# Nuts to you! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122 "2016-12-07T17:00:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/1 "2016-12-07T17:00:59Z")
To me, especially around holiday season, the hazelnut is the perfect nut. It’s delicious on it’s own, shelled in it’s native state. But even better, as nature intended, [surrounded by dark chocolate](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008JEYLY/ref=crt_ewc_img_dp_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2ITRVZLKIO5C9). Now you. Share your favourites and how you like to eat them. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/2 "2016-12-07T17:30:35Z")
I like pretty much all nuts. I guess if there was a buffet of nuts and I could only take one, it would be (in order): Macadamia Cashew (not technically a nut, but neither are Sunflower Seeds, which I’d put about here.) Dry-Roasted Peanut Virginia Peanut/Salted-in-Shell Peanut Almond (roasted, no flavor) Walnut Any of the above in a good chocolate dip, so much the better. Well, not the in-shell peanuts. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/3 "2016-12-07T17:44:16Z")
I really like Brazil nuts, but I don’t eat them too often because of all the Radium… Macadamia nuts are wonderful, but I think Pistachios are my favorite. But, the nuts I eat the most are Almonds, simply roasted, no salt. ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/4 "2016-12-07T17:56:24Z")
Cashews. By the double handful. Om nom nom. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/5 "2016-12-07T18:00:53Z")
Mmm, love cashews. Also peanuts - lightly salted or honey-roasted - and Smokehouse almonds by the handful (although I try to restrain myself). ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/6 "2016-12-07T18:12:23Z")
I’m allergic, and they’re even harder to avoid around the holidays. BAH HUMBUG TO NUTS. 😜 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/7 "2016-12-07T18:21:19Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Cashew (not technically a nut, but neither are Sunflower Seeds, which I’d put about here.) Why are you singling cashews out in particular? None of the others you listed are “true” botanical nuts, either. Of the popular nuts, only hazelnuts/filberts and chestnuts are botanical nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/8 "2016-12-07T18:21:45Z")
They used to be a festive season thing for me, but due to their [health benefits](http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269206.php) I now regularly buy mixed shelled nuts (hazelnut, walnut, brazil nut, almond) and eat them all year round, most days in fact. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/9 "2016-12-07T18:23:57Z")
> [@Totenfeier](#): > > Cashews. By the double handful. Om nom nom. Seconded. All the cashews. Preferably honey roasted, but I’ll take 'em plain, if that’s all you’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/10 "2016-12-07T18:24:40Z")
I am making another 1.2 pounds of cinnamon maple pecans today, in fact. Also, cashews and pistachios totally fucking rock! ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/11 "2016-12-07T18:26:38Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I am making another 1.2 pounds of cinnamon maple pecans today, in fact.! I will take a pound of those … you know, so I don’t completely deplete your stock. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/12 "2016-12-07T18:38:46Z")
Anyhow, my favorites are cashews, followed by walnuts. Cashews can be quite rich and filling, though, so walnuts are a nice change-of-pace and counterpoint to them. I was surprised at the last nut poll at how many people just don’t like walnuts–I guess I developed a particular fondness for them at my grandfather’s house, who always had walnuts (shell-in) at his kitchen table, and, as a kid, I loved splitting open that shell and picking out the walnuts with their their papery skin out. I prefer them to pecans, even. ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/13 "2016-12-07T18:44:42Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Anyhow, my favorites are cashews, followed by walnuts. Cashews can be quite rich and filling, though, so walnuts are a nice change-of-pace and counterpoint to them. I was surprised at the last nut poll at how many people just don’t like walnuts–I guess I developed a particular fondness for them at my grandfather’s house, who always had walnuts (shell-in) at his kitchen table, and, as a kid, I loved splitting open that shell and picking out the walnuts with their their papery skin out. I prefer them to pecans, even. Oooh, there’s a memory. My grandmother had a wooden nut bowl with the bark on the outside and a sort of little tower-thing in the middle with holes for the nutcracker and four metal picks. Yep - I’ve done my share of walnut surgery. However, they really need to be utterly surrounded by fudge to show their true glory. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/14 "2016-12-07T18:49:47Z")
I have similar fond memories from my childhood of my grandfather breaking walnuts for me with his huge working man hands. He was the gentlest of giants to me. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/15 "2016-12-07T18:58:19Z")
NUT’S! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/16 "2016-12-07T20:14:28Z")
> [@Totenfeier](#): > > Oooh, there’s a memory. My grandmother had a wooden nut bowl with the bark on the outside and a sort of little tower-thing in the middle with holes for the nutcracker and four metal picks. Yep - I’ve done my share of walnut surgery. > > However, they really need to be utterly surrounded by fudge to show their true glory. The easiest way I’ve found to open them is to stick a butter knife (a regular knife will work, but it’s a bit dangerous if it slips) into the seam on the top of the walnut (I’m defining “top” as the less pointy end, so, the [top part in this picture](https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-opened-walnut-half-shell-isolated-white-image46661635) of a split walnut.) Jam it in there, twist the knife, and it should split into two neat halves. Some walnuts have a seam too tight to do this, so for those, it’s off to the nutcracker. (Now that I think about it, I may be misremembering about the papery skin part. Maybe it just was the “nut.” For some reason, I thought they had a thin skin like peanuts, but the pictures I’ve been looking at, it doesn’t seem they do. It’s been many years since I’ve walnuts in shell, just the stuff you can get in the baking aisle.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/17 "2016-12-07T20:30:30Z")
Appropriate for the season, and the thread topic (see under “World War II”): [Anthony McAuliffe - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_McAuliffe) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/18 "2016-12-07T21:03:51Z")
Also kinda-sorta appropriate for the topic: [Harlan Pepper’s discourse on nuts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCJdCKbfyLQ). ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/19 "2016-12-07T21:44:37Z")
I like em raw or roasted… Pecans Cashews Peanuts Pistachios Almonds I usually pass on: hazelnuts, macadamias, walnuts, Oh and filberts…can’t stand filberts. ---
**Author:** ![appleaday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@appleaday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleaday)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122/20 "2016-12-07T21:52:02Z")
Love them all. If forced to choose, I’d pick pistachios and walnuts for favorites. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-to-you/774122.md?page=2)