Nuts

Meal

Cashew meal is a coarse, sandy grind of shelled cashew kernels that still shows flecks and particulate texture rather than a powder-fine flour. It browns into rustic cookie crumbs, crumble toppings, and coatings with visible nut character. Meal often keeps a little more skin and oil than refined flour, so it tastes fuller and darkens faster in the oven. Dry- toast a scoop in a pan before folding it into dough if you want a deeper, warmer aroma without turning the grind into paste. Choose meal when texture is the point—oat-style crumbles, crusts, and hearty batters—and choose flour when you need smoother crumbs. Fresh meal smells sweet and creamy; stale meal smells flat or paint-like and should be discarded. Because the surface area is high, it goes rancid faster than whole kernels; refrigerate or freeze. This is not a substitute for wheat structure on its own, but it is an excellent flavour and fat carrier in gluten-free baking.