Blanched Almonds© Denzil Green
Sweet Almonds are usually blanched before use, because the outer brown skin on the nut can irritate the digestive tubes of some people.
The almonds are scalded in boiling water, plunged into cold water, then put through rollers that rub the skin off. The nuts are then dried and packaged.
Blanched Almonds cost more than unblanched because of the extra processing required, but not much more. It’s almost always worth paying the extra to save yourself the fiddling at home.
Commercially-processed slivered and flaked almonds are always blanched first before they are sliced.