Hazelnut

” A confectioner’s friend. A Chocolatiers must have. “

Hazelnuts A.k.a. Cobnut or Fibert Nut is one of the most used and most favoured nut in the bakery. Hazelnuts in combination with chocolate provide a lot of options for the creation or the decoration of many masterpeice desserts.

They are used in the making of pralines and truffles, and are used either whole, in paste form or mixed with ganache! With the emergence of the the more visible or artisian chocolates where the nuts, dried fruits, edible flowers are arranged in such a manner that they also increase the visual aspect of the dessert – hazelnuts provide a visually distinct chocolate which tastes amazing.

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While majority of the hazelnut lovers, have them peeled & roasted, some prefer to have the peel or the skin on the hazelnut as they taste the bitterness of the skin. The best ways to peel the hazelnut skin after it has been cracked from the shell are

• Roast the hazelnuts for around 10 mins in a 160 degree oven or till just a little bit brown on the outside. Take them out and drop them on a cloth towel. Rub between the towel and you will see the skin just peel off! Incase they don’t peel, roast a little longer.
• The second way of doing the same is by blanching them, however introducing moisture onto a hazelnut is a big “NO“, as its crunch is what you are looking for in a dessert! Just drop them in a pot of boiling water and the skin will be soft enough to peel off. Peel somewhat like the first method though.
  Note : The water will turn black in which you blanch them, however since the time after dropping them in the water is a meagre 30 seconds- it won’t change the hazelnut color!

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77% – the share of total world production of hazelnuts was by Turkey in the year 2017, and continues to be the largest grower of the beautiful nut!

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Benefits Of Hazelnuts!

• Supporting your Gut – Having a good amount of roasted hazelnuts in the form of desserts, drinks or just as they are – Nuts! makes your mornings better. The fiber in the nut helps digestion and makes the morning tasks easier! The daily dietary recommendation for women aged between 31-50 is 25.2 grams, while for men its 30.8 grams
• Protecting against cell damage – Hazelnuts, being high in antioxidants, protect the oxidation of the cells and hence help in the reduction of cell damage due to fre radicals.
• Lower cholesterol
• Insulin Sensitivity – A small 2011 trial found that eating a 30-g nut mix that contained 7.5 g of hazelnuts every day improved participants’ insulin sensitivity over 12 weeks.
  Diminished insulin sensitivity plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Improving this sensitivity reduces the risk of the condition
• Increasing your sprem count

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Nutella..

A sweet, delicious and almost impossible to resisit spread, made by mixing together hazelnut paste, milk powder, vanilla, cocoa, vegetable or palm oil and a whole lot of sugar!! Thinking how it tastes so good ! Well the recipe was perfected by taking a “perfect” recipe in the first place.

Taking the gianduja as a base, the magic ingredient which makes it fluid was in the form of vegetable oil, and then it can be used in the form of a spread, a chocolate dip or a wonderful ingredient on its own as well. Just FYI , In 2014, the Italian postal service released a 50th anniversary commemorative Nutella 70-euro cent stamp, with a jar of Nutella against a golden background

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DID YOU KNOW !!?

Nutella has different compositions in different countries & about the Nutella Tax!

Given that palm oil is 20% of the total composition , it is one important and highly consumed ingredient by the nutella company. To control the exceedingly high demand, a tax of 300$ per tonne was implemented making the cost from 100 to 400$ per tonne. In 2016 the same was reduced to 90$ by France.

Different places , Different Compositions

Australia

Sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts (13%), skim milk powder (8.7%) cocoa powder (7.4%), non-fat milk solids, emulsifier (soy lecithin), flavour (vanillin).

Canada

Sugar, modified palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk powder, whey powder, lecithin, vanillin.

Germany

Ferrero has confirmed that it has changed the recipe of its chocolate and hazelnut spread – sparking a huge backlash among fans of the brand.

India

Sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts (13%), skim cow milk powder (8.7%), low fat cocoa powder (7.4%), emulsifier (Lecithin – INS 322), contains added flavour(nature identical flavouring substance – vanillin).

Italy

Sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts (13%), fat-reduced cocoa powder (7.4%), skimmed milk powder (5%), whey powder, emulsifier (lecithins) (soy), flavourant (vanillin).

United States

Sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin: an artificial flavor.

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#1 – Exceptional Production
Enough to circle the earth 1.8 times with a years produce

#2 – The Great Wall OF Nutella!
The world production can cover the Great Wall Of China – 8 Times

#3 – Heavy!
Single year produce is equal to the Empire State Buinding in weight

#4 – Sweet TOoth ??
Owners of  Nutella , Also own TIc Tac

#5 – Selling ….GOne!
One jar sold every 2.5 seconds

#6 – One quarter
Consumes 1/4th of the world Hazelnut production

#7 – Fifty two per jar
Each 14 oz. jar has about 13% Hazelnut

#8 – Nutella day
5 th Of February!

#9 – Cal. Me Baby 
1 Spoon or roughly 15-20 grams of nutells has 100 calories

#10 – No Name CALLING
You cannot name your child as “Nutella”

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Some recipes of the ingredient at avaialable on our “Recipes” Page . Head on over to savour the flavor of the same.
Also, let us know if you would like any ingredient you want us to feature on the blog so we can spread the word. And as always
Let’s Take Ingredients ONE At A Time