Planters Salted Cashews

Planters Salted Cashews are a roasted-and-salted nut snack, and cashews are among the softer, richer nuts in the bar-snack lineup. Expect a buttery, faintly sweet interior, a crisp-then-creamy bite, and a surface coating of salt that sharpens the nut's natural sweetness. The pieces are large and curved, so they take salt unevenly. Some bites taste mostly of nut and others are distinctly savory. Cashews work best at room temperature, straight from the container into a small bowl. Chilling dulls their flavor and makes the texture waxy. A shallow ramekin or a low dish suits them better than a deep bowl, because the nuts are easy to grab and don't pile up and crush. Pour out only what you'll eat in a sitting, since opened salted nuts lose crunch with air exposure. Keep the container sealed and out of heat and direct light. As a drink partner, the salt and fat in cashews suit beverages with acidity, bubbles, or bitterness. Styles like these usually pair well with a dry sparkling wine, a crisp lager or pilsner, a pale ale with moderate hop bitterness, or a dry white such as an unoaked Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. On the spirits side, expect them to go well with a gin and tonic, a whisky highball, or a Negroni, where the bitterness cuts through the nut's richness. They also work next to an aged spirit served neat, where the roasted, sweet side of the cashew echoes caramel and oak notes. Beyond snacking, you can chop them coarsely over a stir-fry, a grain salad, or roasted vegetables. Because they're already salted, go lightly on added salt in the dish.