| FREQUENTLY ASKED PEANUT QUESTIONS |
| Below are some frequently asked peanut questions consumers often ask the National Peanut Board. Your question may already be here, check ‘em out. If you still have questions, contact us. |
| General |
| Q: How Are Peanuts Seasoned Inside The Shell? Can I Do This In My Home Kitchen? |
| A: Peanuts are washed, placed in a vacuum kettle with a brine solution, (or spice solution such as cajun). They are held under vacuum for a few seconds and then the vacuum is released, the peanuts are stirred and the process repeated once or twice until the desired seasoning level is reached. The peanuts are then centrifuged and rapidly roasted by forced hot air. This leaves a residue of seasoning inside the shell. Perhaps at home you could do the first part in a pressure cooker, but drying them out in the home oven is not so successful. It is difficult to dry them to the appropriate 7% moisture level without overcooking. |
| |
| Q: To What Plant Family Do Peanuts Belong? |
| A: Peanuts are a legume (a member of the pea and bean family) Scientific name: Arachis hypogaea |
| |
| Q: Where can I buy “green” peanuts for boiling? |
| A: The National Peanut Board website has a number of sources for peanut products from raw in-shell for boiling to peanut flour and peanut oil, visit the USA-Grown Peanut Sources section. |
| Health & Nutrition |
| Q: Are peanuts healthy? |
| A: Besides being fun to eat and delicious, peanuts are a nutritious food that contain more than 30 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. In fact, one ounce of dry-roasted unsalted peanuts has 2.3 grams of fiber, 7 grams of protein that satisfies and are a good source of folate (the naturally occurring form of folic acid); niacin, and manganese. And, like all plant-based foods peanuts are naturally trans fat and cholesterol-free with 12 grams of unsaturated (good) fat which has been shown to have heart protective benefits. To learn more about peanut nutrition, visit the Nutrition section of our website. |
| |
| Q: Is it okay to eat peanuts shell and all? |
| A: While the USDA does not consider the shell or hull of a peanut a food product, many people report that they enjoy peanuts including the shell and food scientists indicate that it’s okay. The chemical composition of peanuts shells varies with the peanut variety and shelling conditions but here is their approximate composition: Crude Fiber 60%; Cellulose 25%; Water 8%; Crude Protein 6%; Ash 2%; Fat 1% |
| |
