Where should you store nuts?

Because their fat content is high, nuts are among the items most affected by the heat and light in a kitchen. Where they should be stored therefore changes with how long it will take to finish them; two different places can both be right for the same walnuts.

Why do nuts change quickly?

What carries the taste of a nut is largely the fat inside it, and that fat loses its character as it meets air and heat. Because the change moves slowly it is not noticed; the taste of the first day gives way to a flat, slightly bitter one.

The change is seen most in the ones with a high fat content, such as walnuts, hazelnuts and flaxseed. Even the more durable ones such as almonds and pistachios lose their freshness when they are left out for a long time.

With nuts stored broken or ground the process speeds up further. The surface of a walnut whose shell has been cracked is entirely in contact with air; the same walnut left whole lasts clearly longer.

Where do they go in the kitchen?

For an amount that will be finished quickly, a cool, dark, closed cupboard is enough. What matters is that the container closes so that no air gets in, and that it stays away from the stove.

A clear jar sitting on the counter may look pleasant, but it is the least suitable way to store them. Light and kitchen heat together are the two factors that reduce the freshness of nuts fastest.

The size of the container is considered too. A large jar left half empty holds a lot of air space; moving them into a smaller container as the amount goes down is a simple way to keep them fresh.

When are the fridge and the freezer needed?

For nuts that will take longer than a few weeks to finish, the fridge is clearly better. Cold slows the change in the fat and keeps the taste for longer.

For an amount that will be stored for months the freezer is the most suitable place. Nuts do not lose their texture in the freezer and can be used directly without waiting for them to thaw; that makes them one of the most practical items to freeze.

In both cases the container has to close tightly. Nuts pick up the odors around them easily; an open or loosely closed container ends up carrying the smell of the other items in the fridge.

What is the difference between roasted and raw?

Roasted nuts lose their freshness in a shorter time than raw ones. During roasting the surface structure changes and the fat meets air more easily.

This is why buying nuts raw and roasting them as needed gives a better result for anything to be stored a long time. Roasting is a job of a few minutes and brings the freshness straight back.

With salted products the storage time gets shorter still. Salt draws moisture and can lead to softening inside the container; these products are bought in smaller amounts and finished faster.

How do you tell they have gone off?

The most reliable sign is the smell. The smell of nuts that have lost their freshness comes close to paint or old oil, and it is noticed by the nose before the taste.

The taste changes in the same direction. The slight bitterness left in the mouth comes not from the nut's own taste but from the change, and it cannot be put right by cooking them or adding them to another dish.

Nuts like that are not used. The most practical way to prevent it is to set the amount you buy by how fast you get through them, and to store large packages divided into small containers.

What changes on the measure side?

Where nuts are stored also affects how much of them gets eaten. An open jar sitting within reach is opened far more often than a closed container inside a cupboard.

This is why a storage arrangement is at the same time an arrangement about amount. The place and the size of the container decide daily consumption without any rule being set, and that effect works unnoticed.

Storing them divided into small containers does two jobs at once. Contact with air drops, and the amount taken at each opening is limited by itself; this is one of the arrangements set up in a kitchen with the least effort.