How to Toast Pinenuts

I really like to incorporate nuts in my cooking, and pinenuts are among my favorites.  I first used them in making fresh pesto, but soon after, I started throwing them in all kinds of recipes.  Like most nuts, pinenuts really benefit from a quick toast, and in this cooking video, I’m going to show you how to do it.  Toasting pinenuts (and any nut really) brings out the natural oils and gives them more flavor and aroma.  They can also really improve the texture, making them more crunchy.  And it’s really easy to do.  Hope you find this cooking technique useful!

How to Toast Pinenuts

• I usually toast all nuts in a dry pan on top of the stove, rather than the oven, but you can certainly do them in the oven - it just takes about 15 minutes longer
• Heat a pan over medium heat for a couple minutes and add the pinenuts
• You don’t need anything else, no oil, no salt, no pepper
• Allow the pinenuts to toast for 30 – 45 seconds, and then toss them in the pan
• Let them go another 30 seconds or so, and then toss again
• Repeat this process until you start seeing them just brown, then remove them let them cool
• Be careful, not to burn them.  They can go from nicely browned to burnt, very quickly, so I suggest you stick around, rather than walking away for a couple minutes

Once cooled, you can use them however you’d like.  Enjoy!