How can I get my peanuts to roast evenly in the oven?

June 14, 2023 10:03 AM

I follow the directions most websites give - put one layer of peanuts on a baking sheet, don’t overcrowd them, bake on middle rack at 350 for 10 minutes, stir and give them a few more minutes if not done. I always end up with a sheet of half almost burned peanuts and half barely roasted. How can I get my nuts to roast evenly?
posted by wheatlets to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

Is it like, one side of the pan is burned and the other not? Or like, the top is burned and the bottom not? Or are they just randomly burned and not burned?

In the case of 1, your oven may need servicing for uneven heating, but in the meantime try stirring them around more often.
In case of 2, try moving your oven rack up or down depending on which side is burned.
In case of 3, probably either the oven or the peanuts are haunted.

In any case, I'd suggest you try roasting at a lower temperature and stirring more often. Your oven may be hotter than you think. I generally roast nuts at 300 or so, because it's easy to get distracted and forget about them!
posted by exceptinsects at 10:10 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]

Using a pizza stone or steel can evenly moderate heat, if you have a friend that can lend you an additional one sandwiching your pan on a rack between two stone/steels can yield exceedingly good results.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:10 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Try turning on convection if you're not (and your oven has it)? Might need to adjust the roasting time.
posted by sevenless at 10:15 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Convection if you have it, parchment paper, frequent stirring, lower temperature and a lot longer.
posted by mhoye at 10:18 AM on June 14, 2023

Are you thoroughly preheating the oven?

Also +1 oven thermometer, adding some thermal mass like a pizza stone (but only if you preheat for like half an hour), and lowering temp.
posted by momus_window at 10:18 AM on June 14, 2023

This is a sign your oven does not heat evenly, which happens. Rotate the tray a few times during the 10 minutes.
posted by DarlingBri at 10:19 AM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]

Have you done the toast test to check for hot spots?
posted by soelo at 10:27 AM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: From what I saw in West Africa peanuts were roasted in shell in sand in a heavy pot over a fire/flame with fairly frequent stirring. Because the sand is hot and dry, it doesn’t really stick to the sand when you take the shells out (with slotted spoon type utensil). If you’re really wanting to home roast them it might be worth trying
posted by raccoon409 at 11:56 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Ditto the toast test. Put a couple slices of toast on a rack, and try different rack positions (near top, near bottom, center) and look for hot spots and cold spots.

If you got time, you can pan fry the peanuts in a pan or a wok.
posted by kschang at 12:05 PM on June 14, 2023

Are you stirring them every so often during their roasting time? Try that. Otherwise I'd pan roast them with lots of stirring
posted by shadygrove at 12:27 PM on June 14, 2023

Toasting nuts is much more precise on the stove. I just toss nuts in my skillet and shake them around to get them more or less evenly toasted.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 2:17 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Consider using the microwave! I know it sounds weird but my relative roasts all kinds of nuts in the microwave and they always turn out great. I think the time scale is so much shorter that you end up stirring them every minute and keeping a closer eye on them.
posted by potrzebie at 10:01 PM on June 14, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks for the advice! Truth be told, I probably won't bother with the toast test because I'm not at home right now, but I think I will try it in my own oven when I get back, so I am glad to know about it.

I tried lowering the heat to 300 and stirring every 5 minutes, and it's working out well! I also found a recipe for wok roasted peanuts in salt, similar to raccoon409's idea, and I plan to try that when I'm home with my wok. I do typically prefer pan roasting nuts, but I'm making peanut butter so I'm doing a large baking tray's worth at once right now.
posted by wheatlets at 10:41 AM on June 16, 2023

in a pan (cast iron is better) and stir it constantly over med/low heat.
posted by jdthompson at 9:21 PM on July 5, 2023