Toasting nuts brings out their flavor through browning reactions and gives them an appealingly crisp texture. We typically toast only the amount a recipe calls for, but toasting a whole bag would mean we’d always have them at the ready. The only issue? Storage. Nuts go stale quickly at room temperature, so we like to keep them in the freezer. Would freezing and thawing harm the toasted nuts’ crisp texture? To find out, we toasted separate batches of walnuts, almonds, and pecans following our skillet method: toasting them in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they were fragrant and slightly darkened, 3 to 5 minutes. We let the nuts cool, placed them in zipper-lock freezer bags, and stored them in the freezer for a month. When brought back to room temperature, these nuts were indistinguishable from batches of freshly toasted nuts. So as long as you seal them tightly to prevent freezer burn and softening, feel free to store toasted nuts in the freezer for up to one month.
