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I bought a bunch of nuts like walnuts, pecans, and almonds from Costco. Unfortunately it was more than I could consume in a short period of time, and I'm now worried they might be going bad. How can I tell without just eating them and hoping I don't die on the toilet?

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There is some discussion on rancidity already paleohacks.com/questions/999/… It doesn't seem like anyone is providing definitive evidence as to whether a nut or an oil can start to go rancid before the taste is noticeably bad. – HealthRediscovery Mar 26 2010 at 19:54
Do you store them in the freezer? – Sandra Mar 26 2010 at 22:57
I store them in the refrigerator now. – David Csonka Mar 29 2010 at 19:40

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If I eat nuts I always buy them in the shell and crack them just before I eat them. I really think that it is not a good idea to buy large quantities of shelled nuts, even if they are stored in the freezer. When were they shelled? It could have been months before you bought them.

Nuts in the shell remain fresher for longer and because they are so hard to get into and it can take a while to eat only a handful, I eat less of them. This means I do not binge on them (I love nuts!).

I would keep un-shelled nuts for about a few weeks maximum (remembering they have probably travelled for weeks before I bought them) before thinking twice about eating them, that's just a personal thing and of course, go with your taste buds and sight; it is much easier to tell if any are off just by the look of a nut straight out of the shell.

If you can get local nuts in the autumn they will be guaranteed to be fresher. Then you will have more knowledge about their palatability.

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That's a pretty easy one! They smell and taste horrible!!!! The oils in the nuts spoil and taste rancid. In the future if you buy in bulk, store nuts in the freezer :)

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