15 November, 2024

A Salt & Vinegar Miscellany XIII - Mr. Peanut meet Mr. Acetic Acid

Several weeks back, I found myself perusing the new snack aisle my local Woodman's and came across a couple salt & vinegar treats from Planters - peanuts and cashews.

After wiping the drool from my goatee, I thought to myself that, not only would they be tasty, but also that they need to become part of my ongoing salt & vinegar saga. Then it occurred to me that I've had them before and that they've already been reviewed. I got home and queried my blog only to find that I, in fact, hadn't reviewed them. Yet.

For 2-3 weeks I bought both fully intending to review them but I instead just gobbled the precious down with not a care. And then a few weeks ago, I found that the cashews were unavailable and the part of the snack shelf where they once resided has been lamentably empty since. I don't know if this is because of a supply chain issue or if the product has been discontinued. (Forsooth!) But the peanuts have been there every shopping trip like an old friend. And now I have finally gotten around to a review.

Perhaps Planters should put something on the label about shaking the can well before opening because, while the nuts had a fine dust on them, they weren't very tangy. However, after eating my way to the bottom of the can, I found that a lot of the precious vinegar dust was just sitting there peanutless. Maybe peanuts just aren't very adhesive.

There wasn't an excess of salt here and the vinegar was very mild. A definite accent as the peanut flavor shown through. Tasty but not particularly tangy.

As I ate them, I thought about how I have pondered potato varieties in the past and how they taste when turned into a chip. Then I wondered about peanut varieties. Surely there is more than one. Indeed, the internet notes such.

What type does Planters use? According to this site, Runners are the most common in snacks. I might just have to seek out the different varieties and do some flavor comparisons.

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