I cant stop eating them. I had 2 one pound bags last week which lasted about 5 days. This week it's 2 half pound bags in 4 days. A friend gave me the one pound bags. They are a shy expensive. I really like them. I need more..

I can walk right by a display of cakes, donuts, and any other sweets. But roll out a barrel of Pistachios? I’ll eat my way to the bottom of the barrel…

Love them!

A question-
How many here can toss a fully closed one away, or will you spend the extra time to try and open it?

Remember when the shells were red? I recall cracking them open as a kid and getting my fingers stained red. Somewhere over the years that changed and if they are in shells, it’s natural color.

I wonder why they dyed them in the first place?

I use a baby Swiss Army knife to open those. One could wear out a finger nail on these nut shells.

At any given time, I usually have north of a ton of pistachios at work. Between pieces, whole, roasted, roasted salted, raw, roasted and salted in shell…

David, I can give you a job. Three pounds per hour. If you’re paid in nuts, social security can’t ding you.

The best way I like them is in ice cream. Outside of it, I find they're on the salty side now.

Baklava. I'd be a 400 pound diabetic if I lived near a place that made them.

We get the shelled variety. It’s essentially freebasing.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:

I find they're on the salty side now.

They are available unsalted.

https://www.mounthopewholesale...os-no-salt-no-shell/

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Remember when the shells were red? I recall cracking them open as a kid and getting my fingers stained red. Somewhere over the years that changed and if they are in shells, it’s natural color.

I wonder why they dyed them in the first place?

I used to tell my daddy to bring me some red nuts. It was years before I knew the name of them.

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
I use a baby Swiss Army knife to open those. One could wear out a finger nail on these nut shells.

Using an already opened half shell to open them works well.

found an answer--
Red pistachios used to be a staple on the shelves of every grocery store, but if you’re under a certain age, you might never have even seen these unnatural nuts. Younger generations have lost out on the fun of reddening their fingertips and lips after digging into a bag of pistachios.

So why were some pistachios dyed red? Learn more about the history of this missing nut.
What Are Red Pistachios?

That red color obviously wasn’t the natural color of the shell. Normally, pistachios are a light tan. What are red pistachios? There’s some controversy surrounding the explanation, but it’s thought that the red food coloring added to the shells was to hide discolorations and stains.

When pistachios dry, a mottled marking appears on the shells. Some sellers were afraid that consumers wouldn’t buy them, so they dyed them red to cover imperfections.
What Happened To Red Pistachios?

Pistachios were imported from the Middle East, and they always had the distinctive bright red coloring to disguise any discolorations that occurred during shipping. But pistachio imports slowed due to relations with Iran in the early 1980s, and in response, there was a growth in American pistachio producers. Thanks to mechanized harvesting that sped up the drying process and the lack of shipping, the shells no longer had the unsightly stains or the need to be red.
Can You Still Find Red Pistachios?

Initially, American producers also dyed the pistachios red. So why were some pistachios dyed red despite the markings on the shells being gone? American producers kept up the practice, assuming consumers expected the red shells.

Eventually, pistachio growers stopped dying the nuts as we moved away from additives in our foods. Sometimes, however, you can still find red pistachios around the holidays.

Daffy

Not trying to throw shade at Mt Hope Wholesale, but take a look at Heart of the Desert in Alamagordo, NM. IMO, the most consistently high quality nuts I have found. Very few to none colsed shells, no withered/dried up nuts, and available in yummy flavors like NM green chile, etc.

In my Navy days I made a few deployments to the Persian gulf and we would buy them in bulk in the local suk when we pulled into port. Just scoop what you wanted out of these huge burlap sacks of them.

Standing watch in CIC there were always a couple of lbs of them being passed around.

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
I cant stop eating them. I had 2 one pound bags last week which lasted about 5 days. This week it's 2 half pound bags in 4 days. A friend gave me the one pound bags. They are a shy expensive. I really like them. I need more..

Costco sells them shelled and unshelled Kirkland brand, 3 pound bag for $17.99, wife loves them, as do I,

link

Sometimes you feel like a nut,

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Costco sells them shelled and unshelled Kirkland brand, 3 pound bag for $17.99, wife loves them, as do I,

Shelled pistachios are dangerious as I can eat a lot of $ in a hurry. Unshelled pistachios at least slow me down a little.

Pretty much anything pistachio I'm down for, especially pistachio gelato. Middle Eastern food. Easy snack. I do like to shell them versus unshelled, not sure, maybe it's just ritualistic habit or, a weird way of not over eating them.