Not just for snacking: 13 options for enjoying dehydrated nuts and fruits in the kitchen

Walnuts are edible seeds with a very low water content and a very high content of healthy fats, making them a kind of luxury fuel to meet the demands of daily life. They are also very beneficial for heart health.

But be careful, these are the nuts. They should not be confused with dehydrated fruits, which are just that: whole fruits or in pieces, which by losing their water through heat (natural or artificial) allow them to be kept for a long time.

The other grace of dehydrating is that it helps concentrate the flavor of the fruit, giving it a lot of power. Now, nuts and dehydrated fruits are quite high in calories, so they should always be eaten in moderation and hopefully combined with other foods.

They are real natural snacks, also very versatile in the kitchen, and in order to recognize their attributes and benefits, we have reviewed the main products of this type that we find on the market, in addition to suggesting some uses.

They say eating about four nuts a day is enough to experience some benefits, such as a boost in gut flora and a reduction in certain risk factors for heart disease. So easy and simple. For those who like to buy them whole, the only thing they really need at home – aside from the nuts – is a nutcracker.

Yes, as you have read: if you have a salad of lettuce or green leaves, even with avocado, nothing better than to add a few more almonds. This is how we take advantage of the texture and flavor they provide, in addition to their benefits on the regulation of blood cholesterol levels. To enhance their flavor even more, it is advisable to pass them beforehand in a very hot pan with just a drizzle of olive oil, until they are lightly toasted. Then let them cool and add them to the salad.

This popular dried fruit, which provides a lot of fiber to our body, can be cooked over high heat. Of course, it’s not about throwing a few peanuts in the wok and that’s it. What you have to do is chop up cubes of chicken, for example, plus a whole spring onion and sauté everything in hot oil with a pinch of salt. Once everything is cooked, peeled (and unsalted) peanuts are added to taste, plus a splash of soy sauce. Stir a little and our dish is ready.

Here, I allow myself not to talk about health benefits or anything like that, but to focus on what interests me the most: the taste. It is that cashew chestnuts, in addition to their texture, are an incomparable thing, which is why I always prefer to taste them with a glass of whiskey by my side. If not, I invite you to give it a try.

With the same properties as other nuts in terms of heart health, the pistachio is also often used in a wide variety of sweet preparations, such as ice cream and candies. However, its benefits and exquisite flavor can be best harnessed naturally. For example, if pistachios (peeled and salted) are added at the last moment to a dish of beef carpaccio, this preparation will gain a lot in complexity and texture.

It sounds like redundancy, and to some extent it is. I mean top off a pumpkin custard with —specifically— a few pumpkin seeds on top. And if they are grilled, so much the better, since in addition to the crispness they will bring you a lot of flavor, fiber and omega 3.

The oil contained in each marigold seed is very good for us. But of course, apart from a few lovers of the roasted marvel (which exist, especially in the provinces), most of them find it difficult to eat this seed alone. The solution, then, can be to compose a salad with cooked beets, goat cheese, grapefruit segments and some marigold seeds to taste. Then salt, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and ready. A real marvel!

Not that we’re gonna put whole pine nuts in a pasta dish. But what we can do is use Chilean pine nuts like the Europeans do with theirs, and make a good pesto with them. That is to say, we put a handful of pine nuts (previously cooked and peeled), basil, garlic, salt, parmesan and olive oil in a blender, and mix until you get a creamy pesto to use with any pasta.

This seed, whether roasted or natural, always gives a special touch to our preparations, in addition to providing us with oils that help keep cholesterol at bay. And not to stick to the typical sesame hamburger bun, an ideal suggestion for breakfast: fried egg, half an avocado on top, salt, sesame and a dash of olive oil. Pure strength to start the day.

When it’s not tomato season and it’s just that dirt of the shelf-stable variety, it’s best to use the dehydrated ones: just let them sit in lukewarm water for a half an hour and they are ready to make a sauce or even eat directly on a piece of bread with a little salt, pepper and olive oil.

Once again we will take the liberty of getting out of the healthy to recommend a very tasty way to taste dates. You have to get pitted dates, wrap them in bacon and sauté them in a pan until the date is warm and the bacon is barely golden. A delight wherever you look.

Better known under the name of cranberry – at least in Chile – this fruit, when dry, concentrates a good amount of benzoic acid, which would positively influence the oral health of those who consume it regularly. In addition, according to some studies, berries in general, and cranberries in particular, would be very useful in the treatment of urinary tract infections.

In any case, the truth is that this dried fruit is delicious, and given its sweetness, it is very suitable as a substitute for adding sugar in preparations such as breakfast cereals or ice cream flakes. instant oats.

Full of antioxidants, fiber and diuretic properties, raisins are well known and consumed around the world. In addition, there is the old myth that its consumption helps preserve memory. Beyond that, the truth is that raisins are very versatile in the kitchen, as they can go from the pine of an empanada to the inside of a turmeric rice. However, it can also be combined with various vegetables in salads and with salted nuts as an appetizer.

*Prices for products in this item are current as of October 18, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.