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A Brief History of Peanut Butter

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#41

Post by mortenjorck »

cecilpl2 wrote: post #31
seiferteric wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering most of my peanut butter consumption comes in the form of PB&J, I find that the jelly/jam provides more than enough sugar and I don't miss it at all in the peanut butter. Only downside for me is mixing the natural stuff, it can be quite a workout. What I discovered recently is storing your next jar upside-down for a week or so on the shelf will make it much easier when doing the initial mixing since the o…

Definitely do not do this if the jar is already opened, as the seal isn't perfect and you will end up with oil all over your pantry.

I've seen the oil seep through the safety seal when left long enough, too. This was with sunflower butter rather than peanut butter, but I don't imagine their oils are that different.

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#42

Post by mcculley »

mesofile wrote: post #6

As a US native who otherwise mostly abstains from sugary processed foods, big-brand peanut butter is one part of my country's food culture that I absolutely cannot shake. I don't eat fast food or drink soda, but I must have a jar of Jif around at all times. I have tried every type of organic peanut butter and found them all more or less vile, mostly due to the oiliness but there's also usually something flat & colorl…

I have been buying the Smucker's natural peanut butter directly online a case at a time as I cannot reliably find it in local retail stores: https://www.smuckers.com/products/peanut-butter/natural-pean...

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#43

Post by zwieback »

nineplay wrote: post #39

Pet Theory: The reason peanut allergies are more prevalent in the US as opposed to other countries that consume peanuts is a difference in the way the body processes peanut butter as opposed to regular peanuts.

Hmm, interesting theory, what would the grinding change about the peanuts?

My daughter ate PB&Js when she was little but developed a peanut allergy around 3 or 4. She also has tree-nut allergies that are more severe than her peanut allergy, though, so it's hard to say how that's all connected.

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#44

Post by fsflyer »

mcculley wrote: post #42
mesofile wrote: post #6

As a US native who otherwise mostly abstains from sugary processed foods, big-brand peanut butter is one part of my country's food culture that I absolutely cannot shake. I don't eat fast food or drink soda, but I must have a jar of Jif around at all times. I have tried every type of organic peanut butter and found them all more or less vile, mostly due to the oiliness but there's also usually something flat & colorl…

I have been buying the Smucker's natural peanut butter directly online a case at a time as I cannot reliably find it in local retail stores: https://www.smuckers.com/products/peanut-butter/natural-pean...

Here in the central US, I'm able to find Smucker's natural peanut butter at Walmart of all places. The other grocery stores don't carry it.

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#45

Post by pavon »

mesofile wrote: post #6

As a US native who otherwise mostly abstains from sugary processed foods, big-brand peanut butter is one part of my country's food culture that I absolutely cannot shake. I don't eat fast food or drink soda, but I must have a jar of Jif around at all times. I have tried every type of organic peanut butter and found them all more or less vile, mostly due to the oiliness but there's also usually something flat & colorl…

I find the no-stir sugar-free peanut butters to be much more bland than the ones that separate, likely because the palm-oil dilutes the flavor.

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#46

Post by ballenf »

17a9f4a4f4e5b3f wrote: post #35
mesofile wrote: post #6

As a US native who otherwise mostly abstains from sugary processed foods, big-brand peanut butter is one part of my country's food culture that I absolutely cannot shake. I don't eat fast food or drink soda, but I must have a jar of Jif around at all times. I have tried every type of organic peanut butter and found them all more or less vile, mostly due to the oiliness but there's also usually something flat & colorl…

It took me months of living with someone eating peanut-only pb to get used to it, at some point I stopped thinking about how gross it was, and then I tried ye olde sugar pb again after a year and almost gagged. You totally can get used to it. Some quality of life tricks to make it easier: buy multiple jars and store them upside down so gravity can help you start mixing mix initially (if you're able) by rapidly rotati…

Also, if the jar is glass (many natural PBs are) then 30 seconds or so in the microwave on first open makes it much, much easier to stir. It will be very runny until it cools and sightly hard to spread, but it will quickly cool on the bread and taste fine.

