How to Eat Peanut Butter
Pick chunky or smooth., Read the label and look at the ingredients., Avoid “reduced fat” peanut butter., Consider grinding your own., Consider other nut butters., Try mixed peanut butters.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pick chunky or smooth.
Just like there are Elvis people and Beatles people, there are two kinds of people in the world: smooth eaters and chunky eaters.
The biggest and most important peanut butter decision is also the most fun.
Do you like crunchy, chunky peanut butter, or smooth and creamy? There is no wrong answer.
Some studies show that, in the United States, women who live on the East Coast will gravitate toward smooth peanut butter, while male Californians and other West Coasters will more often pick chunky.
Go figure. -
Step 2: Read the label and look at the ingredients.
Good peanut butter should only have two ingredients: peanuts, salt, and possibly a sweetener like honey or sugar.
If you see added hydrogenated oils, steer clear.
Natural peanut butter is more expensive because it contains the peanut oil, which will settle on the top of the jar and need to be stirred in before use.
The most valuable product of the peanut is in the oil, which large food companies will extract from the peanuts ground into peanut butter, and then replace with sunflower oil.
So, while it seems like you’re getting whole ground-up peanuts in a jar of Skippy or Jif, you’re really getting peanuts and the oil of other, cheaper nuts. , While it might seem like a healthier alternative, peanut butters that are advertised as "reduced fat" usually include more hydrogenated oils and more sugars, but the same amount of calories, to account for the loss of fat.
Essentially used as a marketing scheme, this ploy ignores the fact that healthy fats from natural peanut butter are more effective as sources of fats.
Reduced fat peanut butter replaces mono saturated "healthy" fats with refined sugars and carbohydrates, causing blood sugar spikes.
It's not good for you., If you’re a particular peanut butter eater, you might enjoy mixing up your own batches and perfecting your recipe.
Pick nuts you like the taste of, grind them in a food processor, and add a small amount of honey or salt, to taste.
As you grind, you might need to add a little oil to aid in the process.
You can control the consistency and the flavor and make the kind of peanut butter you like.
Remove the skins before grinding your peanuts on a high setting, adding oil as necessary.
Use whatever peanuts you like to eat:
Valencias, Virginias, Spanish peanuts, and Runners are all perfect for making peanut butter.
Some prefer Spanish peanuts, because they have a slightly higher oil content.
Raw peanuts can be used to make peanut butter, which will taste a little different than the more popular roasted variety.
Try out honey-roasted peanuts for a special treat.
You can also grind your own peanut butter at most natural food stores automatically.
Like grinding coffee, these grinders will work quickly at the flick of a switch and give you freshly-ground peanut butter.
It's pretty much the best and the easiest way to get it.
Find one close to you and give it a try. , Peanut butter is the classic stand-by, but if you're looking to spice it up a bit, you can experiment with other more exotic nut butters to throw a little variety into the mix.
They're typically more expensive, but feature completely different flavors than the traditional peanut butter.
Commonly available spread and butters are made from:
Almond Cashew Sunflower seed Hazelnut Peanuts are ground nuts, or legumes, meaning that if you’ve got a peanut allergy, you might be fine with tree nuts, depending on the severity of your allergy.
Find out if some of these alternatives might be more right for you. , Why buy the jelly separately? You can also get peanut butter with mix-ins already included.
Swirled grape jelly? Nutella? Marshmallow fluff? It's almost too good to be true.
While these mixes sometimes have a slightly grainier texture than smooth peanut butter, if you're a fan of chunky, this can be a fun alternative, especially for kids. -
Step 3: Avoid “reduced fat” peanut butter.
-
Step 4: Consider grinding your own.
-
Step 5: Consider other nut butters.
-
Step 6: Try mixed peanut butters.
Detailed Guide
Just like there are Elvis people and Beatles people, there are two kinds of people in the world: smooth eaters and chunky eaters.
The biggest and most important peanut butter decision is also the most fun.
Do you like crunchy, chunky peanut butter, or smooth and creamy? There is no wrong answer.
Some studies show that, in the United States, women who live on the East Coast will gravitate toward smooth peanut butter, while male Californians and other West Coasters will more often pick chunky.
Go figure.
Good peanut butter should only have two ingredients: peanuts, salt, and possibly a sweetener like honey or sugar.
If you see added hydrogenated oils, steer clear.
Natural peanut butter is more expensive because it contains the peanut oil, which will settle on the top of the jar and need to be stirred in before use.
The most valuable product of the peanut is in the oil, which large food companies will extract from the peanuts ground into peanut butter, and then replace with sunflower oil.
So, while it seems like you’re getting whole ground-up peanuts in a jar of Skippy or Jif, you’re really getting peanuts and the oil of other, cheaper nuts. , While it might seem like a healthier alternative, peanut butters that are advertised as "reduced fat" usually include more hydrogenated oils and more sugars, but the same amount of calories, to account for the loss of fat.
Essentially used as a marketing scheme, this ploy ignores the fact that healthy fats from natural peanut butter are more effective as sources of fats.
Reduced fat peanut butter replaces mono saturated "healthy" fats with refined sugars and carbohydrates, causing blood sugar spikes.
It's not good for you., If you’re a particular peanut butter eater, you might enjoy mixing up your own batches and perfecting your recipe.
Pick nuts you like the taste of, grind them in a food processor, and add a small amount of honey or salt, to taste.
As you grind, you might need to add a little oil to aid in the process.
You can control the consistency and the flavor and make the kind of peanut butter you like.
Remove the skins before grinding your peanuts on a high setting, adding oil as necessary.
Use whatever peanuts you like to eat:
Valencias, Virginias, Spanish peanuts, and Runners are all perfect for making peanut butter.
Some prefer Spanish peanuts, because they have a slightly higher oil content.
Raw peanuts can be used to make peanut butter, which will taste a little different than the more popular roasted variety.
Try out honey-roasted peanuts for a special treat.
You can also grind your own peanut butter at most natural food stores automatically.
Like grinding coffee, these grinders will work quickly at the flick of a switch and give you freshly-ground peanut butter.
It's pretty much the best and the easiest way to get it.
Find one close to you and give it a try. , Peanut butter is the classic stand-by, but if you're looking to spice it up a bit, you can experiment with other more exotic nut butters to throw a little variety into the mix.
They're typically more expensive, but feature completely different flavors than the traditional peanut butter.
Commonly available spread and butters are made from:
Almond Cashew Sunflower seed Hazelnut Peanuts are ground nuts, or legumes, meaning that if you’ve got a peanut allergy, you might be fine with tree nuts, depending on the severity of your allergy.
Find out if some of these alternatives might be more right for you. , Why buy the jelly separately? You can also get peanut butter with mix-ins already included.
Swirled grape jelly? Nutella? Marshmallow fluff? It's almost too good to be true.
While these mixes sometimes have a slightly grainier texture than smooth peanut butter, if you're a fan of chunky, this can be a fun alternative, especially for kids.
About the Author
Kimberly Diaz
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in hobbies and beyond.
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