jaiyenyen Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 I've just come back from Tesco's at Lam Luk Ka, Bangkok. Until now I've only had the choice of Jif or Skippy peanut butter. I usually buy a jar of Jif, but today I found a Tesco own brand PN butter 89 bht for a large jar. They have both crunchy and smooth available. Is this a new line, or have I been walking around with my eyes closed these past four years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxman71 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Don't know how long Tesco's PN brand has been around. But how does it taste? That's a good price. FYI -- Jif reduced fat peanut butter is not that all reduced in fat, and they add more sugar in it. I find that is tastes lousy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaiyenyen Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 I haven't opened it yet. I've got a jar of Jif to get through first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckamuck Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I like the Paul Food brand, unsweetened and no hydrogenated oil, preservatives or additives, 360g for 95 baht. It tastes a little less sweet and it is a bit runny, but it is just fine on a sandwich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmyp Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I found inexpensive natural (old-fashioned) peanut butter up in Chiang Mai, but haven't had much luck in Bangkok yet. To back up maxman, Jif, Skippy, etc., is full of sugar and has more saturated fat than natural peanut butter. It's pretty much just junk food. I encourage everyone who eats that stuff to graduate to some good-for-you natural PB. That said, I've been trying to get my dad to go off Skippy for years, but he's a creature of habit... Er... anyway, please pipe in if you know where some other brands of natural peanut butter are hanging out inBKK. I remember Chiang Mai had "Tida Bear" brand (crunchy, smooth, both with and without extra sweetener) and some other brands that I can't recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carib Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Buy peanuts, put in blender, add some oil, salt, and blend. For smooth peanut butter blend long time for chunky..... figure that out yourself. It tastes different because all the artificial shit is left out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Skippy Natural peanut butter tastes WAY better than the do-it-yourself stuff because of the blend of different kind of peanuts. Homemade peanut butter in Thailand is usually boring in comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) Sorry UG, but I disagee... I've been making my own homemade PB here the past year or so using 500g bags of hulled peanuts from Tesco, and it tastes great!!! Why? I control the roasting in my oven, so I let the peanuts gets a medium brown colored roast, and then blend them SOLO in my electric food processor... No oil (I tried that first, and found I didn't need it, and that it made my PB too runny), no salt, no nothing else... Just peanuts 100%... And the deep, rich roasted flavor really comes thru in the blend... far more than any commercial PB I've ever had. Mine also thus has a firmer consistency... It spreads nicely and doesn't crumble or anything like that.. But when I spread it, even on hot toast, it doesn't melt or run... It stays in place and intact...and dooesn't ooze or drip out. One thing I'm curious about though... Back before, when I'd buy "all natural, 100% peanuts" commercial PB, it'd always have a label warning talking about how the oil would separate out, and indeed, there'd be a layer of liquid oil at the top of the jar, and you'd have to stir the jar to mix it into the rest of the PB.... With mine, which certainly is only 100% peanuts, I can leave it in the frig for however long and nothing separates out at all... It stays exactly as prepared, right out of the blender. And, I should mentioned, with a total ingredients cost of 35 baht per 500g portion! Edited January 14, 2011 by jfchandler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I found inexpensive natural (old-fashioned) peanut butter up in Chiang Mai, but haven't had much luck in Bangkok yet. Er... anyway, please pipe in if you know where some other brands of natural peanut butter are hanging out in BKK. Different varieties of "natural" and/or close to 100% peanuts butter can be found at various supermarkets around Bangkok, though their availability and stocking seems to come and go.... depending on re-supply, I suppose. The commercial "natural" stuff, however, is ridiculously expensive for my tastes. As you might imagine, it's priced even higher than the regular commercial sugar and oil stuff. I've seen the natural varieties at different times in BKK at Villa Markets, at the Gourmet Markets at Paragon and Emporium, and at the Central Chidlom Market... Sometimes you've really got to look, however, as some Thai markets (including Chidlom and sometimes Villa) have an odd habit of creating separate store stock area for all their "natural or healthy" products... So you can go the store, look at the shelve where the peanut butter is, and see nothing of the natural variety... And it turns out, they've put their selection of natural peanut butter in an entirely different section of the store along with the "natural" cereals, dressings, canned stuff and anything else they deem "natural." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 PS - Last night, it so happens, my wife brought home from work a jar of "Nutella" for me..which I've never tried or eaten before... Nutella is the cocoa and hazelnut "spread" that actually seems to be pretty widely available here... I'm trying it on my toast for breakfast as I write this... I looked at the ingredients label. Top two ingredients: sugar and oil..... I'll try it, and I already know it's going to be VERY SWEET.... But I'm sticking with all peanuts butter, thanks very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckamuck Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Thanx for the tips on PB, JFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkjames Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Knew this would happen, the great peanut butter debate thread can go right next to the pizza, burger and mexican debates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 My pleasure...hope it helps... Round these parts, the regular commercial PB jars like Skippy and Jiff