Roasted Nuts to Steer Clear of- Important Science

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Roasted Nuts to Steer Clear of- Important Science: Thomas DeLauer

LETS GET NUTS!! You see, not all nuts roast the same! In this video, we will break down what happens to different kinds of nuts when they get roasted, and we'll also go over how to roast nuts properly! Let's dive in and I'll see you in the COMMENTS!!

Roasting nuts, rather than eating them raw, is perceived to enhance flavor at the expense of nutrition. While flavor perception is subjective, nutrition content can be more objectively measured. Therefore, if you prefer the taste of roasted nuts over raw nuts, consider the following:

Conditions: Temperature & Time. Both increased roasting temperatures and times can impact nut nutrition. However, temperature seems to be the more important variable. Therefore, it’s always a better decision to roast lower and slower.

As an analogy, imagine you received a beautifully wrapped holiday gift. You would slowly and gently peel off the tape to preserve the pretty paper (nut nutrition) while gaining the same access to the present (flavors) within. The temperature threshold recommendations listed herein are based on a roasting time of less than 20 minutes.

Consideration 1 - Oxidized fatty acids. When fats are heated, they can become damaged or “oxidized.” Because polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are less stable than monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), nuts with relatively more PUFAs will be more vulnerable to oxidation at lower temperatures.

Macadamia nuts contain the least PUFAs (only 2%). They can withstand up to 170°C.

Hazelnuts are a close second, being rich in MUFAs and low in PUFAs similar to macadamia. They can withstand up to 160°C.

Almonds and pistachios have a moderate amount of PUFAs and shouldn’t be roasted above 140°C.

Walnuts are PUFA bombs and are the most fragile. In general, it’s best not to roast walnuts. If you do, do not exceed 130°C. A walnut roasted at 155°C has 30-times the oxidized fat as a macadamia nut roasted at the same temperature.

Consideration 2 – Antioxidant capacity. Heat can damage the natural antioxidants found in nuts, including tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E) and other polyphenols. Since different nuts have different antioxidants differentially distributed in their different proportions of fats and water, it’s impossible to be precise about the maximum roasting temperature of nuts.

However, 140°C appears to be a good general target (an exception can be made for almonds and macadamia; their antioxidant capacity hits a sweet spot at 150°C).

Acrylamide. Acrylamide is a strong carcinogen to humans and can form (by the reaction of asparagine residues and carbonyl groups as part of the Maillard reaction) at temperatures above 120°C. By far, almonds are the most susceptible to forming acrylamide upon roasting. When roasting almonds, it’s very important to keep the temperature below 140°C and to trade in time for degrees, if necessary.

Taste. Although flavor perception is subjective, the paper upon which this guide is based also included a taste test and found that nuts roasted at lower temperatures tended to be score better than nuts roasted at higher temperatures.

Overall Suggestions, By Nut:

Macadamia - 150°C

Hazelnut - 140°C

Almond - 140°C (note acrylamide)

Pistachio - 140°C

Walnut - Don’t roast or less than130°C (A walnut roasted at 155°C has 30-times the oxidized fat as a macadamia nut roasted at the same temperature)

*less than 20 minutes

Nicholas Norwitz - Oxford PhD Researcher and Harvard Med Student:

[carmendeleon]

Love obtaining different ideas towards cooking. Also Learning how to choose healthier foods. Sometimes I substitute as necessary. Great source of information for me I love cooking. Thank you for your great ideas.

[elizabethturel]

The wrong meats, the wrong nuts, the wrong eggs, the wrong veggies, the wrong seeds, the wrong fruit(strawberries with micro bugs), it’s overwhelming. I keep trying, but more questions than answers.😳

[helenahandkart]

I love learning stuff like this. I tweak my diet as we go along.

[alibentouhami]

Well, the confusion doesn’t end. Eliminating everything step by step until keto people will only eat air...

[amandatkids]

Thank you Thomas, this is super informative since I like to roast all nuts for topping on salads to eat while they’re warm. I’ve been roasting pecans and walnuts far too high. So glad you posted this!

[DanielosVK]

And how about seeds, like sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds? A video on that would be also very helpful.
Oh, and I'm curious what's the difference with baking nut flours (for example roasting whole almonds vs. baking with blanched almound flour)

[dezzysa]

Of course this would be uploaded while I'm eating roasted almonds... sigh. I knew I should've gotten the raw ones.

[polanachya]

Really enjoy this type of short informative videos!

[aaronlevy]

Very helpful. I have been making pecan and walnut butter by roasting them in the oven @350. I'll definitely try a lower temperature thanks to this information!

[monilr]

I have one (maybe weird) question. Is there a slight chance that some people just can't get into ketosis?
I'm doing keto for 1, 5 year now and I don't see amazing results in the changes of my body. And before anyone will tell me I'm not doing it right let me just say I'm TRYING. I'm counting macro, after few months I said maybe I souldn't count macro. I was doing fasting the way you are saying is the best (like, surprising my body with fasting), I tried prolonged fasting, now I try every day 20+hours of fasting with two meals in max 4h window. And I don't wanna complain, I'm feeling amazing, and every day is a blessing BUT I would love to lose around 10 pounds so the last fat on my belly and thighs and arms can go away. I have long history of breaking bones and taking steroids for asthma etc. - I'm taking care of it, I'm kinda obsessed with it cause I just wanna see the results. I try not to weight myself but take measurments and sometimes they even go up. The last thing I wanna add to this is that since taking exogenous ketones I am feeling that my stomach is more flat, and kinda feel like only when I take them I'm having small results. That's why I wonder if maybe my body don't have the ability to make ketones? Idk if that makes sense. Anyway, I would be so thankful if someone would help :)

[ljen]

i nearly watched every thomas delaur video since quarantine. amazing content!

[ericf]

Does this apply to nut flours when you use them in baking?

[ybe]

So strange because macadamia nuts and hazelnuts are the ones that i find most often taste rancid when i buy them roasted.

[L.u.c.k.y_L.u.c.i.a.n.o]

Is it necessary to soak the nuts in water (for example for 24 hours) before consumption and consume them only after drying?

[joesilkwood]

Yes I'm a fan of quick videos their impossible to skip of my favorite YouTubers ... Longer ones I try to come back later then days go by :(

[FlowerSupply]

Ok so...
Sprouted Almonds
Low-temp Roasted Pecans
Low-temp Roasted Walnuts
Any-temp Roasted Macadamias
Any-temp Roasted Hazelnuts

Got it, thanks!!!

[traciesanabria]

So that is for roasting nuts what about in general cooking baking with nuts how does that work?

[TheStncld]

So roasted macadamia nuts keep all their nutritional properties?

[mariathunberg]

What about seeds?
I make crispy bread using sunflower-, flax/, sesame-, pumkin seeds and flour from psyllium and have them inte the oven for an hour in 160 C. Is that ok?

[malai_mama]

Please make more videos on Nuts and other snacks like this one.