Nuts

[juliew]

Everywhere I go I see different recommendations for soaking nuts. Some people say don't soak macadamias, some say do, etc etc. Why is there no consistency and what is the best reliable source?

Light and love!

[ltcartwright]

The majority says to soak, although I'm guessing others don't soak because of (1) taste and/or texture, (2) time (ie. need to make a recipe quickly and didn't have presoaked available), or (3) digestion*.

P.S. - I'm not an expert, I've tried both soaked and unsoaked and find that I prefer the flavor of unsoaked more, but liked the way the soaked digested for me. So, I soak mine.



* Digestion problem happens for some people with unsoaked nuts. Most say soak because of the enzyme inhibitors on unsoaked nuts that interferes with digestion.

[Dimond]

Always soak. I use to think it wasn't that important. Must soak to release enzyme inhibitors or it ruins the good ones.

[T-Bird]

Always soak. I use to think it wasn't that important. Must soak to release enzyme inhibitors or it ruins the good ones.

But can you do nut butters with the soak then dehydrated seeds?

[juliew]

i know to soak them, but i mean the amounts of time are different everywhere... what do you guys use as a source of info for the time to soak?

[sport]

www.raw-food-living.com/soakin...ts.html

[RawKnitster]

I don't pay much attention to soak time charts. I usually start soaking at night, in filtered water, with a lid. In the morning I rinse, put in fresh water, cover, and put in the fridge until I'm ready to use them. If I change my mind about using them that day, no problem. I find by changing the water every 12 hours they can be soaked for a couple days.

As a general rule I soak macadamias, cashews, and pine nuts for 2-4 hours when I want them to blend creamy, other wise I don't bother soaking them. Soft nuts like walnuts and pecans about 6 hours, hard nuts like almonds and hazelnuts 12 hours. It is easier for me to keep track that way.

[spicyfull]

I don't usually soak but after today I'll have to rethink that. I ate two handfull of Dates and Almonds mixed and a few hours later I felt terribly ill. I think My stomach was having a hard time churning them around. I also was so busy I don't know if I drunk any water. When I started aching, I had some Water.

[raw runner]

it is best to soak them in pure water overnight, you will digest them perfectly this way.
I ate 1 pound of almonds two weeks ago without soaking them in water and i had big big trouble to digest them.In fact, i was constipated a bit.So soak them in water and if you could afford,grind them,it will help a LOT in digesting them.

[rawpreston]

holy crap you ate a pound of almonds?! :eek: