Saturday, November 03, 2007

Boiling Some P-Nuts

James has inspired me. I am boiling my very first batch of P-Nuts.

I live next to the Peanut Capital of Virginia, Suffolk, and I have never taken raw, green peanuts and dropped them into boiling water. This football season, I have been eating them roasted. But the problem with roasted peanuts is the debris that they leave behind (couch, carpet and weekend t-shirts). No, I think boiled would decrease the mess.

And that is why I put a call to my mom today to get an idea of how much salt to use. She likes to use a lot.

This part scares me, and I had to send Cindy out for more when I ran out. So there they are, a package of green peanuts enjoying a simmering bath, while I wait for the Gamecocks to take the field. Hopefully, they will redeem the past two weeks and stomp the Razorbacks.



3 comments:

Rick said...

Hope the peanuts are good. The game sucks. 28-10, 6min left in the half.

James said...

Well, as Rick indicated, the Gamecocks are done for the season as far as I am concerned.

But the peanuts...ahhhh! And yes, they take much salt. Since they're technically cooking in a brine, I believe Alton Brown would say your water should taste like seawater. But they do continue to absorb more salt after you stop salting them, so be careful.

One can also prepare them in a crock pot, but I prefer the old-fashioned method.

Chuck said...

For a team that made it all the way to number six, I am sad to see how we have been playing. As they say, you are remembered for what you did in November.

But, with that said, I will stilll fly my flags.

I must say that for my first batch, I have learned some valuable lessons.
1) Green Peanuts take a long time to get soft a mushy. Take this into account.
2) The process of "testing" the peanut's softness (called "sampling") can lead to a sense of fullness. Be careful to not oversample.