hand seed grinder for that purpose, which works slowly and tediously, but I haven't found a

kitchen machine that can handle the tiny poppy seeds (nearly a million to a pound or half a kilo).

The food processor blade just whirls them around without breaking them. Buying ground poppy

seed make sense only if they are freshly ground. Like coffee, they deteriorate fast. The canned

version is a poor substitute and not recommended. If ground seeds are part of your culinary

repertoire, a good, efficient nut grinder should be part of your kitchen equipment for the best

flavor.

Salting

To salt nuts or seeds, deep fry or sauté them in a small amount of oil, then sprinkle with

salt. The salt will stick to the oily surface. For less oil, dry-roast them in the oven, drizzle them

with the tiniest amount of oil while still-hot, then sprinkle with salt.

TASTINGS Nut Conversions. Here are some useful kitchen facts:

cup nut meat yields 1¼ cups finely ground nuts

To get 1 cup ground nuts, start with ¾ cup nut meat

cup small seeds yields 1¾ cups ground seeds.

How long will they keep?

Like any food with fat or oil, nuts oxidize rather rapidly and turn rancid. Rancidity

destroys food, and even slightly to moderately rancid nuts become inedible. The higher the oil

content, the more susceptible the food is to oxidation. And the higher the amount of unsaturated

oil or fat, the faster it becomes rancid.

Nuts and seeds have a relatively high amount of unsaturated oil, so they are particularly

susceptible to rancidity. In the shell, nuts are protected from microorganisms and rancidity. Once

shelled and dried, the low moisture content (4 to 5 percent) gives full protection against attacks

by microorganisms but they are still subject to oxidation. Refrigerating or freezing slows most

chemical reactions, thus it also slows oxidation. If you could not resist that huge bag of shelled

walnuts at such a bargain price at the farmers’ market, store it in a cool, dry place or in the

refrigerator or freezer, depending on how quickly you plan to use that much walnuts.

Toasted granola cereal

This high-protein cereal with added milk is about the healthiest food you can choose for

breakfast. It has complete protein, high fiber and, depending on your serving size, modest fat,

modest sugar, low salt and no cholesterol. And if you prepare it yourself, you know there are no

chemicals or additives and it is not overly sweet.

Granola and muesli are both oatmeal-rich cereals with nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Muesli

is simply the blend of all the raw ingredients, while in granola the nuts and seeds are toasted to

give a richer, fuller flavor. They both became popular as American breakfast cereals with the

advent of healthier, more varied diets in the 1970s.

Because it is unroasted, muesli is bland. That’s why it was particularly popular in Britain

where people blander foods. Oven-roasting muesli adds the flavor boost and it becomes granola.

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