Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Newest Trend Cold pressed peanut Oil

Olive oil has reigned supreme for a long time. It's a favorite and go to ingredient for both  home and professional chefs. Yet there 's a competitor on the nearby horizon.Peanuts, yes peanuts , may eclipse this classic. The simple nut is going high class.

Kim Severson wrote about the new trend of cold pressed green peanut oil in today's New York Times Food section.It's not the usual kind, used primarily inon Chinese cooking and fast food joints. This is gourmet oil, yet made from the same peanuts, the runner variety. They're the smaller and more uniform cousin of what's sold at baseball games and different in oil content than Spanish peanuts. The nuts are pressed in a low temperature environment in a small machine . Chefs rhapsodize about its' flavor. Chef Sean Brock, a well-known restauranteur in the South describes it as tasting alive and vibrant. It tastes like fresh dirt (!!??) is another claim.It is definitely the most revolutionary thing to happen to the humble nut since George Washington Carver's  agricultural research of a century ago. The credit on this should go to Clay Oliver who tried  pressing a variety of seeds and nuts before he hit the jackpot with green peanuts.He bought a hard press, and was so new to the process, had to call the manufacturer to ask how to work it. There were hits and misses.He tried sunflower seeds and pecans. The breakthrough came when he used green peanuts. He had a micro hit on his hands. The only problem was the price.He was selling it for $12 for 16 ounces. Locals reminded him that they could buy a gallon of regular peanut oil for $15.

Luckily someone from the non-profit organization, Georgia Organics recognized that the oil might fit the growing interest in southern food as well as in handmade farm products It was suggested that Mr. Clay visit the famed Southern chef Steven Satterfield, creator of the popular   Miller Union  restaurant.  Chef Satterfield also put green in front of the peanut oil which helped in selling it. It took off after that, selling briskly in Atlanta's farmer's markets along with online.Magazines like Southern Living and Garden and Gun praised it and the oil even won the 2016 Good Food Award in San Francisco. What is the oil exactly? First of all, the nuts aren't green in color, They are just roasted or salted. Fresh would be an apter description of them.It does have a very nutty flavor, sort of like peanut butter. Chef Satterfield likes to  use it like the best virgin olive oil.dressing a salad of field greens and what else - boiled peanuts. It's also used in enhancing Southern squash with a Southern take on the classic Egyptian dukkah with the peanuts subbed in for hazelnuts. It's an improvement over regular peanut oil and home chefs should use it when cooking with a wok,Like olive oil, green peanut oil is also good in dressings. iPair it with a rice wine vinegar add some ginger and honey for a  nice light dressing that would work with lettuce or shredded cabbage.

Green peanut oil is quickly becoming the must use oil. It gives main courses and salads a rich , nutty flavor. Try it to enjoy an improved spin on a cook's classic.

No comments: