Boiled Peanuts

Directions

1. Green peanuts refers to fresh peanuts that were recently harvested from the fields. If you cannot find green peanuts then you can use other peanuts but your cooking time will be considerably longer. Rinse your peanuts with cold water before you begin to cook them.
2. Once the water begins to boil. Reduce heat, cover the saucepan with a lid and allow the water to simmer. If you are using green peanuts your cooking time will be 1 to 2 hours. If you are using regular peanuts in the shell then your cooking time will be about 12 to 13 hours. Watch the peanuts as they cook because you might have to add more water. Green peanuts are clearly marked as such on the outside of their package and they are also in the shell.
3. To serve boiled peanuts, spoon them into a small bowl or ramekin and crack the shell open to eat the peanut on the inside. The peanut should be the consistency or texture of a cooked kidney bean once it has been thoroughly cooked. The peanut shell should also be soft.
4. If you do not eat the boiled peanuts in one sitting, you can refrigerate them for about a week or so and reheat them in a microwave or in a saucepan. Save some of the cooking water that was used for boiling the peanuts and you can reheat the peanuts in this water. The boiled peanuts can also be eaten cold.