How Many Peanuts Does It Take To Make A Jar Of Peanut Butter?
What do ants on a log and chicken satay have in common? They're both associated with peanut butter. This creamy and nutty spread is used in a variety of recipes, ranging from desserts and snacks to hearty meals and sauces. Or, if you're feeling lazy, you can always just eat the stuff straight out of the jar.
Although peanut butter serves as a helping hand in the kitchen, one may often wonder, "how is it made?" Well, according to CBP, the process first involves removing the shells, dry roasting the peanuts without any water or oil, and then cooling them so the peanuts don't get too dry. They are then blanched and split into halves so their bitter "heart" can be taken out. Now comes the grinding step which turns the peanuts into their creamy consistency. First comes a "medium grind" and then a much finer one, where additional ingredients like salt, corn syrup, dextrose, and hydrogenated vegetable oil may be added. The peanut butter is then packaged, labeled, shipped, and sold to millions of peanut butter enthusiasts.
Except we didn't mention how many peanuts it takes to make one jar of peanut butter. For that, we'll have to turn to the National Peanut Board for the answer.
Hundreds of peanuts are needed
If you somehow guessed the number "540," then you hit the nail on the head. According to the National Peanut Board, one 12-ounce jar requires 540 peanuts. If you want to break this down even further, Wonderopolis states that this is roughly 45 peanuts per ounce. In a larger, 40-ounce jar, you're looking at about 1,800 peanuts. Furthermore, the first source explains that in the United States, foods that have the "peanut butter" label on them must consist of 90% peanuts or more.
Granted, this "540" figure may depend on the brand, and whether the consistency of the peanut butter is smooth or crunchy. Mirror notes that smooth varieties contain a little bit more peanuts than their crunchy counterparts, while Crazy Richard's claims that their crunchy peanut butter has a whopping 720 peanuts!
So next time you crack open a jar of peanut butter, you'll know that there are 540 pulverized peanuts just waiting to be devoured. Just try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting though.