Toast Your Nuts in the Microwave

Image by Arnold GatilaoI love toasted nuts. My favorite way to eat them is probably tossed with some brown sugar, salt, and rosemary, but I'm not too picky. I'll happily eat them plain. The problem I have is that it about half the time I try to toast nuts, I burn them.

No longer will I have this problem, for I have discovered the power of the microwave.

I rarely use the microwave for anything other than defrosting or reheating, but every once in a while I run into something that it does remarkably well. One of those things, surprisingly, is toasting nuts (and seeds).

You'll need a small amount of fat for this method. Oil or butter will do. Just thinly coat the nuts with the fat and lay them in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. A ceramic plate is fine.

Microwave the nuts on high in one minute (or less) increments, stirring in-between. The total cooking time should be between 2 and 4 minutes. Sesame seeds will be done more quickly than whole walnuts. This shouldn't be a surprise.

By the way, I know that you've been snickering, "Heh... He said toasted nuts," the entire time you've been reading this.