Hint From Abelard: Natural Peanut Butter

I don’t know about you, but I prefer “natural” peanut butter of the Smucker’s variety. I find the other brands, well, they taste peanutty and all, but for me, there’s no texture or flavor like the one that a natural butter can impart.

But, as we all know, that stuff is a pain in the ass. It’s delivered with an inch of peanut oil on the top, and you’re supposed to stir it in, but dude, it’s PEANUT BUTTER. You cannot just reach in there with a spoon and create a decent emulsion.

The solution is also a pain in the ass. But it works. It will provide you with a well blended, smooth, yummy natural peanut butter that can be refrigerated (as it ought to be) but that will spread reliably, even just out of the chill box.

Goes like this: When you first open the jar, dump all of the contents into a KitchenAid bowl and give it a good four-minute mix, then move the contents back into the jar. You will create a lovely emulsion that will last all the way to the bottom, a creamy, spreadable mass.