A HEALTHY WAY TO ROAST ALMONDS AND OTHER

NUTS
Roasting brings out the flavor of the nuts, and develops their sweetness.
It is safe to roast nuts if done at a low temperature - typically a 70-75
degree Celsius oven (at higher temperatures than this, research clearly
shows damage to nuts' delicate fats) for 15-20 minutes will do the trick.
Place nuts on a cookie sheet in a single layer. To enhance the "roasted"
flavor, try putting a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos or soy sauce into a spray
bottle and misting the nuts before roasting.

Avoid Commercially Roasted Nuts

Roasting nuts at a temperature higher than 75 °C will cause a

breakdown of their fats and the production of free radicals. When nuts
roasted at the high temperatures used commercially are consumed, the
free radicals they contain can cause lipid peroxidation-the oxidizing of
fats in your bloodstream that can trigger tiny injuries in artery walls-a first
step in the build up of plaque and cardiovascular disease.

Check the Accuracy of Your Oven's Temperature Gauge

To ensure you are actually cooking at the temperature you have chosen,
we suggest you check the accuracy of the gauge on your oven, which
can easily be done with an inexpensive oven thermometer. You can find
an oven thermometer at any hardware or kitchen store, or even the
kitchen equipment aisle of your grocery store. Look for a stainless steel,
spring-operated dial type that has both a flat bottom for standing and a
hook for hanging on the rung of an oven shelf. The cost is typically $5 to
$12.

To test your oven, place the thermometer on a center rack, preheat the
oven for 15 minutes, then compare the reading on the thermometer to
your oven gauge. If it is higher or lower than what your oven gauge
indicates, then you know your oven runs either hot or cold and can
compensate. For instance, if your gauge reads 75 °C, but the
thermometer reads 90 °C, you know your oven runs 15 degrees hot, and
you can adjust temperatures accordingly.

References:

 Barros AIRNA, Nunes FM, Goncalves B et al. Effect of cooking on total vitamin
C contents and antioxidant activity of sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.).
Food Chemistry, Volume 128, Issue 1, 1 September 2011, Pages 165-172.
  Bolling BW, Blumberg JB and Chen CYO. The influence of roasting,
pasteurisation, and storage on the polyphenol content and antioxidant
capacity of California almond skins. Food Chemistry, Volume 123, Issue 4, 15
December 2010, Pages 1040-1047.
 Chandrasekara N and Shahidi F. Antioxidative potential of cashew phenolics
in food and biological model systems as affected by roasting. Food Chemistry,
Volume 129, Issue 4, 15 December 2011, Pages 1388-1396.
 Tsantili E, Konstantinidis K, Christopoulos MV et al. Total phenolics and
flavonoids and total antioxidant capacity in pistachio (Pistachia vera L.) nuts in
relation to cultivars and storage conditions. Scientia Horticulturae, Volume
129, Issue 4, 27 July 2011, Pages 694-701.

Izvor: The George Mateljan Foundation: www.whfoods.org