Boiled peanuts have a distinct, salty taste. If you want to boil some peanuts, it might be tempting to use roasted ones. Although roasted peanuts are easy to find, you might be wondering if you can get them to taste like boiled peanuts.
You can boil roasted peanuts, but they probably will not taste good. Boiling roasted peanuts will require more than 24 hours to change their taste. Still, the roasted peanuts will never have the taste and texture of peanuts that have only been boiled.
In this article, I’ll discuss why you probably shouldn’t boil roasted peanuts. I’ll also mention where you can get raw peanuts and teach you how you can boil them at home.
Why You Shouldn’t Boil Roasted Peanuts
If you boil roasted peanuts, you’ll encounter two issues.
First, they won’t taste like boiled raw peanuts because they have lost most of their water contents. You prepare roasted peanuts at 350ºF (177ºC) for about 20 minutes. This heat rids them of their natural moisture, giving them their typical crunchy texture. When you re-soak these peanuts, they will either stay crunchy or become too soggy, especially if you have already salted them.
Secondly, boiling roasted peanuts takes an incredible amount of time. It will take you more than 24 hours of constant boiling to rehydrate them and give them the texture of boiled peanuts. However, the resulting taste will not match that of boiled peanuts.
Boiled peanuts have a beany, salty taste. Their texture is not precisely crunchy like that of roasted peanuts. It’s somewhere between crispy and soft because they spend so much time in the water during cooking.
What Happens if You Boil Roasted Peanuts?
If you boil roasted peanuts, they will taste different from the usual flavor of boiled peanuts. In most cases, they will remain hard even after several hours. However, if you persist, they taste like mushy peanut butter, but not quite like boiled peanuts.
Some people have tried to make Cajun-style boiled peanuts from roasted peanuts, but they always experience the same flavor and time woes. We’ve seen that you can’t successfully boil roasted peanuts because of how dry they are. Let’s have a closer look at their cooking process.
How To Roast Peanuts
Roasted peanuts are dry and crunchy, and you can cook them using dry heat in an oven in a few simple steps:
- Preheat the oven to about 350ºF (177ºC).
- If you’re using shelled peanuts, wash them thoroughly and pat them dry. Give them about 10 minutes to dry on a wire rack.
- Place the peanuts in a large bowl.
- Mix a few teaspoons of salt in melted butter or oil and drizzle the mixture over the peanuts.
- Place the peanuts in a single layer on a baking tray.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re cooking in-shell peanuts, bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
How To Make Boiled Peanuts
The best way to make boiled peanuts is to use raw peanuts. Raw peanuts can be either dry or green. Dry peanuts are dried using unique methods, and they can last throughout the year.
Still, it is essential to note that green peanuts are not necessarily green in color. It just means that they were recently harvested.
Boiled peanuts are easy to make. Here’s how you can prepare them:
- The first thing you do is wash the peanuts in water to remove dirt and other unwanted materials like grass and leaves from the farm. Wash the peanuts by soaking them in a large bucket of water. Drain the water while leaving the peanuts in the bucket, and use another round of water to rinse them. Do this until the water remains clear.
- Separate the peanuts from the water, and place them in a 12-quart stockpot with water. Make sure you submerge the peanuts at least 2 inches below the water.
- Add salt to the peanuts. You can add about 250 ml (8.45 fl. oz) of salt to every gallon of water in the peanuts. Add red pepper flakes and seasoning of your choice to make them spicy.
- Let the mixture cook on high until the water comes to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-high. Allow the peanuts to cook for about three hours.
- Keep checking the pot and stir the mixture while topping up with water.
- Drain the peanuts into a colander, and refrigerate them. You can consume peanuts from the fridge for up to one week.
Where To Find Raw Peanuts
Peanuts are just like beans or peas. Fresh beans and peas are available during certain times, especially in June and September. You can purchase dry beans and peas throughout the year.
Since they are dried and stored, dry peanuts are available in most convenience stores. Raw peanuts are much harder to find because they are only available during the growing season in particular regions. The trick is to buy raw peanuts during harvest season.
Green peanuts are available at grocery stores, farm stands, and most farmer’s markets. If you’re buying green peanuts, be sure only to purchase what you’ll use soon as they don’t usually last for long.
Freshly harvested peanuts should have a solid brown shell with an earthy, nutty smell. Ensure you inspect them for insects and rot before buying them.
Final Thoughts
Boiled peanuts are a traditional delicacy that has been around for ages. Boiled peanuts should be fresh or recently dehydrated for the best texture and taste.
Still, if you want to make boiled peanuts from roasted ones, keep in mind that they won’t taste the same. The amount of time and effort is not worth the while for many people.
The best alternative is to look for fresh or dried peanuts to get the quintessential boiled peanut taste we all love.
