Rating Nuts Part 1

Besides chocolate and sugar, nuts are probably the most common ingredient in most snacks and treats. The fun thing about nuts is they make for great ingredients, but you can also eat them on their own as well. Having said that, not all nuts are equal in all situations. So I've decided that I would look at each nut (some might not be technically nuts so include the words legume and maybe seed as well) and decide which is the best nut of all. Some might rank higher in some categories, but the eventual goal is to find the king of the nuts... now that just sounds wrong.

I've decided to start with the cashew.

On their own:

I feel like cashews are really an acquired taste. When I was a kid I hated them, but as an adult I love having a handful of these nuts whenever I can. They do come in many forms, raw, toasted, toasted and salted as well as even candy coated. I'm not a huge fan of raw cashews, but every other kind is okay with me. I'll certainly give these a point for eating on their own.

Nut Butter:

Cashew butter is fine, but it's not one of my favourite butters. I don't think I've ever gone beyond sampling it as a butter on its own, in that I don't buy it to spread on my sandwiches regularly. I'm sure there are some people who love it, but it's not really for me, so no points as a spreadable.

In Chocolate:

Cashews are fine in chocolate, but I find that the texture is a little too soft. Since chocolate is already a dense, but also kind of soft texture, the texture of the cashew is fine but nothing amazing when it's covered in chocolate. The flavour of the cashew can come through in some cases, but you have to ad a lot of cashews to balance out most chocolates. So while I don't hate it, I don't think I'll give it a point.

In Sugar Candy:

I can only assume that cashews don't really work with sugar candies because I honestly can't think of a single instance where I've tried it. So while it might not be fair, since I've never tried it, I can only assume that other than a thin sugar coating or dusting of sugar, cashews don't really work in sugar candies.

In Other Cooking:

This is where the cashew shines in my book. A stir fry or even a curry with cashews can be spectacular. There are some cultures where the cashew is one of the best ways to thicken and flavour up a savory dish. Also, there's nothing like roasting cashews on a pan before cooking a warm dish to really get your senses going. I'll give it two points in this category.

Total Cashew Points : 3

Next let's look at the pistachio.

On their own:

Pistachios have always been one of the fancier nuts in my opinion. While I know there are parts of the world where they're very common, they always seem a little fancier than other nuts. They're also one of the only nuts where I feel like the shell makes them better. I've had pistachios in just about every form, from raw to salted and toasted and each one of them is spectacular. Although I will admit that salted and toasted is the best. They easily get a point, maybe even two on their own.

Nut Butter:

While I'm sure pistachio butter has been around for a very long time, it's only recently become very popular with the creation of the Dubai chocolate bar. I'll be honest, I'd never really thought about it before, but recently I've given pistachio butter a try and I've really enjoyed it. The butter tends to be best when it's not salted, and it also makes for a great combination with other spreads (particularly anything with chocolate). A point here for sure.

In Chocolate:

I think the paragraph above says it all. Dubai chocolate bars have really brought the pistachio to the forefront candy bars. I will admit however that most chocolate I've tasted with whole or pistachio pieces hasn't been amazing. I think the key is to really load your chocolate up with the stuff, and maybe in a concentrated form (pistachio butter). A point here for sure.

In Sugar Candy:

Much like the cashew, I can't think of any time that I've tried pistachios with sugar candy. I think I might have had a pistachio flavoured candy, but that fits into the same category as pistachio ice cream, something I'm not a huge fan of. No points here.

In Other Cooking:

I think pistachios work okay as a coating on meat, in particular chicken. I'm also sure it might work in some sauces, but I can't really think of any sauces that I've had recently that have obvious pistachios in it. While it might work, I don't think I can give them a point for cooking right now.

Total Pistachio Points : 4

Last one today, the macadamia nut.

On their own:

The macadamia nut is a tough one to rank. It's probably the nut that I've eaten the fewest of, but it's not because I don't like it. Flavour and texture wise it's fine, but it's very rich in flavour and very expensive price wise. The texture of the macadamia nut is a little weird in that it's both soft and hard at the same time. The flavour is distinct, but I don't like it enough to pay the extreme cost every time. I'll give it a point, but not two.

Nut Butter:

I can't say that I've ever tried a macadamia nut butter before. While it might be tasty, I would imagine that it would be super rich and would make a nut butter and jam sandwich feel like a super heavy meal. I might change my mind, but for now no points.

In Chocolate:

This might be one of the best ways to eat a macadamia nut, but mostly because it's a way to enjoy the flavour and not eat too many. I've had some nice macadamia nuts in fine chocolate and I think that's how it works best. Definitely a point here.

In Sugar Candy:

At this point I'm not sure why I put this category as I can't once again think of a single great use of macadamia in a sugar candy. Zero points.

In Other Cooking:

This will probably be the most controversial of all of my scores, but there are several ways that macadamia nuts work really well in cooking. Adding them a stuffing is good, but adding them to cookies is amazing. This nut ranks as one of my favourite nuts to ad to cookies, so for this reason alone I'm going to give it one point.

Total Macadamia Points : 3