Nuts are a must at holiday time for baking or just plain snacking. Here's a rundown of the most popular types you'll find on your supermarket's shelves. Most are available year-round.
Almonds: Here's a nut that's not a nut, but a fruit, botanically speaking. Almonds are related to peaches and have a soft, yellowish-tan shell similar in shape to a peach pit. Almonds are handy to have around for macaroons, marzipan, almond bark, cookies, pie crusts, salads, fish and vegetable dishes.Brazil nuts: Popular in mixed nuts, this nut is large and shaped like an orange section. With the thin brown coating removed, it has a sweet-tasting nutmeat inside. If you can find Brazil nuts shelled, try them in cookies or baking.
Cashews: Cashews, the curved nut, are never sold in the shell in the United States. Not only are these rich and buttery nuts delicious in stir-fries, snack mixes and nut brittle, they're a favorite for eating out of hand.
Hazelnuts: Also known as filberts, these are round or oval with one flat end. They're pretty when dipped into chocolate to top cakes and scrumptious when ground for crumb crusts or cakes.
Macadamias: A hard nut to crack, these small round nuts are often sold shelled. Match their creamy taste with tropical flavors, such as ginger, pineapple or mango.
Peanuts: Actually not a nut at all, peanuts belong to the legume family. This kidney-bean-size nut has a buttery corn flavor that teams well with chocolate. Use salted peanuts in candies and snack mixes; unsalted nuts in desserts, stir-fries or pilafs.
Pecans: have a cocoa-brown oval shell. Inside each shell are two smooth copper-colored pecan halves. Originally from the South, these cousins of hickory nuts star in such down-home classics as pralines, pecan pie, caramel-pecan topping and turtles. They're also delicious in cookies, cakes, pies, pie crusts and breads.
Pine nuts (pignolias): Technically seeds from the pine cones of certain trees, tiny pine nuts look like blond popcorn. Italian recipes often call for pine nuts, especially in salads, rice and pasta dishes.
Pistachios: These nuts have a double shell, often with a dyed red exterior and a green interior. Before marketing, the outer shell is cracked, exposing a thin, brittle inner shell and an irregular shaped nut. A favorite in ice cream, dyed pistachios also make pretty holiday cookies because of their red and green color.
Walnuts: You can buy either English walnuts or black walnuts. Like pecans, each walnut shell contains two halves, only the halves are not smooth like pecans. Because English walnuts are so common and relatively inexpensive, they are the workhorse nut for cooking. Use them in baked products, stuffings and appetizers. Black walnuts have a pronounced, intense flavor, so when you're substituting them for English walnuts, use fewer.
Buying tips: You'll find nuts come in many forms - shelled or unshelled, whole or in pieces. Some are roasted. Others may be salted, sugared or spiced before packaging.
If you don't mind shelling, you can often save money by buying unshelled nuts. Look for clean, unbroken shells. To check freshness, shake the nut. If it rattles, the kernel has dried, meaning the nut is too old.
Storing savvy: To keep nuts fresh, store them in a cool, dry place. After opening the package, transfer nuts to a tightly covered container and store in the refrigerator or freezer. Unshelled and unsalted nuts generally stay fresh longer than shelled nuts.