Planters Settles the Debate: This Is the Best Place to Store Nuts

On a recent trip to the grocery store with my mom, we grabbed a jar of peanuts to help stave off our snacking cravings since dinner was right around the corner. When we got back to my house, I stashed the jar in a kitchen cabinet without a second thought.

Opening the cabinet to find an ingredient for dinner that night, I did start to have second thoughts on the best place to store that open jar of peanuts. We know where to store grated Parmesan cheese, sliced bread, and peanut butter, but what about raw nuts?

We reached out to the experts for the answer, but before we dive into the best place to store nuts, let’s take a quick look at their history of human consumption.

The History of Nuts

Snacking on a handful of nuts is nothing new among us humans, and actually dates back hundreds of thousands of years. A few years ago, archeologists in Israel found evidence of nuts—wild almond, water chestnut, and two types of acorns and pistachios—being a major part of a man’s diet some 780,000 years ago. Fast forward a few hundred thousand years to when the Romans considered walnuts "food for the gods." Here in the U.S., remains of pecans were found with human artifacts in Texas, dating back to 6100 B.C.E., and, more recently, walnuts were brought to California from Spain in the 18th century.

Where to Store Nuts

Though our ancestors didn’t have a choice when it came to storing the nuts they ate, today we are rich with choice. This begs the question, once you open a jar or canister of nuts, should you store them in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer? We asked someone who would know.

“If you are planning to consume the nuts relatively quickly, the f is perfectly acceptable to store an opened canister, jar, or bag of nuts,” Amber Pylypiw, group manager with Planters brand research and development, tells Allrecipes. “If you think it’ll take you a while to consume the nuts, a refrigerator or freezer can help prolong the shelf life.

“Nuts are best consumed at room temperature, so if you do store them in the refrigerator or freezer, remember to take them out a little before consuming, so they have a chance to warm up,” she adds. This rule of thumb applies to all types of nuts, including peanuts, “which are technically a legume.”

Pylypiw says that storing nuts in a cool, dark, dry location, such as the refrigerator, can keep nuts fresher for longer.

“It’s also beneficial to remove as much air from the package as possible, so if you have a bag, go ahead and squeeze out the air or roll down the top, or better yet, store in an airtight, sealed container,” she advises.

If you do store nuts in the refrigerator, Pylypiw warns that they are susceptible to picking up flavors from surrounding foods due to their high-fat content.

“Be careful storing nuts next to foods that have strong aromas, like cantaloupe or a highly seasoned piece of meat…you might find your nuts tasting different over time,” she suggests, adding that storing nuts in the freezer over a long period of time may result in slightly more brittle nuts after thawing, but the difference is usually not noticeable.

Some Nuts Are More Sensitive Than Others

Though there aren’t really any exceptions when it comes to storing each variety of nuts, Pylypiw does say that certain nuts, like walnuts and pecans, are more susceptible to going bad, and mild flavored nuts like macadamia and cashews are more susceptible to picking up surrounding flavors in the fridge.

“We have found peanuts are the hardiest 'nut' and really can be open quite long before developing an off taste or smell because they have a strong flavor to begin with,” she adds.

So, there you have it, the bottom line: go nuts when it comes to storing your nuts, whether in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer.