Why pay extra for a can of salted, shelled peanuts? Salted peanuts made from raw nuts at home taste fresher than those sold in stores. Purchase in-shell raw peanuts in bulk to save even more money. Salt and roast only the amount of peanuts you need within a week and store the rest of the raw peanuts in their shells in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one year. Commercial producers make salted peanuts by soaking the legumes in their shells in a salt solution inside a vacuum, causing the salt to get pulled into the peanuts through the shell. Dry roasting the nuts dries out the water, leaving behind crisp, salted peanuts in their shells. By omitting the vacuum, you can replicate this process at home. This technique works best with the porous shells of peanuts (a type of legume) rather than the harder shells of true nuts like almonds or walnuts.
Step One
Combine the water, peanuts and salt in the saucepan.
Step Two
Cover the pot and let the peanuts soak overnight in the brine.
Step Three
Drain the peanuts in a colander and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Step Four
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Step Five
Toss the peanuts with the oil and the remaining 2 tbsps. salt.
Step Six
Spread the peanuts onto the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Note that the soaked, in-shell salted peanuts require 10 to 15 minutes longer than unsoaked, raw peanuts. Let them cool completely before serving.