Almonds - A Primer

Almonds come in two varieties - a bitter variety and a sweet one. The bitter almonds are used primarily for flavorings through distillation. The sweet almonds are the ones you buy in the store for eating and cooking with. Almonds are versatile in that they can be blanched, roasted, chopped, sliced, marinated and eaten with many dishes as a perfect accompaniment. When selecting almonds look for those with a smooth skin and those that are meaty. Skinny or wrinkled skin will indicate almonds that are less than optimal and often dry and coarse. Almonds should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Consider storing almonds in the fridge. Whole nuts will keep longer than the chopped brethren.