International / basics / Sauces & condiments

Homemade Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a food product usually consisting of roasted and ground peanuts, sometimes sweetened. It is commonly sold in grocery stores, but can be made at home. Many styles are available; the most popular are creamy (smooth) and crunchy, but honey-roasted or wholenut varieties can also be found. Creamy peanut butter is made by grinding all of the mixture very finely. The crunchier styles leave portions of the mixture with a coarser grind, resulting in larger pieces of peanut interspersed with the creamier fine ground mixture. Used in sandwiches (particularly the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich), candy (for example, Reese's Pieces), and pastry, it is a good source of protein, and is popular with children. For people with peanut allergies, the intense concentration of peanuts in peanut butter can cause fatal anaphylactic shock. Peanut butter is often contaminated with aflatoxin.