I have been eating handfuls of seeds my whole life. Toss in mouth, find a nice fat one, Maneuver to front teeth, crack, extract seed, spit shells. Just a totally unconscious process.
But lately it seems like I can barely get through half an handful before they are just too soaked and soft to crack, and mush with pressure on the edges. I have to go to an alternative technique where you have to squeeze it through the shell like a tube of toothpaste.
I don’t remember doing that except in rare circumstances before. Are they making wussy porous shells now? Or do different parts of the country get different species of seeds or something? My rate hasn’t slowed, but I now have to grab twice as many handfuls half the size to get a good consistent crack.
I can’t answer your question.
I just wanted to say that it seems strange to me to crack the sunflower seeds with your front teeth. I think that I was told to do it that way originally, but lining them up edge-on-edge on the sharp front teeth seemed difficult. Now I just crack them open with my molars and use my tongue and front teeth to extract the seed portion.
Look for the seeds that Jumbo Snacks packages.
I just eat the shelled ones. No need to spit out shells and I think the cost per kernel ratio is just as good.
A certain grocery chain in my quadrant of the galaxy has a humongous bulk-foods section, with shelled sunflower seeds (both raw and roasted, and I think the roasted even comes in salted and unsalted bins). And they have sunflower seeds in the shells too. I agree with the above remark – the shelled ones are about the same price per kernel as the in-shell ones.
Of course, the shelled ones don’t last nearly as long. Pop a handful in your mouth all at once and they are gone all at once. Just like that. Whereas, the in-shell ones give you something to occupy yourself with for a while.