The big question is, of course, why make almond butter. The answer is simply frugality. Making almond butter costs pennies per ounce, while buying a jar in the grocery store can cost dimes, or even dollars. There is a big savings to be had by making almond butter at home. According to one source, a cup of home-made almond butter costs approximately $3.75, while supermarket brand MaraNatha comes in at $6.40 a cup (Reese). At a savings of $2.65 per cup, I would need to make 22.2 cups of almond butter to pay for my new food processor (Ninja). At 2 tablespoons per day (1 with breakfast and 1 in my smoothie) 6 days a week (when I am exercising), my savings start in the 30th week.
Another benefit is creating personal mixtures. How about macadamia almond or peanut pecan? The possibilities are endless. Those are a couple good reasons to try making almond butter at home.
A third benefit is control of ingredients. That MaraNatha almond butter contains added sugar and palm oil, which is 50% saturated fat and increases the risk of heart disease (Robb-Nicholson). Other sites insist palm oil production is bad for the planet due to rainforest deforestation and orangutan habitat loss (Thompson) as well as use of child labor (Skinner).
The fourth, and most important in my humble opinion, is the right so say “I made it.” I am so tired of hearing people say “Can't you just buy that?” When the world collapses, you can come to me when you want some peanut butter, okay?
Now thoroughly self-convinced that making almond butter has value, it is on to looking into the process.
As always, I welcome your comments. Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.
References:
"Ninja Master Prep Professional-Black/Silver." Target. Target Brands, Inc., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Reese, Jennifer. Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should (and Shouldn't) Cook from the Scratch to Save Time and Money. New York: Free Press, 2012. Print.
Robb-Nicholson, Dr. Celeste. “By the way, doctor: Is palm oil good for you?.” MSN Healthy Living. Microsoft, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Skinner, E. Benjamin. “Indonesia's Palm Oil Industry Rife With Human-Rights Abuses.” Bloomberg Businessweek (businessweek.com). Bloomberg L.P., 18 July 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Thompson, Claire. “Palm oil: Bad for workers as well as orangutans.” Grist. Grist Magazine, Inc., 25 July 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Another benefit is creating personal mixtures. How about macadamia almond or peanut pecan? The possibilities are endless. Those are a couple good reasons to try making almond butter at home.
A third benefit is control of ingredients. That MaraNatha almond butter contains added sugar and palm oil, which is 50% saturated fat and increases the risk of heart disease (Robb-Nicholson). Other sites insist palm oil production is bad for the planet due to rainforest deforestation and orangutan habitat loss (Thompson) as well as use of child labor (Skinner).
The fourth, and most important in my humble opinion, is the right so say “I made it.” I am so tired of hearing people say “Can't you just buy that?” When the world collapses, you can come to me when you want some peanut butter, okay?
Now thoroughly self-convinced that making almond butter has value, it is on to looking into the process.
As always, I welcome your comments. Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.
References:
"Ninja Master Prep Professional-Black/Silver." Target. Target Brands, Inc., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Reese, Jennifer. Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should (and Shouldn't) Cook from the Scratch to Save Time and Money. New York: Free Press, 2012. Print.
Robb-Nicholson, Dr. Celeste. “By the way, doctor: Is palm oil good for you?.” MSN Healthy Living. Microsoft, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Skinner, E. Benjamin. “Indonesia's Palm Oil Industry Rife With Human-Rights Abuses.” Bloomberg Businessweek (businessweek.com). Bloomberg L.P., 18 July 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Thompson, Claire. “Palm oil: Bad for workers as well as orangutans.” Grist. Grist Magazine, Inc., 25 July 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
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