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#47

Post by exhilaration »

nineplay wrote: post #39

Pet Theory: The reason peanut allergies are more prevalent in the US as opposed to other countries that consume peanuts is a difference in the way the body processes peanut butter as opposed to regular peanuts.

No I think it's because up until recently, American parents were told to avoid giving young kids peanuts or peanut butter.

Israel has very low rates of peanut allergies and peanut butter is the main ingredient in a popular snack:

Peanut snacks called Bamba, which are made of peanut butter and corn, are wildly popular in Israel, where parents give them to their kids when they're very young. That's very different from what parents do in Britain and the United States, where fears about food allergies have prompted many parents to keep their children away from peanuts, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics revised a recommendation to do so in 2008.

- https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/02/23/388450621/fe...

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#48

Post by GloriousKoji »

mesofile wrote: post #6

As a US native who otherwise mostly abstains from sugary processed foods, big-brand peanut butter is one part of my country's food culture that I absolutely cannot shake. I don't eat fast food or drink soda, but I must have a jar of Jif around at all times. I have tried every type of organic peanut butter and found them all more or less vile, mostly due to the oiliness but there's also usually something flat & colorl…

Jif uses molasses where as most peanut butters just have plain sugar. I suspect this is primary difference in flavor.

The creamy solid frosting like texture of peanut butters like Skippy and Jif comes from the high content of saturated fats, which are more solid and shelf stable at room temperature. Traditionally they use hydrogenated vegetable oils to achieve this. The newer "natural" versions just use palm oil instead, which is naturally higher in saturated fats.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the type of peanuts used are unique to each company. Many of theses mega corporations breed their own specific cultivar of produce for their own use. Examples of this is (Nestle) Libby's pumpkin and Lays potatoes.

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#49

Post by chihuahua »

josefresco wrote: post #30
mesofile wrote: post #6

As a US native who otherwise mostly abstains from sugary processed foods, big-brand peanut butter is one part of my country's food culture that I absolutely cannot shake. I don't eat fast food or drink soda, but I must have a jar of Jif around at all times. I have tried every type of organic peanut butter and found them all more or less vile, mostly due to the oiliness but there's also usually something flat & colorl…

You're still addicted or accustomed to a high level of sugar. It takes time for your body to adjust to lower sugar intake but until you do, healthy alternatives to sugar-laden (or salt-laden) foods will not "taste good" for you. Also, you probably just need to try more alternative peanut butter. It took me a few tries to find something I liked.

Costco's Kirkland brand natural peanut butter (ingredients: peanuts, salt) takes some getting used to. The first time I bought it, I felt it was so bad that I thought about returning it. But after a while I got used to it, and now I love it and don't like regular peanut butter (with sugar+salt) any more because it tastes overly sweet and fake.

However, it is pretty annoying how much work it takes to stir it to incorporate the separated oil. Particularly because it comes in a big 28 ounce jar.

Re: A Brief History of Peanut Butter

#50

Post by flas9sd »

ulrikrasmussen wrote: post #32
mesofile wrote: post #6

As a US native who otherwise mostly abstains from sugary processed foods, big-brand peanut butter is one part of my country's food culture that I absolutely cannot shake. I don't eat fast food or drink soda, but I must have a jar of Jif around at all times. I have tried every type of organic peanut butter and found them all more or less vile, mostly due to the oiliness but there's also usually something flat & colorl…

I got hooked on peanut butter during a 6 month stay in the US and have also noticed a lot of variety in the products available here (Denmark). I really dislike most of the products, but have found a discount brand that is now my favorite. All of them are 99% peanuts, so I also wonder where the variety in taste comes from. My own theory is that it is a combination of the following: 1. How much the peanuts are roasted.…

bitterness is mentioned in the video - it can originate from the "heart" (https://imgur.com/EngcEbm) of a peanut
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