Natural Schmatural – this is the reason why “junky” peanut butter is better, according to Pro chef

For years I have been holding a pot of natural, organic, a ingredient peanut butter in my chamber-fun, slightly oily and I always need a mixing– It returned when I lived in the Hudson Valley surrounded by health grocery stores around every corner. It was inevitable to leave the beloved skippy because of the natural “better” stuff.

Before I knew, my grocery store was full of Maca-bare Goji Berry-Chia seed-core granola; Each of the eyes is more ancient than the last; Antioxidant super foods hand; And, of course, a bottle of peanut butter made from peanuts only. But after switching to the natural peanut butter, the desire to dig the spoon straight to the vessel suddenly disappeared – and with it, one of the little enjoyment of life.

Living in New York City is a way to remove the act from things. Ever since I moved here, I have traveled the open vegetation of the Hudson Valley to Brooklyn's neighborhood parks and the Bodegas corner. And since I no longer think twice at 1 o'clock, I stopped thinking about peanut butter. I keep the natural breed at hand for the stews and sauces where it shines, but when a spoon of something delicious or I need the perfect PB for baking, I reach undeniably delicious, creamy, sweetened, emulsified stuff. Call this to yourself deciding, call back to the acquaintance-just my Skippy dish has returned to my chamber where it belongs.

Why is creamy sweetened peanut butter so damn good?

So what makes the sweetening traditional peanut butter Such as Skippy, JIF and similar business brands are so good? This is more than just nostalgia, though it plays a role at least for me. The real answer lies in the ingredients: a little sugar and salt, plus stabilizers and emulsifiers that keep everything smooth and on the shelf.

Unlike natural peanut butter, which becomes an oil and granular solid layer, the conventional supermarket contains usually added oils – often hydrogenated vegetable oils – as stabilizer, preventing this separation. Hydrogenation adds hydrogen atoms to unsaturated fats, converting them into saturated or partially saturated fats. This changes the structure of the oil, makes it firm and smoother at room temperature, and is much less prone to separation.

Emulsifiers, such as mono- and diglycerides or lecithin are also added to connect water and fat. Meanwhile, a little sugar (or corn syrup) and salt are rounded. The result is a consistently creamy, stable spread that does not divide or will not be grasped when pointed to moisture.

When to use the stabilized, emulsified “junky” peanut butter

This stability is a big difference in baking. Emulsion peanut butter is smoothly fused chocolate, butter and dough without granular or oily turn. Remain smooth freezingretain shape without ovenand make cookies Softer and coherent. -In pies And the fillings are evenly mixed for silk design. The natural peanut butter, on the other hand, can be grasped, separated or baked during dry and crumbling. Even outside of baking, creamy stabilized and emulsified peanut butter is more practical: it spreads easily on the toast, does not need to mix and delivers with a clean, dense spoon when it is in the kitchen and looking for fast pick-ups.

When natural peanut butter is best fitted

This does not mean that natural peanut butter has no place. Rich, nuts taste and the fact that it is usually not sweetened is better fit into tasty foods such as West -frica peanut Or Sudanese Mullah Kombo, where the tasteful taste of peanuts can come through without intervention. Just get ready to give him a serious mixing – without emulsifiers, the oil separates and needs a little effort to bring it back.

A comfort that is worth accessing

For me, the creamy emulsified peanut butter is a reminder that not everything in the chamber should be virtuous. Sometimes it has to be very -very good. Occasionally a spoon, slightly sweetened, perfectly smooth peanut butter straight from the vessel is the quiet, transcendent comfort that cuts through the cacophony. For me, this is a simple joy that is worth preserving.