You can eat almonds with or without their skin at any time; they’re a nice and healthy snack as they provide fiber, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients. Some people may find the skin difficult to digest or are not fond of their potential bitter flavor. Additionally, there are recipes that specifically ask for blanched or peeled almonds, let me show you how to do that.
You can removing the skin of almonds in 5 minutes and this may save you some money as you don’t need to buy a box of peeled almonds and a box of almonds with skin.
When / Why Do We Need to Peel Almonds
There are no musts for peeling or blanching almonds. Most recipes can do with almonds with skin, but there a few reasons to take the effort to peel the almonds.
- The almond’s skin is dry and papery and that may not be your taste preference. It could also alter the texture of a dish.
- Some people associate the almond’s skin with a bitter taste; that could mask the delicious natural flavor of the nut.
- Some recipes desire a lighter color, and blanched almonds are the answer.
How to Peel Almonds
Step 1 – Bring water to boil in a small pan. Add the almonds and cook for 1 minute. Please keep an eye on the clock; cooking them longer may result in a mushy almond. If you don’t cook them long enough, removing the skin may be problematic.
Step 2 – Drain the almonds and transfer them to a bowl filled with ice water until they are cooled.
Step 3 A – Drain almonds again and transfer onto a kitchen towel. Rub the almonds inside the towel and many almonds will lose their skin. Make sure you use an old towel, this rubbing will leave stains.
Step 3 B – Instead of using a towel, you can use your hands by squeezing each nut between your fingers. This goes very easy, but takes a little bit of time. Be aware that those almonds may fly through your kitchen.
When all your almonds are peeled, you’ll have a bowl of clean smooth almonds. Before using them in your recipes, allow them to dry completely.
It goes without saying that you can use whole peeled/blanched almonds, you can use halves, cut them into slivers, or chunks, make them into almond flour or almond paste.
Recipes with Almonds
- Small Apple Tarts with Lemon Almond Paste
- Almond Sugar Cookies – Jan Hagel
- Dutch Kletskoppen Cookies
How To Peel (Blanch)Almonds
Ingredients
- 4 ounces raw unprocessed almonds
- water
Instructions
- Bring water to boil in a small pan. Add the almonds and cook for 1 MINUTE. Please keep an eye on the clock; cooking them longer may result in a mushy almond. Cooking them for a shorter period may mean you don't get the skin off.
- Drain the almonds and transfer them to a bowl with ice water until they are cooled.
- Drain almonds again and transfer to a kitchen towel. Rub the almonds inside the towel and many almonds will lose their skin. Make sure you use an old towel, this rubbing will leave stains on the towel.
- Instead of using a towel, you can use your hands by squeezing each nut between your fingers. This goes very easy, but takes a little bit of time.
- Allow them to dry completely. THIS IS IT!
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