Peanut butter

Peanut butter is a spread made by grinding roasted peanuts, sometimes with added salt, sugar, or oil. Its texture ranges from smooth to chunky.

Peanut: A legume seed that develops underground and is widely eaten as food. Peanuts are the ground ingredient that gives the spread its characteristic flavor and fats.
Colloid: A mixture in which small particles or droplets are dispersed throughout another substance without quickly settling. Peanut butter behaves as a complex, concentrated dispersion rather than a simple liquid.
Peanut butter sandwich: A sandwich made with peanut butter, commonly paired with bread and sometimes jelly or other fillings. The sandwich is one of the spread’s most familiar everyday uses.
Almond butter: A spread made by grinding almonds, with a flavor and nutrient profile distinct from peanut butter. It is a closely comparable nut butter made from a different seed.
Roasting: A dry-heat cooking method that browns food and creates new aromas and flavors. Roasting develops the nutty aromas that define most peanut butter.
Particle size: The dimensions of individual particles in a material, influencing its flow, texture, and surface area. Finer peanut particles produce a smoother spread; coarser particles create a gritty or chunky texture.
Peanut sauce: A savory sauce made with peanuts or peanut butter, often combined with seasonings and liquid. Peanut butter can thicken sauces and add roasted-nut flavor.
Sunflower seed butter: A spread made from ground sunflower seeds, often used as an alternative to peanut-based spreads. It offers a peanut-free option for people avoiding peanuts.
Peanut oil: A vegetable oil extracted from peanuts, used in cooking and food manufacturing. Oil released from ground peanuts contributes to the spread’s richness and can separate during storage.
Oil separation: The formation of a distinct oil layer when dispersed fat separates from a food mixture. Natural peanut butter can separate because its peanut oil is not fully immobilized.

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Peanut butter and jelly sandwichRelated: Its roasted, fatty flavor forms one of the sandwich’s defining layers.