There are varieties with a thin shell, which breaks with little effort, such nuts are easy to peel with a simple touch of your fingers.
For varieties with a hard shell, a special device will be required, which cannot be dispensed with. It is necessary to break the nut in such a way that the kernel is not damaged during the splitting process. For these purposes, most often used:
- pliers;
- nutcracker;
- a hammer;
- garlic press.
It is recommended to place the nuts in such a way that they do not bounce off the surface when struck with a hammer. Many recommend placing inshell nuts on edge. If processing is carried out regularly, then the best option is to purchase a nutcracker. On an industrial scale, electric nutcrackers are used, equipped with a function to adjust to the size of the fruit, which eliminates the need for an intermediate stage of product sorting.
Inshell almonds are shown in the photo.
How to peel almonds
When the nut is freed from the shell, you can see the kernel covered with skin. It is edible, but in the process of use it gives a little bitterness, so it is recommended to remove the husk.
Often, the fruits are used to make desserts, in which case the appearance of the dish can be spoiled by the husk. Only peeled kernels are used to decorate cakes.
There are many different ways to remove the husk. Everyone can choose for themselves the most simple and convenient.
How to peel almonds by soaking
The easiest way to remove the husk is soaking. In this case, hot water is used. The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Kernels are poured into a deep container.
- Pour in hot water.
- Let stand for 15 minutes.
- Drain water.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- After that, the nut is clamped between the fingers and pressed on it. The husk should remain in the hand. This procedure is repeated with each nut.
During pressure on the wet nucleoli, they may “shoot off”, so the cleaning process is carried out carefully, covering the hand with the second palm.
How to peel almonds with boiling water
In this case, boiling water must be used. The essence of the method is to let the skin completely soak, after which it will easily peel off:
- Boil water.
- Rinse the almonds thoroughly.
- Placed in a colander.
- Immersed in boiling water for 1 minute.
- Pour into a deep container.
- Pour in cold water.
- Leave to cool for 15 minutes.
- When the kernels swell, the skin will peel off from them without assistance.
- After that, the nuts must be filtered.
- If the skin remains on some kernels, then it can be removed by pressing the fingers.
The kernels are dried in the oven, after 30 minutes the almonds can be used for cooking.
How to peel almonds using a temperature difference
There are many ways to peel and peel almonds. Another option with which you can remove the skin is the temperature difference.
The workflow looks like this:
- Take a deep container.
- Pour some almonds without shell into it.
- Pour in boiling water.
- Let stand for 10 minutes (or you can let it boil for 60 seconds).
- Drain hot water.
- Soak in ice water for 5 minutes.
After that, they take a nut and press on it. If the skin is easily removed, then everything is done correctly, otherwise it is recommended to repeat the procedure again.
It is important to consider that this cleaning method also has advantages, for example:
- during the cleaning process, the cores do not break;
- cleaning is of good quality.
Among the disadvantages are:
- work takes a lot of time;
- It is impossible to peel many almonds at one time.
After the shell and husk has been removed, it is necessary to dry and roast the almonds.
How to peel almonds quickly with a towel
Since the cleaning process takes a lot of time, you should choose a less expensive method. Using this method has only one significant drawback – the kitchen towel will be damaged.
The work algorithm is as follows:
- Almonds in the husk are placed in a saucepan.
- Fill with water.
- They put it on fire.
- Bring to a boil.
- Boil for 3 minutes.
- Then the water is drained and the nuts are washed under cold running water.
- Since the upper shell is soaked at the time of boiling, you should pour the kernels with cold water for 5 minutes.
- After that, the cold water is drained and the peeling of the almonds begins.
- A kitchen towel is laid out on the table.
- On one part, nuts are poured in a thin layer.
- The second edge of the towel is covered.
- Hands rub the kernels of nuts through a towel. Nuts leave all the husks on the towel, resulting in whole and clean.
If at one time it was not possible to completely peel everything from the skin, then you need to select clean almonds, put them in a separate container, and repeat the manipulation with the rest of the nuts.
How to dry nuts properly
After the almonds are peeled, they must be properly dried and only then they can be eaten. Nuts can be dried in the oven or in the microwave. The first method is the most popular and fastest, as it does not take much time.
Almonds without husks are laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and sent to the oven at +180 ° C. Stir nuts every 5 minutes. After they are ready, you need to let the almonds cool at room temperature.
If necessary, you can use another method of drying nuts. This method is natural, but, unfortunately, it takes a lot of time. As a rule, it takes 5 days. For these purposes, you will need to do the following:
- They take a tray.
- Cover it with parchment paper.
- Scatter in 1 layer almonds without shells and husks.
- Cover with paper on top.
Nuts dried in this way can later be used to make almond flour.
Storing shelled almonds
After the almonds have been peeled and peeled, they must either be used immediately for cooking or sent for storage. In order for the product to lie as long as possible, adhere to the following recommendations:
- peeled fruits should not be exposed to direct sunlight. The place chosen for storage should be dark, dry and well ventilated;
- do not store almonds with products that exude strong odors. This is due to the fact that nuts absorb foreign flavors well. Preference is given to sealed containers;
- for long-term storage, dried kernels are best, but not fried, as the fried product becomes bitter over time;
- if ready-made almonds without shells and husks were purchased, then it is necessary to adhere to the storage recommendations indicated by the manufacturer on the package.
If the plans include freezing the product, then the taste and useful properties will not be lost.
Conclusion
Inshell almonds keep much longer than roasted almonds. Peeling nuts from shells and husks is recommended immediately before use. Today, there are many ways to quickly clean, so choosing the right one is not difficult.