How to store shelled hazelnuts?

Hazelnuts are one of the most widely used dried nuts in cooking recipes around the world and can be grown in the garden. Whether used in desserts or in a chocolate-based pastry, hazelnuts add crunch to your recipes. However, it is not enough to harvest hazelnuts from the hazelnut tree. Before you eat them, you need to know how long you can keep hazelnuts, and how to eat them!

After all, hazelnuts are known to have the longest shelf life if all the necessary conditions are met. Let’s take a look at the tips and tricks for storing these dried fruits properly.

How to store nuts correctly?

Storage depends on the method (refrigerator, freezer, oven roasting, roasting), the season and the thermal conditions in the house. Depending on your storage method, the shelf life of the nuts will vary. In order to use hazelnuts in recipes and to benefit from the original properties of hazelnuts, follow these tips:

Immediately after harvesting from the hazelnut tree or purchasing the hazelnut, it is necessary to sort and dry it carefully.
Harvested and stored nuts, which are not shelled, are placed in a box or cloth bag.
Shelled hazelnuts are stored in zip lock bags, plastic containers or ordinary glass jars with a nylon lid.
You can store hazelnuts at room temperature and moderate humidity, but you should avoid direct sunlight or temperature changes.

How to store hazelnut kernels at home?

If the hazelnuts have already been shelled, you should adopt the best method for storing the hazelnuts. You can freeze them for long-term storage. Freezing nuts is extremely easy and it only takes a few minutes to freeze the nuts and keep them fresh for use in recipes. It is important to follow his advice especially if you want to know if your nuts are good.

However, if you plan to eat them in the next few months, the best option is to put them in the refrigerator. They are stored in a dry, well-sealed glass or ceramic container.

It is recommended to store shelled hazelnuts at a temperature of 3-10 °С and an air humidity of 10-15%. These conditions are considered optimal and guarantee the shelf life of the finished hazelnut within 4-5 months. The longer hazelnut kernels are stored, the more likely they are to go rancid, so it is recommended to eat the hazelnuts as soon as possible.

Toasting or roasting hazelnuts for a few minutes in the oven is also a method of preserving hazelnuts. However, the preservation is short-lived. If all the necessary conditions are met and the temperature is maintained at + 3 … + 12 °C, then this period does not exceed 3 months.

How to store hazelnuts in the shell at home?

Dried nuts are well preserved in their shell. Indeed, the hazelnut shell protects the kernels from external aggression in order to extend their shelf life. There are a few tips to simplify the storage of hazelnuts in the shell:

• To store the nuts in the shell, cloth bags are prepared, avoiding synthetic materials and polyethylene.
• To store unshelled nuts for up to 1 year, the air temperature should be maintained at 3 to 12 ° С and humidity between 12 and 14%. At lower temperatures in the freezer, the shelf life of hazelnuts increases to several years.
• If you put hazelnuts in the refrigerator, they retain their original properties for up to 1 year, but in the freezer, this period is extended to 3 years.
• It is important that during the storage of nuts the temperature should be constant.

Some tips for a better storage of nuts

The best way to take advantage of the original properties of hazelnuts is to have a hazelnut tree in the garden and to eat them fresh in your recipes. However, if your home does not allow this, follow these storage tips to avoid any problems:

The different varieties of hazelnuts in the world cannot be stored in the same box, and it is even more forbidden to mix them with other types of nuts or vegetables.

The quality of hazelnuts is characterised by a classic fresh aroma. As soon as bitter or mouldy notes start to appear, it is no longer possible to eat such nuts.