How do you blanch almonds?
Are you ever confused when you see a recipe that says to use “blanched almonds” or that you need to “blanch almonds”? I had never done it myself until yesterday, and honestly, I had thought it was going to be a lot harder than it really was. The thing is that blanching almonds is quick and easy, and you may even have a little fun while you’re doing it.
Simply, blanched almonds are almonds with their skins removed. Some people prefer using blanched almonds for a whiter and creamier presentation in desserts (the skins can add an undesired color), or it’s preferred to not eat the skins because they add a grittier texture. No matter how you plan on using them, you’ll discover that blanching almonds is something even your kids can do (and you may want to recruit them if you have a lot to blanch!).
Blanching Almonds
- Raw almonds
- Water
Gather together the amount of almonds that you’ll need for the recipe you are using.
Raw almonds
In a small to medium-sized saucepan (or a pan large enough to hold the amount of almonds you are blanching), bring water to boil (the amount of water will vary based upon how many almonds you’ll be using – just make sure you have enough to cover your almonds).
Dump your raw almonds into the boiling water and allow to boil for about 30 seconds. You do not want to over-boil and risk your almonds losing their crispness (if you plan on grinding them up, say for marzipan or homemade almond milk, then your risk of over-boiling is not as high, although I would still not go much over 30 seconds if you can help it).
Blanching almonds
Once your 30 seconds is up, remove the pan from heat and strain your almonds under cold water. Rinse them well with cold water to stop them from continuing to cook.
Take an almond in your hand and squeeze the larger end of the almond. The skin should come right off, otherwise, you can easily just peel the skins off gently.
Removing the skin from an almond
Once you’re done, pat the almonds dry with a paper towel or kitchen towel, then use them as directed in your recipe.
Blanched almonds
Have you ever blanched almonds?
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For how long can you keep the blanched almonds? I plan to eat them every day. Thanks
You know, I haven’t ever needed to store them, so I can’t be sure. I would say that to be sure they keep the longest you should probably store them in the freezer.
I blanched almonds for the first time ever a couple of weeks ago to make almond “feta” (which was really good, by the way.) It took me a couple of tries to get the hang of it, but then it wasn’t too hard. Our water comes out of the cold water tap warm, so I ended up needing to use water from the refrigerator after boiling them. You need that temperature difference, apparently.
I remember having to do this for a Daring Bakers Challenge several years ago. It’s not hard, but can be time consuming! I think TJ’s sells bags of blanched almonds, so I might be inclined to just buy a bag if I ever again need blanched almonds, unless, of course, the blanched ones are ridiculously more expensive than the raw ones!