To blanch almonds, bring to a rolling boil enough water to cover about a half cup of nuts. Drop the nuts in the water, remove from heat and allow the nuts to stay in the hot water for about a minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Use a paring knife to assist the nut out of the skin.
Revive stale shelled nuts by placing in a flat foil pan and putting in a 300 degree F oven for ten minutes.
Shelling nuts a day before using them will give air a chance to bring out the oil and moistness, improving their flavor.
When grinding in a blender or food processor, add a tablespoon of sugar or flour to each 1/2 cup of nuts to keep them from "clumping" or forming a paste.
To quickly crack open a large amount of nuts, put them in a bag and gently hammer until they are cracked open, then remove nutmeats with a pick.
To bring out the wonderful nutty flavor, toast nuts before using in cakes or pies. Spread the ground or whole nuts in a jellyroll pan. Toast at 350 degrees F for 10 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned, stirring occasionally for even browning.
One method of roasting and salting nuts is to lightly whip an egg white in a large bowl. Pour the nuts into it and shake them around. Scoop them out of the egg white and scatter on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse or kosher salt and bake at 300 degrees F until the nuts are golden brown.
Toast raw nuts by placing them on a cookie sheet and brushing lightly with a mild cooking oil. Place in a 350 degree F oven and turn the nuts from time to time until they are uniformly golden brown. Sprinkle with salt after toasting if desired.
Nuts can be chopped in a blender successfully by adding about a tablespoon of flour to the nuts before you grind them.
To prevent nuts from sinking to the bottom of a baked dish, mix them with some of the flour called for in the recipe before stirring them into the batter.