# Rank the nuts! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325 "2016-10-12T13:15:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/1 "2016-10-12T13:15:05Z")
I’m ranking them for snacking, but you can rank them however you want, and you can include any nuts you want: Pistachios – the king of snacking nuts, IMO. The most flavorful and unusual. Almonds – the best texture by far, IMO – very very crunchy, paired with a nice (if low-key) flavor. Peanuts and cashews – versatile and pleasant, but nothing exciting. Brazilnuts – not much flavor, to me. Pecans – not my favorite for snacking, but wonderful in pastries and pies. Walnuts – too bitter. I don’t like them at all. ---
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/2 "2016-10-12T13:45:49Z")
Honey roasted cashews, then honey roasted peanuts, then pistachios (they lose points because I’m lazy and don’t like taking them out of the shells, at least they seem to have stopped making them red). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/3 "2016-10-12T14:09:16Z")
Kashews are King!! Almonds (raw, unsalted) are wonderful. The rest are kind of blah. (Peanuts are not nuts…) ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/4 "2016-10-12T14:23:22Z")
Cashews Cocktail peanuts Salted in the shell peanuts Spanish peanuts dry roasted peanuts honey roasted peanuts hazelnuts (or filberts) pistachios Pecans unsalted peanuts Walnuts all those other blah nuts like almonds, Brazil nuts, and _boiled_ peanuts ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/5 "2016-10-12T14:47:39Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Kashews are King!! > Almonds (raw, unsalted) are wonderful. > The rest are kind of blah. > > (Peanuts are not nuts…) Boo. Booooo! Peanuts are nuts for the purposes of this thread (and for about 99% of conversations in English about nuts and peanuts). ---
**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:** [October 12, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/6 "2016-10-12T14:59:13Z")
From my favorite to least, in eating out of hand, salted, not as an ingredient (hazelnut would be much higher in that case.) Cashew Walnut Pistachio Pecan Macadamia Peanut Almond Hazelnut (love them , but not so much on their own) Brazil nut ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/7 "2016-10-12T14:59:56Z")
Almonds, plain or flavored Cocktail peanuts Walnuts, either in cookies or mixed with sweet raisins Cashews in moderation, same with macadamias Filberts The rest of the can. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/8 "2016-10-12T15:02:08Z")
That is the thing about cashews–moderation. I don’t know if they’re more caloric than other nuts or what, but they feel quite rich and a little do go a long way. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/9 "2016-10-12T15:06:55Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Kashews are King!! > Almonds (raw, unsalted) are wonderful. > The rest are kind of blah. > > (Peanuts are not nuts…) Neither are cashews. Brazils Almonds Peanuts Filberts/Hazelnuts (same thing) Walnuts (when used for baking) Pistachios Pecans Cashews Macadamias ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/10 "2016-10-12T16:16:12Z")
Walnuts are my favorite Almonds Pistachio Peanuts Pecans Cashew Brazil nuts Filbert’s are my least favorite Brazil nuts would rank higher if they weren’t so hard to shell. They often stick to the shell and come out in pieces. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/11 "2016-10-12T16:20:37Z")
Cashews Smokehouse almonds Lightly-salted peanuts Honey-roasted peanuts Waaaaaaay down the list are walnuts. Don’t care for any other nuts, other than pecans, and those only in candy or pie. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/12 "2016-10-12T16:31:28Z")
Cashews - I could make a meal out of them Pistachios - great for snacking Peanuts in any form except boiled Hazelnuts - best nut to go with chocolate Almonds - too hard to eat whole but very tasty Pecans - delicious, as long as they’re in the form of a praline Walnuts - okay for baking, kind of icky by themselves Macadamia - I’ve only ever tasted these in white chocolate chip cookies. Blecccccch Brazil nuts- No discernible taste ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/13 "2016-10-12T16:32:04Z")
To me, freshly roasted peanuts in the shell are irresistible - so much so that I avoid buying them because of what they do to my waistline. The problem with peanuts of all types is that they go stale pretty quickly. Stale peanuts are very resistible. The rest of the list, in my order of preference from most to least favorite: pistachios (which go stale even faster than peanuts) macadamias almonds hazelnuts cashews pecans walnuts brazil nuts I do think pecans and walnuts are excellent as ingredients. Pecan pie is great, and chopped toasted pecans are good in salads. Walnuts are delicious in baked goods. They’re just not my favorites for eating out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/14 "2016-10-12T16:53:25Z")
Macadamias Almonds Pecans Walnuts Pistachios Filberts Cashews Peanuts Brazil Nuts ---
**Author:** ![Brodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/15 "2016-10-12T16:58:39Z")
Hazelnuts Brazil nuts Walnuts Almonds Pecans Pistachios Unsalted Peanuts ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/16 "2016-10-12T19:03:57Z")
Macadamias at the top! Yums! Then cashews, then almonds, then walnuts. And salted! Nice and heavily salted! (Yes, that was me in that Star Trek episode…) ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/17 "2016-10-12T19:12:37Z")
[Previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=768940&highlight=nuts) (which itself links to a previous thread). I’ve reordered my list a bit since then: 1. Macadamia 2. Pecan (in a pie) 3. Pistachio 4. Walnut 5. Brazil nut 6. Cashew 7. Hazelnut 8. Peanut 9. Pecan (not in a pie) 10. Almond 11. Chestnut ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/18 "2016-10-12T20:40:00Z")
The pecan is the ultimate nut. Only a yella bellied _YANKE_E would think otherwise. Then cashew, pistachio, hazelnut, almond, peanut, walnut ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/19 "2016-10-12T20:57:09Z")
Most “nuts” aren’t really nuts in the botanical sense. Peanuts are legumes, almonds are drupes, cashews are just plain weird, walnuts and pistachios are some other sort of thing I can’t remember, and so on. But when we’re eating them, nobody actually cares about details like that. Personally, I’d put pistachios and cashews in the first two spots. I think I’d rank pistachios slightly higher, but that could change with my mood. And peanuts are certainly in a good position for goodness per price. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325/20 "2016-10-12T21:22:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Pecans – not my favorite for snacking, but wonderful in pastries and pies. Strange. I’m the other way around. Give me a jar of shelled pecans, and I will eat them all day long. Bake them in something, and I’m not interested. For me, the ranking is 1. Pistachios 2. Cashews 3. Everything else [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-nuts/768325.md?page=2)