Blanching the Almonds
Fill a pot with water. Fill a medium-sized pot with cold tap water. There is no specific quantity of water needed to blanch almonds, but there should be enough water so that when you add your almonds, they are fully submerged. Use a larger or smaller pot as needed. Never use hot tap water to prepare food. The heat can leach contaminants from your pipes, adding dangerous metals to your food.
Boil the water. Turn your stove on high, and bring your pot of water to a boil. This may take a few minutes. Wait for your water to reach a rolling boil, when many large bubbles are reaching the surface.
Place your almonds in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Pour your almonds into the boiling water gently, so you don’t splash yourself with hot water. Set a timer for 10 minutes. While you wait, set a colander up in the sink.
Drain the almonds in a colander and rinse with cold water. Using a potholder to protect your hand, remove the pot of almonds and hot water from the stove. Pour the pot into the waiting colander to drain the hot water.
Rinse the almonds in the colander with cold water. Rinse the almonds with cold water until they are cool to the touch. It should take only a minute or two.
Blot the almonds dry with a paper towel. Pour the cooled almonds onto a paper towel on the counter. Gently blot them dry to remove any excess water. You may notice that the almond skins look a bit shriveled. That’s okay!
Squeeze each almond to remove the skin. Gently squeeze each almond between your thumb and forefinger to pop the almond out of its skin. The almonds can shoot out of the skins away from you, so if you like, you can pinch them into your cupped other hand.
Use the almonds immediately or store them for up to two weeks. Use the blanched almonds immediately in your favorite recipe. If you’d like to store them, place them in a zip-top plastic bag in your refrigerator. The almonds will keep for up to two weeks.
Toasting the Almonds
Heat your oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C), so it will be the correct temperature when you put the nuts in. While the oven heats up, you can lay your almonds and sheet pan out.
Spread the almonds on a sheet pan in a single layer. Pour your almonds on a baking sheet, running your hand over them until they’re in a flat, even layer. If you can’t put the nuts on the pan in a single layer because there are too many, use two sheet pans or do the nuts in batches. Overlapping your almonds will cause them to heat unevenly and may make removing the skins more difficult.
Toast the nuts for 10-15 minutes. Place the nuts in the oven and toast them for up to 15 minutes. Look through the oven glass for any areas that become overly dark, as this can make your nuts bitter. If you notice overbrowning, remove your almonds. It can help to shake the pan every five minutes while toasting to keep the nuts from burning. The nuts are ready when the exteriors turn golden brown.
Remove your nuts from the oven. Using an oven mitt to protect your hand, remove the sheet pan from the oven. Cool your almonds until they are no longer hot, but still warm to the touch. It’s best to cool the pan on your stove or another heat-safe area away from pets and children.
Rub the almonds between two towels to remove the skins. Pour the almonds into a tea towel on the counter. Using another tea towel, rub the almonds vigorously from the top to loosen the skins. The friction created by both towels will cause the now-flaky exteriors of the almonds to come off. If any stubborn bits of exterior cling to your almonds, rub them individually with the towel to remove the skin.
Pick out the cleaned almonds and store. When all the skins have been removed, pick the clean, skinned almonds off the towel and put them in a bowl to use in your favorite recipe. The toasted, skinned almonds will keep for up to two weeks at room temperature and up to 6 months if stored in a zip-top bag in the freezer.
Comments
0 comment