Recipe: Oven Roasted Peanuts, Microwave Roasted Peanuts, and Fried Peanuts

OVEN ROASTED PEANUTS

"Roasting peanuts can be tricky. The main thing to keep in mind is to slightly undercook them in the oven. In the way the boiled peanuts only absorb the salt as they cool, roasted peanuts continue to roast even as they cool. This first method is the one most often used by homemakers. It's pretty foolproof and will give you great results."

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place raw, dried peanuts* in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. If you are roasting peanuts in the shell, bake them for 20 to 25 minutes. For shelled peanuts, roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir the peanuts once or twice during cooking time. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating.

Store unshelled roasted peanuts in an airtight container for up to a month on the shelf, six months in the refrigerator or up to 12 months in the freezer.

*Some good tips to follow when choosing peanuts for roasting are:

1. Choose unshelled peanuts that have clean, unbroken, unblemished shells that do not rattle when shaken.

2. 1 1/2 pounds of unshelled peanuts equals about 1 pound shelled or 3 1/2 to 4 cups.

3. Store unshelled raw peanuts in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 6 months.

MICROWAVE ROASTED PEANUTS

"For those who may want to get the roasting done a little quicker, you may want to give this method a try. Roasting in the microwave certainly wouldn't be the most traditional way, but it is effective. The only thing is, for this method, you have to shell the peanuts. Unshelled peanuts won't work well with this method."

Place 2 cups of peanuts in a 10- by 16-inch glass baking dish. Dot with 2 teaspoons butter.

Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave on high another 2 minutes. Continue cooking and stirring every two minutes until slightly under desired doneness level. Peanuts continue to cook when removed from oven. Cook a total of 10 minutes for light roast or 12 minutes for darker roast. Let cool 10 minutes before eating.

Store cooked shelled peanuts in an airtight container up to 3 months in refrigerator or 6 months in freezer.

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FRIED PEANUTS

"Now if you're a true southerner, you may want to try frying some peanuts. They taste pretty much the same as roasted peanuts, but you can make the taste change by sprinkling on different types of seasonings."

To fry peanuts, simply heat a pot of cooking oil to 375 degrees F. Put peanuts in a fry basket or colander and fry for two minutes, or until they start to turn brown. When you take them from the oil, drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

A variation on that is to sprinkle with garlic powder, Cajun seasoning or any other seasoning you like.

Adapted from source: Cook's Corner, The Brewton Standard, 9-12-2007