What is peanut butter?

Nothing captures the nutty-buttery flavour of peanuts the way creamy, crunchy peanut butter does. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a cult favourite amongst both children and adults alike. Made primarily from roasted and ground peanuts, which when combined with oil produces the perfect emulsion. In some types of gourmet peanut butter, chocolate or other ingredients may be added. To make peanut butter at home, roast the peanuts on a slow flame till they turn light brown in colour. Once roasted, cool the peanuts quickly in order to prevent carry over cooking. This ensures that the natural oils remain intact. Take away the easily removable outer skin of the peanuts. Grind the peanuts with hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugar and salt as to taste. The oil acts as a natural stabilizer since it keeps the natural peanut oil from separating from the peanut butter and rising to the surface. However, since it won't have the added stabilizers that commercially produced peanut butter would, it is advisable to stir the home made peanut butter once in few days (since the oil may resurface to the top).

How to select peanut butter

• While purchasing commercial peanut butter, ensure you check both the manufacturing and expiry date details.
• However, if you are preparing peanut butter at home, ensure to use good quality peanuts for the recipe.

Culinary Uses of peanut butter

• The most common, easy and perhaps the most favourite way of consuming peanut butter is in between two slices of bread or on a single toast.
• Peanut butter cookies, chocolate peanut butter bars, peanut butter and jam drops, are just some examples of the versatility of the product when used for baking.
• They can also be used innovatively in a variety of cheesecakes and pie crusts.
• Use them in combination with chocolate chips to make crunchy cakes.
• Apart from using it for desserts, one can use peanut butter as a base to make spicy peanut butter dressings for salads.
• It is also used to make sauces which is used in creating oriental cuisines.
• Peanut butter cookies and truffles are a favourite amongst little children.

How to store peanut butter

• Being very high in fat content, peanut butter runs the risk of getting rancid, so proper storage is of utmost importance.
• Commercial varieties require no refrigeration and can be kept up to six months after opening.
• Homemade peanut butter should be refrigerated in tightly-sealed containers and ideally used within a couple of weeks.
• Turn the container upside-down occasionally to help redistribute the oils.
• However, please note that freezing is not a very good option for storing peanut butter.
• When badly preserved, it can host the mould Aspergillus flavus, which produces aflatoxin (a very toxic and carcinogenic substance), so your best bet is to always go with natural peanut butter.

Health benefits of peanut butter

Peanut butter is a great source of mono-saturated healthy fats and good source of protein. So it is a wise choice for athletes. A perfect healthy snack to have and its made with unsalted peanuts and coconut oil which is a great medium chain triglyceride which promotes heart health. Research shows that peanut butter without sugar doesn't impact blood sugar levels. So it can be consumed by diabetics. We recommend following this easy homemade peanut butter recipe which has ZERO preservatives and no hydrogenated vegetable fats.

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