Peanut butter is not a very well-known product in our market, despite its wide popularity abroad. What is its uniqueness, what benefits it brings to the body and how it is prepared, let's figure it out in this review.
Recipe content:
- A bit of history
- What's in the product
- Useful properties of pasta
- Is there any harm?
- The use of pasta in cooking
- The main components of the paste
- Why make your own homemade peanut butter?
- Basic steps for making peanut butter
- Natural peanut butter
- Video recipes
Peanut butter is a famous American dish. In the first half of the 20th century, the United States government made every effort to popularize it as a source of cheap vegetable protein. After that, pasta became an attribute of every average American family, and they even dedicated a national day to it - January 24. Now Americans do not just periodically buy the coveted product, but it is necessarily present in every family. Pasta is eaten several times a day, with a spoon straight from a can, spread on bread, toast … And all Americans do it, with the exception of peanut allergies, but there are not many of them - 0.6% of the population of the state.
A little history of peanut butter
The homeland of cultivated peanuts is considered to be South America, where they began to produce it by the end of the 19th century. In 1884, the American nutritionist G. Marcellos became the holder of a state patent. He made peanuts by placing them in a chamber between a heated top and bottom surface. After D. Kellogg began to produce pasta from unroasted nuts and received a patent for it in 1895. It was very popular with toothless people who used it as a protein source.
In 1903, Dr. Stromb Ambrose invented a special apparatus for making this dish, and in 1922 - a method for preparing peanut butter with the addition of butter. And since then, the food has been on the menu in all American families, and the largest part of the peanut crop is intended specifically for its production.
What's in peanut butter?
The composition of peanut butter, like the nuts themselves, is very rich and unique. There are di- and monosaccharides, unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, copper, iodine, cobalt, sodium, manganese, selenium, potassium, vitamins E, PP, K, group B, omega-6 and omega -3 fatty acids, fiber, phytosterols, proteins, etc.
Useful properties of peanut butter
- A source of protein that can replace meat and fish. Protein is the basic building block of all cells in the body.
- There is no cholesterol. Therefore, the product does not provoke atherosclerosis and is useful for the cardiovascular system, and potassium strengthens the heart muscle.
- The composition contains antioxidants that protect the body from the bad effects of free radicals. And they often lead to cancer.
- Fiber, which is part, normalizes digestion, removes toxins and toxins.
- Magnesium is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
- B vitamins promote tissue regeneration and normalize metabolic processes.
- The product is useful for anemia, strengthens the immune system and improves vitality. It is filling and nutritious. Just a few spoons eaten in the morning will help you forget about hunger for a few hours.
Is there any harm from peanut butter?
Nuts can provoke allergic reactions, and high calorie content can ruin the figure. Therefore, you need to use the product in limited quantities and better for breakfast. The daily norm is 30-40 g (1-3 tablespoons).
Cooking Peanut Butter
Traditionally, pure peanut butter is applied to toast or bread and consumed for breakfast with milk, coffee, tea. Jelly sandwiches are popular in the United States. In addition, it is used in cooking, adding to a variety of confectionery products: cookies, muffins, creams for cakes and pastries … It is also used in ice cream, sauces and risotto to give a nutty flavor.
The main components of peanut butter
The main ingredient is peanuts. For uniformity of mass add butter, ideally peanut butter. It is important that the oil is refined and odorless. A little salt is often added, because it improves the taste of peanuts. And honey or sugar is added according to preference to taste. Also today you can already find pastes with the addition of candied fruits, crushed nuts, coconut, cream, chocolate, no sugar or salt, etc.
High-quality paste - from light brown to brown, homogeneous creamy texture, with the smell and taste of freshly roasted peanut kernels. The product is stored at a relative humidity of 75% and t0-20 ° C - 6-12 months, depending on the cooking technology.
Why make your own homemade peanut butter?
Natural peanut butter contains only one ingredient - ground peanuts. And the largest manufacturers of the product add a lot of sugar and trans fats to it, like hydrogenated oil, to increase the shelf life. This negatively affects the quality, therefore, it is no longer possible to call it a healthy dietary product.
Basic steps for making peanut butter
- Prepare nuts in one of 2 ways. The first is roasting in the oven. Peanuts are poured onto a baking sheet in one layer and placed in the chamber for 15 minutes. The second option is cooking in a pan. Peanuts are placed in a preheated pan and fried until a light golden hue appears. In both cases, peanuts are peeled from the husk before cooking (if required by the recipe). To prevent the nuts from burning, sometimes they grease a baking sheet / pan with oil or mix the nuts themselves with it. They are also cooked only over high heat. You can not fry the peanuts, but in this form the paste is not very tasty.
- Chopping nuts. This is done with a meat grinder, food processor or blender, but it is most convenient to use the latest inventory. Grind the peanuts until they are converted into a homogeneous mass. After some time (~ 5 minutes) it will seem that the process is complete, but the grinding must be continued. Since after another 5 minutes, peanut butter will stand out and mix with particles of nuts, which will make the mass even more homogeneous. The whole process takes about 15 minutes.
- Adding flavor auxiliaries.
Natural peanut butter
For this recipe, you can take two types of peanuts - peeled and roasted or raw and not peeled. The color and taste of the finished product will vary depending on the variety of peanuts.
Instead of honey, you can use all kinds of syrups: maple, agave, Jerusalem artichoke or any other. You can also add cocoa to taste, then you get a chocolate-peanut paste.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 546 kcal.
- Servings - 200-250 g
- Cooking time - 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Peanuts - 200 g
- Salt - 1/3 tsp
- Refined vegetable oil - 3-5 tbsp.
- Honey - 0.5-3 tbsp or to taste
Step by step cooking:
- Pour raw unpeeled peanuts evenly on a dry baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake at 180 ° C for 10-15 minutes until the nuts darken. This will make them tastier, more aromatic and with a rich texture. But you can bake for less time, because the degree of roast depends on preference. If the peanuts are peeled and roasted, then no manipulation is required.
- Transfer the peanuts to a blender bowl and grind to very fine crumbs.
- Pour in refined vegetable oil, add salt and honey.
- Grind everything again until a smooth, homogeneous paste. Adjust its density yourself to your taste. Add more oil for a thinner consistency.
- Place the finished product in storage containers.
Video recipes:
