Toasted walnuts are perfect way to add flavor and depth of texture to many dishes. Whether used as whole or pieces, walnuts increase harmony in crunch and earthy taste to salads, baked goods, and much more.
When preparing a meal, toasting nuts in microwave is the quickest way to get the job done. Let’s discuss the ease and efficiency of using a microwave to toast walnuts quickly.
How do you toast walnuts in the microwave? In a microwave safe dish or Pyrex pie plate, place the walnuts in a single layer. Microwave on high heat for 2 minute, stir and continue nuking and stirring at one minute intervals until the nuts are fragrant and light golden brown color.
All nuts have natural oils that are beneficial for human health, and they can become more flavorful and crunchy when toasted.
In this write-up, we are discussing the ways to toast walnuts in microwave safely. Frequently asked questions about microwaving walnuts are answered below for you to understand the best way to toast the nuts quickly.
Is it OK to microwave walnuts?
Yes, it is Ok to microwave walnuts as it will improve their flavor and crunchiness. Not only does the taste become more fragrant, but also increases the nutrients in protein and fiber compared to raw walnuts.
When you microwave walnuts, then the natural oils in them will be drawn to the surface. As the oils increase in temperature, changes in color, texture and flavor occur.
The microwave is the easiest and fastest way of toasting walnuts. All it takes is just a few minutes, which results in perfectly toasted walnuts that you can make using a microwave.
Whether you are cooking or baking with walnuts, take time to toast them beforehand to take advantage on the benefits.
Why do you toast walnuts?
Toasting walnuts brings out the nuttiness and reduces any bitter taste found in raw nuts. If you would like to increase crunchier and flavorful taste to your meal, it is recommended to toast walnuts since baking or cooking walnuts with other ingredients won’t result the same.
Additionally, toasted walnuts retain a crisp and crunchy texture, even after added to a recipe.
Toasting walnuts can draw the natural oils to their surface, make them crunchier, increase flavor and deepen the color. When added to a recipe, they can easily improve flavor and texture to a great extent.
So, to make your dish a bit more interesting and complex, spend the extra time toasting walnuts before using in a recipe.
Should walnuts be toasted before baking?
If you would like to improve the texture and flavor of baked goods, then it is necessary to toast walnuts before adding to any baking recipes. Walnuts can be toasted in pieces, halves or whole in microwave, but you will have to chop them after completely cooling to add them to baked products.
If toasted walnuts are required in a small amount, then use a microwave in this case. Simply apply a thin layer of neutral oil on the pieces of walnuts before toasting them to preserve moisture and activate the toasting effect.
This oil will change the exterior color of walnuts and prevent them from drying or burning. Check the doneness of the toasted walnuts after every 30 seconds the catch the perfect doneness of the walnuts.
Oil is not always necessary if you would like to maintain crisp and natural toasty flavor due to already existing natural oil within the walnut. It just helps to activate the toasting process and make it more even.
Whether you are baking bread, cookies or muffins, take the additional step to toast walnuts to add color and nutty flavor to make a good recipe taste great.
Tips to toast walnuts in the microwave
Toasting walnuts in the microwave is pretty easy. It only takes a minute or two and adds a load of flavor and crunchiness to your recipe. But microwave toasting nuts can be tricky.
Too much heat can lead to burnt mess and too much oil coated walnuts at the same time can cause inconsistent nuking.
Here are tips to toast walnuts in the microwave the right way:
- Take a cup of whole, halves or pieces of walnuts.
- As an option, apply a thin layer of neutral oil to coat the walnuts and encourage browning.
- Take a microwave-safe plate and spread a layer of walnuts on it.
- Set the microwave for 2 minutes at a high power setting.
- Check the doneness of the toasted walnuts every minute. Take them out of the microwave and toss to heat evenly from all sides.
- This process can be continued until the walnuts are toasted perfectly.
Ensure doneness through the change in exterior color and flavorful taste. The time taken in this entire process can depend upon the wattage of the microwave as well as the total weight of the walnuts and shape of walnuts being toasted.
All microwave operates differently. There are low and high voltage microwaves, so the timing the toasted walnuts will be the key. A lower voltage microwave sits around 700 while a higher voltage can be above 1000 watts.
Best way to toast walnuts in the microwave
Microwaving to toast walnuts works best for amounts ranging from a tablespoon to 1 cup of nuts at a time. Larger amounts of nuts tend to turn dark quicker than other and product inconsistent doneness throughout the batch.
The time will vary depending on the size, type, and microwave power. Here is the best way to toast walnuts in the microwave to guide you through the process.
Start toasting a moderate amount of walnuts in the microwave just by applying a teaspoon of neutral oil on a cup of walnuts. It will help toast the walnuts evenly with a golden brown color from outside quickly.
To toast a larger amount of walnuts, avoid piling them on top of each other. Instead, divide the lot into smaller batches to toast them one after another.
Microwave-safe plate or container is recommended, however parchment paper works for this purpose if you do not have a microwave-safe plate.
After spreading a layer of oil-coated walnuts on a microwave-safe plate and place it into the microwave. Set your microwave on high power with intervals of one minute.
Stir well after each minute. If not reached the crunchy texture and nutty smell, increase the timing for an additional minute intervals until done.
The time taken to toast walnuts can depend upon the wattage of your microwave as well as the size of the pieces of walnuts. Usually, it takes 3 to 5 minutes to toast a cup of walnuts.
The color and taste of the walnuts will change to some extent when the toasting is reaching perfection.
To check the doneness of the walnuts, stop the process half-way to check the flavor, external color and crunchiness by eating some of the pieces of walnuts.
Be careful because nuts go from perfectly cooked to burnt relatively quickly, so catch the transition at the right time. In addition, the carry over cooking of hot nuts can continue after the cooking time until the natural oils have fully cooled down.
Microwave Toasting Walnuts: Conclusion
To speed up the process, toasting walnuts in a microwave is the right choice. Whether you need whole or chopped walnuts, microwave will toast these nuts in less than three minutes, which saves both time and effort.
Compared to any other traditional method, microwave results as good as the oven and even better than skillet toasted walnuts. Microwave nuts are safer and easily be able to avoid burning.
Start by evenly distributing the walnuts in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate or Pyrex dish.
Set the microwave on high power setting for a minute. After the first round, stir well to evenly distribute the heat and rotate all the pieces.
Continue nuking for 30 second increments to keep a close watchful eye on the progress. Look for nutty fragrance and brown color to develop which indicate the nuts are toasted and ready to use for recipes.
Microwaved toasted walnuts are good for 2 weeks or more, depending on how you store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will decrease the bitter taste from raw nuts and increase the nutty and earthy flavor in your salad, baked goods, and many more dishes.