What is it?

English walnuts, the walnuts we see most often, originally came from Persia, and are now used all over the world in dishes both sweet and savory. A hard, thick shell protects the two halves of nut meat inside, which can be revealed using a nut cracker. Walnuts are also commonly sold out of their shell in whole pieces and chopped. Chopped nuts are often added to quick breads, cookies, and brownies, while bigger pieces are delicious candied or spiced to enjoy as a nibble with cocktails or to add to a salad. Black walnuts are native to America; they’re more closely related to hickory nuts than to common English walnuts. Their flavor is strong, but in small amounts, they add exotic interest to cakes and cookies.

Kitchen math:

4 oz. walnut halves (about 1 cup) = 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. coarsely chopped and 1 cup finely chopped or ground

Don’t have it?

Substitute pecans.

How to choose:

When choosing nuts in the shell, look for whole, clean shells with no blemishes, holes, or cracks. Pick up a nut and shake it. If you can hear the nut rattling freely in the shell it’s old and dry. When choosing nuts out of the shell, look for plump, unbroken nutmeats. Avoid those that are discolored or shriveled.

How to prep:

A rancid nut can ruin an otherwise perfectly prepared dish, so always taste several nuts from the batch before you use them. Walnuts can be used right out of the shell or container, though they will have an even deeper flavor if toasted oven at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

How to store:

Walnuts in their shell will last for months in a cool, dry place. Store shelled nuts airtight in the fridge or freezer for up to 3 months.

Recipes

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  Recipe

  Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad with Walnuts and Currants

  No one really wants a salad course at Thanksgiving, but it’s nice to have something bright and fresh on the plate. That’s where this slaw-like salad comes in. As a…

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  Recipe

  Maple Cream Pie

  Maple syrup should be rebranded as a cheery symbol for aging; when it’s new and light, the sap has little complexity. It only becomes sweet and luscious, bold and wise,…

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  Recipe

  Coffee Crème Bundt Cake

  This glorious coffee-flavored Bundt, excerpted from The Joys of Baking, is more sweet than coffee and has a gooey, condensed milk glaze that you may have to resist eating with…

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  Recipe

  White Bean Stew with Mustard-Green Pesto

  Jazz up a white bean stew with a swirl of peppery pesto made with mustard greens. If you can’t find them, substitute turnip greens or even Swiss chard, which will…

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  Recipe

  Salad of Frisée, Fuji Apple, and Marinated Beets

  The beet “noodles”—long, spaghetti-like strips of the root vegetable—are increasingly available at supermarkets and add to this salad’s festive feel.

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  Recipe

  Thumbprint Cookies

  If kids are nearby, get them to help make these cookies. They’ll love poking the balls of dough to make the pocket for the jam.

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  Recipe

  Warm Kamut, Chicken, and Plum Salad

  李子的甜蜜计数器ka的疯狂mut and peppery arugula in this main dish salad. Substitute whatever stone fruit is in season if you prefer—apricots, peaches, or cherries…

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  Recipe

  Antipasto Salad

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  Recipe

  Sear-Roasted Skirt Steak with Endive and Blue Cheese

  Cooked until tender, peppery endive is great alongside beefy skirt steak slathered with blue cheese butter.

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  Recipe

  Roasted Red Pepper Pinwheels

  Middle Eastern muhammara, a delicious roasted red pepper and walnut dip, fills these pinwheels, and the garnish of fresh chopped arugula gives them a bright finish.