Daring Dining
Natural Peanut Butter 101
I love me some peanut butter, yo. Lately we’ve been opting for natural organic peanut butter to cut out on trans fat and unnecessary sugar (I know you’re asking yourself, “Is there such a thing as unnecessary sugar?”)
Our favorite brand ever (meaning the one that tastes the most like Jif) is Maranatha. It’s smooth, creamy, delicious and way too expensive considering the amount we mange every day. When they stopped carrying it at Costco, I decided it was time to part ways.
In its place, Costco started carrying a Kirkland brand of creamy natural peanut butter that’s actually not too bad. The one problem we have is the same problem we have with all natural peanut butter. We hate to stir it. It separates and you have to mix it up and the oil glops all over the place. You never really get the bottom chunks to mix in properly and it’s just annoying.
So I have come up with a plan and I will share it with you now.
Whenever I open a new jar of PB, I dump the entire container into my food processor and mix it well. Once it’s all smooth and creamy, I scoop it back into the jar and refrigerate it. It never separates again and life is a dream. Try it. I know you’ll like it.
A co-founder of Seattle Mom Blogs, professional blogger Kathryn Thompson writes too much at Daring Young Mom, The Parenting Post, and anywhere else people are willing to read. She enjoys eating cheese and playing high stakes Uno with 4-year-olds. If you’re cute enough, she will probably blow on your tummy unmercifully. You can contact Kathryn by email - kathryn [at] seattlemomblogs.com.
AHA! I knew there must be a better way than mixing it with a knife and getting the oil all over my arm and the counter.
Sneaky, sneaky! Cool idea.
Sometimes, I just go to the store that has the peanut crushing machine. No mixing required. But then you don’t get the crunchy version, and I like CRUNCHY.
mmm now I’m HUNGRY!
I do this too, except with my hand held electric mixer. It is a fabulous idea.
You, are a genius! Thanks for the tip!
Love it! Excellent idea. I have to say that I LOVE Maranatha peanut butter the best too. I think it’s even better than the regular stuff (Jif, Skippy, etc.). The ingredients are just peanuts and salt like all the other natural ones so it must be the kind of peanuts they use. It does cost a boatload compared to the others, though. But I digress! Thanks for the idea, and Amy, good call on the hand held mixer too. I have one of those drink mixers you can stick right into a glass so I might try using that.
We refrigerate ours too. I saw a lid with a mixer and handle that you could screw on to mix things up but I don’t know which brands it would fit!
I saw the lid with the mixer too! I also read about a much easier way, I believe it was at hungrygirl.com, I have not tried this, but if you set the jar upside down for awhile the oil moves through the peanut butter and apparently mixes it into the solids.
If I think about it, when I buy a new jar and I don’t need it for a while, I make sure the lid is still on tight and store it upsidedown. I actually think it does help, but your way probably works better. I don’t have a good food processer, though. I use a knife, still. My favorite brand is Adams. No preservatives. I can tell a big difference compared to the ones with preservatives, transfats, etc.
This is so brilliant, why didn’t I think of this? I end up with hand cramps every time.
THANK YOU!!!!