Cashew nuts are popular among vegans for several reasons, and if you’re a fan of these tasty treats, you’re probably wondering about the best ways to store them to ensure they keep well and taste good.
Sometimes, cashew nuts turn soft, and this tends to be because they are stored for too long, especially if you store them in an open container, rather than an airtight one. If the cashews still taste okay, they should be safe to eat, but if your cashew nuts taste rancid, you must throw them away, rather than consume them.
Cashew nuts are expensive and nobody wants to waste them, so in this article, we’ll check out whether you can eat soft cashews and everything else you need to know about cashew nuts. We’ll also discuss how to tell when cashew nuts have gone off, so you aren’t at risk of eating moldy cashews, which could make you sick.
Can You Safely Eat Soft Cashews?
On the whole, soft cashew nuts should not make you sick. First, it’s important to note that despite their name, cashew nuts are not nuts; they are seeds. That means they tend to be naturally softer than true nuts, such as almonds, so your cashews may seem soft when eaten alongside nut mixes – even if they aren’t.
If your cashews have gone soft because you have left them exposed to the air for too long, you might be wondering if they are likely to make you sick. However, in most cases, soft cashews aren’t going to be a problem, and they will be perfectly safe to eat. The most important thing to pay attention to is the taste. Avoid eating cashews if they are:
- Rancid, musty, or sour
- Specked with fuzzy mold (this is likely if they have been stored somewhere damp instead)
- Shriveled up and dry
- Darker than normal, or marked with darker spots
- Brittle when you bite them
Any of these things signal that the cashews have gone off and are no longer safe to consume, so you should throw away cashews in this state. Do not consume them. If you bite into a cashew that tastes strange, spit it out and discard it. Rancid nuts (including cashew seeds) can make you very sick if you eat them, as they contain dangerous bacteria.
Note that cashew nuts may not show all the signs listed above if they have gone bad. The most important thing is the taste, but you should avoid eating cashews that show any of these other indicators too.
How Long Do Cashews Last?
How long cashews last is dependent on quite a few factors. Pre-packaged cashews will have a best-before date printed on the pack, and can last for around 6 months, or sometimes longer, provided they are unopened and stored in a cool, dark place. Once they have been opened, however, cashews will generally only last for about 2 weeks.
You can keep cashews in an airtight container in the fridge, and this will help them last for longer. They may keep for up to a month, even when opened. If you need the cashews to last even longer, you should consider freezing them, as this extends their shelf-life almost indefinitely.
Don’t store opened cashews on a counter or in direct sunlight, as this will make the oils in them go bad far more quickly. It’s important to put cashews somewhere cool and dark to make them last well.
How Can You Make Cashews Crisper?
If your cashews have gone soft but still taste good, there’s a trick that you can use to get them crisp again: roasting. Putting the cashews in the oven for just a few minutes should help to pull the moisture out of the seeds, and make them crunchier.
Put the cashews in a roasting tin, spreading them into a single layer. Set the oven to 350 degrees F, and heat them for about 15 minutes. Make sure they don’t burn, checking on them every few minutes and stirring them to expose different sides of the cashews.
You can also toss your cashews into a dry pan if you prefer. Put them over a low heat and gently toss them back and forth in the pan for several minutes, being careful not to let them burn. They should only need about 5 minutes of heating at the most, and you should smell their delicious, nutty aroma.
Note that if the cashews smell bad while heating them, you should be cautious about eating them, even when they are crispy.
Conclusion
Soft cashews are generally safe to eat, and you shouldn’t need to worry as long as they taste alright. However, if you find that your cashews taste rancid, or if they are brittle and have an unpleasant flavor, you should throw the cashews away.
