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Preparing
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Pecan
Carya illinoinensis · Nut
40 pairings
The pecan (Carya illinoinensis) is the smooth, oval, reddish-brown nut of a giant North American hickory tree — the only major tree nut native to North America. Crack the glossy shell and out comes a deeply grooved, two-lobed kernel that is the sweetest and softest of the common nuts: buttery, rich and richly nutty with a gentle woody edge and almost none of the astringent bitterness that marks its cousin the walnut. Eaten raw or toasted, it is the soul of pecan pie, praline and butter-pecan ice cream, and toasting deepens it into something warm, caramel-edged and unmistakably roasty.
Picking a good onedrag
New crop, sweet and oilyStale, then rancid
Shop freshThe all-rounder: pie, praline, butter-pecan, salads, or straight out of the bowl.Everyday best
Heft and rattleSolid still, the faintest shift inside
Shell and shuckDull or blotchy shell, a shred of shuck
Crack one openFuller amber, the skin still matte
Smell at the crackMild and oily, almost neutral
What to look for, from new crop, sweet and oily to stale, then rancid.
What one gives you
53%
Usable yield
3 g of kernel · 47% is shell
5.6 g
Typical weight
one specimen
Keeping ittap a band
A domestic fridge holds it about 2× longer than the counter.
Humidity
Under 70%
Dry, not damp: under 70% RH a properly dried kernel sits at a water activity most moulds cannot work in. Bone-dry is its own fault - the kernel turns brittle and the skin cracks.
Airflow
Cold, dry and odour-free
Cold and dry beats airtight - USDA lets in-shell pecans sit in open bulk bins. What they cannot sit near is a smell: the fat takes up paint and vegetables, and ammonia darkens it.
Darkens beside ripening fruit
Pecans give off very little ethylene themselves, but USDA warns that prolonged exposure may darken the kernels and shorten their keeping. Store them away from ripening fruit.