Blanch Almonds

A blanched almond is simply a fancy term for a raw almond with its skin removed. Many recipes call for blanched almonds, including those for almond butter, marzipan and numerous Greek dishes. You can buy blanched almonds in the store, but it is actually cheaper to buy almonds with their skin on and blanch them yourself! What's more, it only takes five minutes! Here's how to do it.

Steps

1. Use raw almonds. Make sure the almonds are completely plain - they shouldn't be roasted, oiled or salted.
2. Bring a small pot of water to the boil. Once boiled, take the saucepan off the heat and place on a hot pad.
3. Place the almonds in the boiled water for exactly one minute. If you leave the almonds in the water any longer they will lose their crispness.
4. Drain off the hot water and rinse the almonds. Drain the almonds using a colander or strainer and rinse well under cold water until they are cool enough to handle.
5. Dab the almonds dry. Use a little paper towel to dab off any excess moisture. The skin of the almonds should look slightly wrinkled.
6. Carefully pinch off the skins. Grip each almond between your thumb and index finger and pinch. The almond should slide right out of its skin.
   • You can prevent the almond from flying across the room by using your opposite hand to form a shield and catch the slippery little almond!
   • Sometimes the skin won't come off so easily and you'll have to you your thumbnail to scrape off any remaining skin.
7. Leave to dry. Depending on the recipe you're using, you may need to leave the blanched almonds to dry. If this is the case, simply lay them on a baking sheet for a few days, shaking the pan to turn them occasionally.
   • Avoid drying the almonds in the oven, as this will end up roasting the nuts, which is not what you want.
8. Finished.

Tips

• If the almonds are being particularly stubborn while you are trying to take off the skins, put them back in the water for a little longer.

Warnings

• Use common sense when working with the boiling water; don't reach into it to pull out the almonds; use a spoon or other utensil instead.

Related Articles

• Toast Nuts on the Stove
• Remove Nuts from Their Skin
• Make Candied Almonds
• Get an Almond at Its Best

Sources and Citations

• http://www.ellenskitchen.com/pantry/almpaste.html
• http://www.food.com/recipe/how-to-blanch-almonds-451094
• http://theshiksa.com/2012/10/09/how-to-blanch-almonds/
• http://www.thewannabechef.net/2010/10/31/how-to-blanch-almonds/

See also

• Toast Nuts on the Stove
• Shave Almonds
• Salt Nuts
• Eat Maple Seeds
• Make Peanut Butter
• Cook Chestnuts
• Soak Nuts
• Roast Macadamia Nuts
• Toast Sliced Almonds
• Toast Sesame Seeds

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What links here

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