Your Basic Guide to Roasting Almonds
Roasting almonds is not only a lot of fun, but also can help you save money. Given the state of the economy these days, every little bit of penny pinching can help. Not to mention the fact that buying roasted almonds can really put a dent in your wallet. So why pay extra when you can do it yourself and have some fun experimenting with it as well.
Basic Instructions for Roasting Almonds
First, you will need a pound of almonds that you have already shelled. You can often save money by buying a larger amount than this from a bulk seller and then store the rest in a cool, dark place until you are ready to use them. Be sure however, that it does not get moist. Almonds are particularly sensitive to moisture.
Next you should pre-heat your oven to just in between 350 and 375 degrees—the perfect temperature for roasting almonds. While you’re waiting for it to get nice and toasty in there, go ahead and take out a shallow baking pan or baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil.
Some people like to just poor in layer of vegetable oil at the bottom of the baking pan and then just dump the almonds out on top of them. This is both messy and ineffective. It is much better, however, to coat the almonds with the vegetable oil individually. The best way to do this is poor some vegetable oil into a bowl and then dip and turn the individual almonds in the bowl so that you get a nice even coat. You can brush the vegetable oil on as an alternative if you don’t like getting your fingers dirty. Taking this extra care will immensely improve the flavor of the final product.
Make sure to set the walnuts out on the baking pan in a single layer. Don’t poor the remainder of the vegetable oil over the almonds if you want to avoid putting it to waste—this will only make for an icky, possibly burn inducing mess when you remove them from the over.
Place almonds in the now toasty oven for no more than ten minutes. Your kitchen will soon fill with the wonderful scent of roasting almonds. When the time comes pull them out of the oven (don’t leave them in to long or they will burn). Place the baking pan on the counter, carefully pull up the sides of the aluminum foil, and then remove the almonds from the pan. Be very careful not to burn yourself in the process!
Place them on a cool surface. By removing them from the hot baking pan, you will quicken the cooling process and keep the almonds from burning.
Now is the time to season the almonds. Salt is the classic seasoning when roasting almonds, of course, but try to add something different to at least a portion of the almonds each time, you may discover a really great taste that you could never have bought at the store. Need some ideas to get you going? Okay, try garlic salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, or even chocolate sprinkles. (Someone even said she developed a taste for cheese melted on top.)
Wait for about a quarter of an hour until they cool, then store them in a clear glass or ceramic holder. Avoid plastic—it leaves a bad aftertaste.
A fun money saving tip: Here’s a way to double your savings. Put the almonds in brown paper lunch bags and sneak them into the movie theater along with some cans of soda. This will allow you to avoid the highway robbery that is the concession stand these days. Besides which, almonds are even a better movie theater food than popcorn, especially when you’ve roasted them yourself.