nut flour    Notes:    Nut flours are ground from the cake that remains after oils are pressed from nuts.  They're great for breading fish or chicken, and they add a rich flavor to baked goods.   Nut flour lacks the gluten that baked goods need to rise, so in those recipes substitute no more than 1/4 of the wheat flour with nut flour.  Nut flours go stale quickly, so store them in the refrigerator or freezer, and use them up quickly.  Substitutes:  nut meal (gives baked goods a coarser texture)

 

 

nut meal = ground nuts   Notes:   Nut meals are ground from whole nuts, and are grittier and oilier than nut flours, which are ground from the cake that remains after the oils are pressed from nuts.   To make your own nut meals, grind toasted nuts in a nut mill until the meal has the consistency of cornmeal.  You can also use a food processor fitted with a steel blade to do this, but it's hard to keep the nut meal from turning into nut butter.  It helps to freeze the nuts before grinding, to use the pulse setting on the processor, and to add any sugar in the recipe to the nuts to help absorb the oils.  Store nut meals in the refrigerator or freezer, and use them soon after you buy or  make them.  Substitutes:  nut flour (gives baked goods a finer texture)

Varieties:

 

acorn starch   Notes:  Look for this in Korean markets.

 

almond flour    Substitutes:  almond meal (This makes baked goods moister and gives them a coarser texture.)

almond meal = ground almonds   Notes:   Specialty stores carry this, but you can get it for less at Middle Eastern markets.  To make your own:   Grind blanched almonds in a nut mill until the meal has the consistency of cornmeal.  You can also use a food processor fitted with a steel blade to do this, but it's hard to keep the nut meal from turning into nut butter.  It helps to freeze the nuts before grinding, to use the pulse setting on the processor, and to add any sugar in the recipe to the nuts to help absorb the oils.  Store nut meals in the refrigerator or freezer, and use them soon after you buy or  make them.  (1/4 pound whole nuts yields about 1 cup nut meal.)   Substitutes:  almond flour (This makes baked goods drier and gives them a finer, denser texture.)

cashew flour  Notes:  This is hard to find, but you can order it from Baker's Find (1-800-966-BAKE).  Substitutes:  Other nut flour

chestnut flour = farina di castagne = sweet chestnut flour = roasted chestnut flour  Notes:   Italian use chestnut flour to make rich desserts, and sometimes breads and pasta.  It also makes terrific pancakes.  Don't confuse it with water chestnut flour, which is used in Asian cuisine.

hazelnut flour = filbert flour  Notes:    This is ground from the cake that remains after the oil is pressed from hazelnuts.  This is hard to find, but you can order it from Baker's Find (1-800-966-BAKE) or online from from King Arthur Flour.   Substitutes:  walnut flour OR almond flour

hazelnut meal = ground hazelnuts = filbert meal = ground filberts  Notes:   This is used to make cookies and other desserts.  To make your own:   Grind skinned and toasted hazelnuts in a nut mill until the meal has the consistency of cornmeal.  You can also use a food processor fitted with a steel blade to do this, but it's hard to keep the nut meal from turning into nut butter.  It helps to freeze the nuts before grinding, to use the pulse setting on the processor, and to add any sugar in the recipe to the nuts to help absorb the oils.  Store nut meals in the refrigerator or freezer, and use them soon after you buy or  make them.  (1/4 pound whole nuts yields about 1 cup nut meal.)

peanut powder   Notes:   Indian cooks use this to thicken their curries.  To make your own:  Roast and skin peanuts, then grind in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  It's tricky to do this, since over-mixing will yield nut butter.  It helps to work with just a small batch of nuts at a time, and to use the pulse setting.  (1/4 pound whole nuts yields about 1 cup nut meal.)

pecan meal = ground pecans   To make your own:    Grind toasted pecans in a nut mill until the meal has the consistency of cornmeal.  You can also use a food processor fitted with a steel blade to do this, but it's hard to keep the nut meal from turning into nut butter.  It helps to freeze the nuts before grinding, to use the pulse setting on the processor, and to add any sugar in the recipe to the nuts to help absorb the oils.  Store nut meals in the refrigerator or freezer, and use them soon after you buy or  make them.  (1/4 pound whole nuts yields about 1 cup nut meal.)  Substitutes:  walnut meal

praline powder    Notes:    This is used to flavor ice cream and pastry fillings.  It's made from pralines, a crunchy French candy that resembles peanut brittle, except that it's made with almonds or hazelnuts.   You can buy praline powder ready made, but it's easy to make your own by pulverizing praline pieces in a food processor.  Be sure to use crunchy pralines, not the soft pecan candies that people in New Orleans call pralines.   

walnut meal = ground walnuts   To make your own:   Grind toasted walnuts in a nut mill until the meal has the consistency of cornmeal.  You can also use a food processor fitted with a steel blade to do this, but it's hard to keep the nut meal from turning into nut butter.  It helps to freeze the nuts before grinding, to use the pulse setting on the processor, and to add any sugar in the recipe to the nuts to help absorb the oils.  Store nut meals in the refrigerator or freezer, and use them soon after you buy or  make them.  (1/4 pound whole nuts yields about 1 cup nut meal.)  Substitutes:  pecan meal

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Copyright © 1996-2005  Lori Alden