Snack Time {Recipe: Whiskey Honey Toasted Walnuts} (2024)

FAQs

What does toasting do to walnuts? ›

Toasting nuts brings out their earthiness and minimizes any bitterness found in raw nuts. In just a few minutes, nuts will go from pale, somewhat waxy, and mild in flavor and smell, to golden brown, rich-tasting, and with an intensity and delicious aroma that adds a whole new level of flavor to any dish.

More bitter nuts, like walnuts or brazil nuts, go well with sweeter whiskies. While sweeter nuts, like pecans or pistachios, go well with peaty, strong whiskey.

More than half of Americans snack daily, and snacking is actually the most popular way to eat walnuts. Simply grabbing a handful, raw or toasted, makes for a smart snacking choice.

Both raw and roasted nuts can be a healthy addition to most diets. Both types are a good source of beneficial nutrients such as Vitamin E, manganese, and omega-3 and 6 fatty acids.

Avoid foods that are strong in garlic or overly spicy as these will kill the flavour of any whisky. Spirits with strong flavours often match well with stronger foods and lighter spirits with foods with a lighter flavour profile, but you want the elements to complement each other rather than being too matchy-matchy.

With such a subtle profile that blends well with the balanced earthy flavor of walnuts, try a vodka based beverage. It's often used with walnuts and peppery spices to mix up a stout nocino liqueur.

A serving of walnuts is roughly 1 ounce, or about ¼ cup. However, some studies suggest eating 1.5 to 2 ounces may be beneficial to reap the health benefits walnuts offer. With this in mind, and considering walnuts are calorically dense, Kalloo recommends aiming for a handful daily to reap their many health benefits.

Excessive consumption of walnuts may cause diarrhea, bloating, stomach pain or kidney stones. Due to the phytic acid they contain, too many walnuts may also inhibit the absorption of dietary iron, calcium and zinc. Recommendation: One ounce (10-14) English walnut halves per day.

What does eating walnuts before bed do? ›

Walnuts contain a few compounds that promote and regulate sleep, including melatonin, serotonin, and magnesium. Each 100-g serving of walnuts also contains other nutrients that can help sleep, such as: 158 mg of magnesium. 441 mg of potassium.

As walnuts are loaded with energy, it may lead to calorie overload, carrying the risk of obesity, unless you maintain a healthy routine of daily workouts. Some individuals may be allergic to walnuts and cashews.

The fibre content of walnuts may cause issues for your digestive system. While moderate amounts catalyse digestion, too many walnuts can lead to gastronomical issues like diarrhoea, bloating and stomach pain. Eating too many walnuts can also cause kidney stones because of their high oxalate content.

Eating walnuts regularly also reduces levels of triglycerides, a type of fat linked to a higher risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. Walnuts and walnut oil are high in antioxidants that can lower blood sugar levels, which can reduce your risk of diabetes.

– Raw nuts contain natural enzymes that can aid digestion. “nu*ts such as walnuts and pecans can be enjoyed raw to derive their full nutritional benefits. The heat from roasting can compromise the omega-3 fatty acids in these nuts, which are integral for heart health and brain function,” added Sisodia.

Heat used during roasting nuts can slightly reduce their levels of antioxidants and vitamins. Roasting may also damage some of their healthy fats. Further, if stored improperly in heat or exposed to sun for too long, these fats can get rancid which will give the nuts an unpleasant taste and smell.

Walnuts really benefit from toasting—they become buttery, sweet, and lose some bitterness. Here are two ways to toast walnuts. A tender loaf of homemade banana bread is hard to improve upon, but here's one simple idea: Add walnuts.

Toasting or lightly roasting nuts removes all the raw green, slightly astringent flavors that you taste when they are uncooked. This is especially true with walnuts.