Help!! Quick! Soggy soaked cashews!

[karenisraw]

Uh Oh,

About a half an hour ago I started my first batch of soaked nuts. I have never done this before and assumed you just put nuts in water. They are now getting soggy and soft. Is this right?

k
:o :eek:

[berrienoire]

cashews can get kinda soft or springy...it's normal. the harder the nut (or seed), the less "soft" it gets when you soak it. After you finish soaking them, you can put them in the dehydrator to make em crunchy again....if you want.

[karenisraw]

berrieoniore,

Thanks for your input. They seem like kind of like they are almost falling apart. Like if I pick them up they might much a little on the edges. Is that normal? How long do you soak them?

K

:confused:

[ambiguous]

yes, cashews can get pretty soggy when you soak them, and all nuts get softer.

[karenisraw]

ambiguous,

Thank you, I just did not know whether to take them out of the water so soon or not.

k
:D

[Rawkinlocs]

Karen,

What do you intend to do with the cashews? If you don't find them appetizing to just eat them, they make a wonderful nut milk either alone or in combination with almonds!

[SamuelWilson]

Karen, cashews that were heated during shelling will get more soggy than "hand shelled" cashews. The heat actually breaks down the structure of the nut, as well as kill the enzymes.

Can you tell us who you purchased the cashews from?

I buy hand shelled cashews, that cost more, but I am assured a really raw cashew.

[karenisraw]

Rawkinlocs,

I did not really have anything planned. I just heard it is better to soak your nuts so I thought I would soak them and have them ready for whatever I would decide to do with them. Most of the time, I just eat a handful or make a nut paté.

Thank you for your advice.

k :)

[berrienoire]

berrieoniore,

Thanks for your input. They seem like kind of like they are almost falling apart. Like if I pick them up they might much a little on the edges. Is that normal? How long do you soak them?

K

:confused:

you're welcome :) I've never had mine fall apart, but they do get softer but are still "firm" when they are soaked.

as for how long I soak them... well, overnight most times, as it's just easier, but I will sometimes just soak them for a mininum of one to two hours, depending on the recipe I plan to use em for. for milk, overnight works best for me. for whipped cream, I like a shorter soak time.

[karenisraw]

berrionire,

Thaank you. I am glad you told me about the varying soak times. I will keep that in mind for the future.

SamuelWilson,

I bought my cashews at The Wedge Coop a local HFS. I tried to find one that said raw but these did not say either way. I think they may have been heat shelled. They just seem kind of not completely raw although they are not roasted either. Oh well. Will soaking them do any good even if they were heat shelled?

k
:confused: :rolleyes:

[berrienoire]

berrionire,

Thaank you. I am glad you told me about the varying soak times. I will keep that in mind for the future.

np :) soaking times per whatever nut is still pretty debatable (lots of interesting research), but I just do what feels right for me...and also by how a particular recipe turns outs. overall, I rarely eat nuts without soaking them first.

[karenisraw]

berreionoire,

Thank you for your help.

k
:D

[berrienoire]

berreionoire,

Thank you for your help.

k
:D

you're welcome! :)

[Purl]

I bought prepackaged cashews at WF. It does say "Raw" on the package-could they still be "dead"?

[SamuelWilson]

yes, they are more than likely heated

[Doe]

Purl, Here is a link (http://livingtreecommunity.com/store2/faqs.asp) with some info for you about cashews. Please scroll down to the subheading: Are the cashews raw?

Teri S

[karenisraw]

Thank you for all of your reposnses. You have been a great help.

k
:p :p

[SamuelWilson]

Doe (Teri S), thanks for the link about raw cashews.

Let me share a little bit more about raw cashews with everyone. First, I would like to say the information provided at livingtreecommunity.com is correct, but it doesn't give all the pertinent facts.

It says that all cashews that are brought into this country are subjected to a heat treatment to remove them from their husks. This is true, I will not argue with that. However, not all cashews come into this country with the husk removed. Glaser Farms actually receives some cashews with the husk still attached. They hand shell them on site to ensure that you will receive raw cashews. You must specify "hand shelled" or you will get heat treated raw cashews.

[SamuelWilson]

Doe (Teri S), if you do not specify hand shelled, you will get the heat treated ones. Also, next time you inquire, I would call and then ask the person to give you his or her name. People tend to be more cautious about what they say if they have to identify themselves. Sometimes, part time workers will answer the phone and they just may not know. I have had several phone conversation with Glaser, I can assure you, they are hand shelled and they are raw.

I ran into a similar situation with celtic sea salt. When I was inquiring about the temperature experienced during processing, I asked the lady to give me her name. She immediately when on the defense. It is like people at these companies think that if you want their name, that you are going to file a complaint against them. In reality, you ask their name so they will think twice before giving you bogus information.

[ambiguous]

Re: Employees answering the phone and asking for names:
I have done some customer service work, and it is not uncommon for a customer to fixate on a single employee and call frequently (or worse, visit) because they are lonely, angry, obsessive, or simply have nothing better to do. I have been on the receiving end of some horrible, horrible customer service, but I can't blame anyone for not giving me their name over the phone. I think it's really up to the company to make sure the people answering the phones know enough not to give out "bogus" information, and why I can easily get mad at a company for lying to me, but I don't get mad at whomever answers the phone.

But back to cashews . . . I too advocate looking for "really raw" cashews. Nature's First Law are not the only people to sell them. I used to think there was no real difference (ala that Living Tree Community article) until I tried the "really raw" cashews . . . it's almost like a different nut altogether.
However, I for one wouldn't think any less of someone who isn't willing to pay more than twice the price for this rather premium product.

[misslinda]

Does anyone have a site they can provide for the hand shelled cashews--I did a keyword search and had no luck.

Please.


:)

[Doe]

Misslinda,

www.rawfood.com (http://www.rawfood.com/) - advertises them here (http://www.rawfood.com/cgi-bin/order/index.cgi?id=10370949758&d=single&item_id=1034&c=Raw/Organic_Food&sc=Raw_Nuts/Seeds&tc)
www.glaserorganicfarms.com (http://www.glaserorganicfarms.com/) - remember though, Samuel says you have to specify hand shelled with them

Teri S

[surfergrrl]

i get my raw cashews and lots of other raw nuts and seeds from trader joe's (watch out for the almond butter, though, it says raw, but the ingredients say "raw roasted almonds", which is an oxymoron). anyway, i soak the cashews for a short time, maybe 4 hours is plenty and then dehydrate them as berrienoire (love her logo!) says, to firm them back up and put them in baggies either in the cupboard or fridge so that they're ready to go for whatever recipe i need soaked nuts in. nut milk is always welcome- less carbs than rice milk- and i make nut or seed cheese from the pulp, by adding some rejuvelac that i make and keep in the fridge. recipes for that are in several raw recipe books.
you can also grind them up and make a cracker or pizza recipe with them. impress your family!

[misslinda]

Doe, Thank you!

Samuel thank you so much for enlightening us the cashew shelling concern. I love that site Galser farm site!!! I am so happy to know it exists :)