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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Trick to Organic Peanut Butter


I remember learning about the dangers of hydrogenated oils years ago and making the decision to switch to organic peanut butter. The hydrogenated oils in most conventional peanut butters have undergone a series of chemical processes that changes them from a liquid to a solid, therefore resulting in the peanut butter spread that does not require mixing the peanut oil with the peanut solids. Hydrogenated oils have trans fats in them, lower your good cholesterol and raise your bad cholesterol. All in all, they are one of the most recommended processed ingredients to avoid for health reasons. The good news is that they are easy to eliminate from your diet by just reading ingredient labels and avoiding those processed food items.
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We were so excited about switching to organic peanut butter because the ingredients were free of harsh chemicals and were so simple – peanuts and salt. But when we started using organic peanut butter, we quickly realized it was not the soft, easy to spread peanut butter that we were used to. And so after a couple years of practice, we have finally come to the point of figuring out the secret to having creamy, organic peanut butter down to the last drop.
First, store your peanut butter upside down in your pantry until you use it. Once it is ready to use, take a few minutes and thoroughly stir your peanut butter really well with a butter knife until it is mixed together completely. Be patient and stir slowly around the edges or you will spill oil! It will be a little runny at first until you refrigerate it for a while, but you have to stir it up really well before you refrigerate it or your peanut butter will be hard on the bottom and not spread easily. Finally, the big secret to keeping your organic peanut butter spreading well to the very end is to store it upside down in your refrigerator. This helps the oil to stay evenly mixed and avoid clumping on the bottom of your jar.
So now that you know the trick to keeping your organic peanut butter creamy, do not be afraid to try the real deal and make the healthier decision, it is a decision you will not regret in the long-run.

It is recommended to buy only Organic Valencia Peanut Butters. To find out why, read here.