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Pecan is a tree nut with a rich buttery flavor. It is native to America and used as a common ingredient in desserts, appetizers, and many more dishes. One of the problems faced by people when buying roasted or fresh pecans is how to pronounce pecan.
Most people buy fresh or roasted pecans. According to experts, even the fresh pecans are slightly toasted. Here are some crucial things to know when buying these tree nuts.
Know the Types of Pecans
According to experts, there are more than 1000 types of pecans. Many manufacturers follow different labeling policies to attract customers. The pecan halves can vary in size and you get small topper size to mammoth size pecan nuts. Shelled pecans are generally sold as pieces or halves. They are sold raw or roasted. The roasted varieties are oil and dry roasted.
Before you go to a supermarket to buy pecans, you should learn how to pronounce pecan. According to linguistic experts, the word is pecan, and the correct pronunciation is puh-khan. Here are essential things to focus on when buying raw or roasted pecans.
- Handpicked and Pre-Cracked
According to nut experts, handpicked pecans are best. The reason the person picking the nut gets an opportunity to inspect the quality of the nut. Pecans are generally harvested in early to mid fall.
Companies that offer hand picked pecans generally harvest the pecan when they have fallen from trees. A pecan nut fallen from a tree has a brown shell and split husks.
One advantage of buying pre-cracked nuts is that the shell retains the freshness, and you don’t have to put more effort to de-shell the nut.
- Appearance
When buying fresh pecans, look for plump nuts having uniform size and color. They are considered the best in quality.
- Roasted Nuts
If you are buying roasted pecans, you need to read the method of roasting used by the pecan manufacturer.
- Oven Roasted
It is one of the best roasting methods followed by manufacturers as it allows them to roast a large number of pecans at a time; it saves time, money, and effort. The pecans are spread uniformly on a baking sheet with parchment paper inside the oven. The oven is preheated to three-hundred-fifty degrees Fahrenheit to roast the nuts evenly.
The pecans are generally roasted for five to ten minutes until they are a few shades darker and emit a nutty, sweet aroma. The pecans are then removed from the oven and left to cool before being packed.
- Microwave Roasted
Pecans are also roasted in the microwave, but the process is ideal for small amounts. Microwave roasting is fast, and the pecans need to be roasted on high for two to three minutes.
- Dry Roasting or Oil Roasting
There are two types of roasting methods in pecan manufacturing: dry roasting or oil roasting. In dry roasting, no additional fats or oils are added. In oil roasting, butter, oil, or similar fats are added during the process. The addition of oil or fats may affect the taste of the tree nut.
- No artificial ingredients or preservatives
Some manufacturers add artificial ingredients to enhance the flavor or extend the shelf life of pecans. However, you should avoid buying pecans that have artificial ingredients or preservatives.
To sum up, these are some of the guidelines you need to follow when buying fresh or roasted pecans.
