Hazelnuts are highly valued for their unusual pleasant taste and healthy properties. There are many important substances in it. Especially walnut is rich in antioxidants, vitamins B and E, dietary fiber. But the number of carbohydrates hazelnut can not boast, because it is suitable for any diet. To its fruits always pleased with its great taste, you need to be able to store them. Here is how it is done.
We buy hazelnuts
To choose high-quality fruit, you need to pay attention to whether they have:
- mold;
- rancid smell;
- cracks;
- traces of insect damage (perforated shell, dark surface).
Good fruits are pretty heavy. You can also check their quality by sound. You just need to take a handful, and then pour it. If when you strike a surface, a ringing sound is made, it means that everything is normal with hazelnuts, it can be acquired for future use.
Dry just picked hazelnuts before storage
If hazelnuts are grown in their own area, it is important to remember that you cannot start storing them immediately after harvest. First, the nuts need to be dried by holding for several days in a well-ventilated area, which is penetrated by the sun's rays. Only after that the nut becomes quite suitable for storage.
How to store hazelnuts in the shell
Hazelnuts can remain edible for a very long time, especially if its kernels are reliably protected by shell. But at the same time it should be stored in places where:
- low temperature as well as humidity;
- no access to sunlight (direct).
It is best to store unpeeled hazelnuts in bags made of thick fabric. But not from polymers that do not let air through at all: in them it very quickly becomes covered with mold. It is very dangerous: it infects the nuclei of the fetus with harmful substances that cause severe intoxication of the human body, major digestive problems.
It is important that other products are not lying next to the nut (especially with a strong smell). You can store hazelnuts:
- In the freezer. In it, it will last the longest - up to three years.
- In the upper compartments of the refrigerator. In such conditions, the fruits will remain edible for approximately one year.
It is very important that there are no temperature drops, otherwise the nuts will deteriorate.
How to store peeled hazelnuts
It is more difficult to save fruits without the shell: the environment causes them great harm. Nuts spoil:
- sharp odors (make it tasteless);
- moisture (causes rotting, moldiness);
- excess light (especially solar).
That is why peeled hazelnuts should be kept in an airtight container that is covered with a lid. It should be made from:
- glass;
- clay;
- natural materials.
Plastic ware fits poorly. The same applies to polyethylene bags: they have a high risk of condensation. It is also important that:
- the temperature was plus 3-10 degrees;
- Humidity was 10-15 percent.
In such storage conditions, fruits will not lose their beneficial properties for about 3-4 months.
But in a peeled form, hazelnuts are best eaten as soon as possible, since it can become rancid even if all the above conditions are met.
A few helpful tips
So that during storage with the nut everything was normal, it would be useful to know that:
- roasted and salted fruits for a long time to store extremely undesirable;
- should not be kept in the same container with other varieties of nuts;
- hazelnuts need to be thrown away, if even slight signs of mold formation appear on it, no washing will help it.
If the taste of the nut is slightly bitter, it means that it began to mold and it is impossible to use it anymore.
Hazelnuts are a gourmet nut that can be enjoyed all year round every day. It is only important to comply with the conditions of its storage.
