Contents
In this article you will learn, among others:
- How to store walnuts?
- Can I keep walnuts in the refrigerator?
- How to store shelled walnuts?
- In what packaging should I store nuts?
- Do you need to keep walnuts in the fridge?
- Is it possible to freeze walnuts
- Are walnuts healthy?
How to store walnuts?
Due to their high fat content, walnuts do not like oxygen, light and room temperature. It’s time to find the best place for them to best serve you with their nutritional values.
Can I keep walnuts in the refrigerator?
It may sound strange to you, but as the food cooling foundation points out (1), shelled walnuts retain their quality for about 12 months when stored at 0-4C. Such temperatures are usually found in a home refrigerator.
The nutritional value of nuts extends over 12 months when you store them at 0 degrees. And if you freeze them, i.e. put them at a temperature of -18C or lower, you will extend their life to over 2 years. These data apply to both shelled and non-shelled walnuts.
How to store shelled walnuts?
In order to achieve such durability of the nuts, make sure that they are dry enough before storing them. Their quality is influenced by: humidity, external odors, storage temperature as well as insects that may have access to them.
In what packaging should I store nuts?
It’s best to pack them in a small, sealed glass vessel. Then you will limit the access of oxygen and refrigerator smells that nuts like to absorb. Do not place them close to onions or garlic. Unless you like the onion nut flavor.
Do you need to keep walnuts in the fridge?
Not. You can also store them in plastic bags at a temperature below 20 degrees C (the lower the better), without access to light. Nuts you buy in the store can be packed in special bags, thanks to which their durability is even longer. This can only be done at the factory. Such bags are not available individually. And even if you did get them, you’d need a vacuum packer at home.
Is it possible to freeze walnuts
This is confirmed by our expert Dr. Eng. Karolina Wiszumirska, from the Department of Industrial Product and Packaging Quality at the University of Economics in Poznań:
The consumer for storage should buy glass jars or plastic jars / boxes / pouches. If the package is opened many times, its high barrier (permeability) is not so important because each time we open the package, the air inside is replenished. Barrier packaging makes sense and importance for the storage of a factory-sealed product, after opening the packaging, the product deteriorates a little faster and should be consumed within the time indicated by the food manufacturer.
The storage time in such special packages will then depend on the type of film used to make the bag. Shelf life of shelled walnuts stored at a temperature below 20 degrees C, depending on the bags used (3):
- LDPE packed in an air atmosphere: 2 months
- PET || PE laminates: 4-5 months
- PET / PE laminates with SiOx barrier layer: at least 12 months
When buying shelled nuts, you will find information on the material in which they were packed on the packaging. However, you do not need to know these markings, because usually the packaging also includes information on the use-by date.
Storage of walnuts
You have learned how to best store shelled walnuts for consumption. Choose the method that works best for you. Together with our expert, Dr. Karolina Wiszumirska, I encourage you to remember that: Nuts are for eating and not for viewing, decorating kitchen worktops with jars of peeled nuts or long storage – because they go rancid. They need to be stored in the smallest possible packaging so as not to accumulate air in the jar, which accelerates their aging.
Are walnuts healthy?
Nuts are an excellent source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. They can contribute to lowering cholesterol levels and improve the work of the brain. They are also recommended for people suffering from diabetes. Due to the high calorific value, although healthy, limit their consumption to 4-5 pieces a day. Eat good-quality nuts, that is, stored correctly.
How do you store shelled walnuts? Which nuts do you like the most? Feel free to share your methods in the comments or on the forum: Shelled walnuts – how to store
Bibliography:
- Harvesting and Storing Your Home Orchard’s Nut Crop: Almonds, Walnut, Pecan, Pistachios and Chestnuts; Ed Perry, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Stanislaus County; G. Stevet Sibbet, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Tulare Cointy 76-pr-9/98-WJC/WS
- Effect of packaging and storage conditions on quality of shelled walnuts: S.F. Mexis a, A.V. Badeka a, K.A. Riganakos a, K.X. Karakostas b, M.G. Kontominas a,* (a. Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, Ioannina 45110, Greece; b. Section of Statistics, Department of Mathematics, University of Ioannina, Ioannina 45110, Greece)
- Food. Technology. Quality. 4 (5) 1995, “New trends in food packaging”
Picture:
Image by Anna Armbrust from Pixabay