seem to go for about 150 baht ($5) for an 18 oz jar, I believe... Then I sometimes see some special variety that's priced closer to 190 baht or so... I've other times seen some really small, almost like baby food sized jars (6 or 8 oz?) of natural stuff under some brand I didn't recognize at Central Chidlom and CentralWorld markets.. Here's a sampling of what's sometimes out there.... No guarantees about whether they're still in stock at present... CentralWorld Market Villa Market Villa Market CentralWorld Market Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Sorry UG, but I disagee... I've been making my own homemade PB here the past year or so using 500g bags of hulled peanuts from Tesco, and it tastes great!!! One thing I'm curious about though... Back before, when I'd buy "all natural, 100% peanuts" commercial PB, it'd always have a label warning talking about how the oil would separate out, and indeed, there'd be a layer of liquid oil at the top of the jar, and you'd have to stir the jar to mix it into the rest of the PB.... With mine, which certainly is only 100% peanuts, I can leave it in the frig for however long and nothing separates out at all... It stays exactly as prepared, right out of the blender. Maybe you are doing something right that no one who sells home made peanut butter seems to be able to do in Chiang Mai. I've tried a lot of them and Skippy Natural tastes considerably better. By the way, your peanut butter does not separate because you refrigerate it - most kinds don't if kept cool. That is the right thing to do as mild toxins will often grow in peanut butter if not refrigerated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyleonhard Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Er... anyway, please pipe in if you know where some other brands of natural peanut butter are hanging out inBKK. I remember Chiang Mai had "Tida Bear" brand (crunchy, smooth, both with and without extra sweetener) and some other brands that I can't recall. I know where to get outstanding, all natural, very crunchy peanut butter in Phuket, but I don't think I'm allowed to mention where. Inexpensive, too. It separates naturally - stir with a spoon the first time, then store in the fridge after you've opened it. PM me if you're interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unblocktheplanet Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I've been buying fresh ground natural peanut butter from Bangkok Xian Guest House (123 Saladaeng, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand 02-233-6303) for almost twenty years! (They used to roast beautiful granola, too, but not anymore.) They’re not on Saladaeng but on the street running parallel to Silom at the back side of Central Dept Store, the guesthouse is closer to the Spo Convent end. Smooth only, I think, though I'd prefer crunchy. B100/tub. We stock up and store it in the freezer. Almost all commercial peanut butters use hydrogenated oil to keep the p.b. from separating and are loaded up with sugar—second ingredient after peanuts!—or, worse HFCS and salt, of course. Heart attack in a jar! If you have a good quality, strong food processor, or juicer with extruder attachment, you can buy great quality roasted peanuts at any Thai fresh market and make your own. Prefer the redskins myself. Mmmmmm...peanut butter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmyp Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Unblock: I'm going the Xian Guest House tomorrow and getting some pb! Anyone know where else can I get homemade peanut butter in BKK? Would love to pay someone else to do the grunt work, especially cuz I don't have a blender. jfd or anyone else: Any idea where can I get a whole big bag of peanuts? I'm sure they're everywhere, but the biggest bags I've found have been 500 g (like you described using). Suppose I could just buy a bunch of 500 g bags... And thanks a ton for the photos. I've seen those crazy over-priced tiny jars, too. Can't justify buying those, too small, and silly price. Missed the Skippy when I was at Villa last time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Timmy, thanks for your post... I hadn't known anything about the Xian place you mentioned, so that's news to me...and I'm glad to know of it. In my case, I do have an electronic food processor, and it works great for blending a 500g package of peeled peanuts that I've roasted at home in my own oven... I've never had the need to go looking for larger packages quantities of peanuts... When I roast and blend a package, usually the resulting quantity lasts me a week or so in the refrigerator... And I've never had any problem with the blend getting old or stale in the frig... since fortunately, it never lasts long enough to get old. Re Villa, of course, what they stock varies from location to location, and whether you're catching them when they've just received their import shipment, or later when the shelves are bare... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) Almost all commercial peanut butters use hydrogenated oil to keep the p.b. from separating and are loaded up with sugarsecond ingredient after peanuts!or, worse HFCS and salt, of course. Heart attack in a jar! I think that you are exaggerating - although I prefer to use no sugar or hydrogenated oils. Sugar is the second ingredient, because there is so little else added besides very small amounts of hydrogenated oils and salt. Usually commercial peanut butters are not "loaded up" with sugar although there is some added. Edited January 16, 2011 by Ulysses G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailaw Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I've been making my own homemade PB here the past year or so using 500g bags of hulled peanuts from Tesco, and it tastes great!!! Why? I control the roasting in my oven, so I let the peanuts gets a medium brown colored roast, and then blend them SOLO in my electric food processor... No oil (I tried that first, and found I didn't need it, and that it made my PB too runny), no salt, no nothing else... Just peanuts 100%... And the deep, rich roasted flavor really comes thru in the blend... far more than any commercial PB I've ever had. Can you please tell me the temperature (centigrade) and time for roasting the peanuts? Do you coat the peanuts with oil before roasting? I have seen that suggested elsewhere. Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siamquilter Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 The small bottle are Healthy Mate brand, a Thai company. Some of their spreads have honey. They also do an almond butter and organic apple cider vinegar. However none of their products are cheap. Also available at Lemon Farm supermarkets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siamquilter Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 If you have access to Makro, you can get multi-packs of 500 grams. They also have cashews and other nuts for an alternative to PB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) Can you please tell me the temperature (centigrade) and time for roasting the peanuts? Do you coat the peanuts with oil before roasting? I have seen that suggested elsewhere. Thanks, Thailaw, I'm no expert on this, and from what I've read, there seems to be some conflicting views on the proper ways to do the roasting process in terms of temperature... From what I've read, the typical commercial approach to roasting is to user relatively higher temperatures of 300 or 400 C.... But, then, I also read that heating peanuts to such high temperatures degrades or kills the nutritional/healthful components of the peanuts, and that instead suggested using a lower temperature of about 120 C for a half hour or so... I've been using that latter process for my home roasting...and the result after 30 to 45 minutes seems quite good for my taste.... And it certainly works well in terms of providing a good product for blending in the food processor... When I roast, I just spread the peanuts out on a flat baking sheet....and then rotate the sheet and the peanuts one time during the process to promote even cooking. I don't add anything to them while roasting, and I don't usually add anything in the blending...except sometimes if the batch is dry/drier, I'll add a touch of rice bran oil. Edited January 16, 2011 by jfchandler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailaw Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Can you please tell me the temperature (centigrade) and time for roasting the peanuts? Do you coat the peanuts with oil before roasting? I have seen that suggested elsewhere. Thanks, Thailaw, I'm no expert on this, and from what I've read, there seems to be some conflicting views on the proper ways to do the roasting process in terms of temperature... From what I've read, the typical commercial approach to roasting is to user relatively higher temperatures of 300 or 400 C.... But, then, I also read that heating peanuts to such high temperatures degrades or kills the nutritional/healthful components of the peanuts, and that instead suggested using a lower temperature of about 120 C for a half hour or so... I've been using that latter process for my home roasting...and the result after 30 to 45 minutes seems quite good for my taste.... And it certainly works well in terms of providing a good product for blending in the food processor... When I roast, I just spread the peanuts out on a flat baking sheet....and then rotate the sheet and the peanuts one time during the process to promote even cooking. I don't add anything to them while roasting, and I don't usually add anything in the blending...except sometimes if the batch is dry/drier, I'll add a touch of rice bran oil. Thanks. I have a 500 gr back of peanuts, and I am going to follow your lead and try making some home made PB. I'll try 120'C and see what happens..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genericnic Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Buy peanuts, put in blender, add some oil, salt, and blend. For smooth peanut butter blend long time for chunky..... figure that out yourself. It tastes different because all the artificial shit is left out. You mean it actually tastes like peanuts? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Thanks. I have a 500 gr back of peanuts, and I am going to follow your lead and try making some home made PB. I'll try 120'C and see what happens..... Good luck with that... Let folks here know how it turns out... The nice part is, at 35 baht or so per bag for hulled peanuts , it's easy to experiment a bit until you get it right, for your tastes... I also tried using the peanuts with skins on early on... But for my taste, I didn't care for the consistency and taste when the skins were ground into the mix. PS - When I blend the nuts in my electronic food processor, without adding anything else, it takes a bit of blending before it finally produces a real spread... First just like ground dry nuts...then you keep going, and they begin to ball up and stick together....and sometimes you need to shake the food processor or stop and tamp the ball down, and then the ball collapses and begins to turn into a spread that lies evenly across the bottom of the blender, and thus is evenly hit by your blending blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailaw Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Thanks. I have a 500 gr back of peanuts, and I am going to follow your lead and try making some home made PB. I'll try 120'C and see what happens..... Good luck with that... Let folks here know how it turns out... The nice part is, at 35 baht or so per bag for hulled peanuts , it's easy to experiment a bit until you get it right, for your tastes... I also tried using the peanuts with skins on early on... But for my taste, I didn't care for the consistency and taste when the skins were ground into the mix. PS - When I blend the nuts in my electronic food processor, without adding anything else, it takes a bit of blending before it finally produces a real spread... First just like ground dry nuts...then you keep going, and they begin to ball up and stick together....and sometimes you need to shake the food processor or stop and tamp the ball down, and then the ball collapses and begins to turn into a spread that lies evenly across the bottom of the blender, and thus is evenly hit by your blending blade. Got it, thanks. I think that I may add a few drops of EVOO to ease the blending process.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillR Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 believe it or not you can roast peanuts in the microwave. Probably not as good but it works:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmyp Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Just hit Villa and the floor of the Emporium. PB choices were slim pickens. No Skippy Natural to be found, only the tiny jar of Healthy Choice. I bought two and dropped one just after leaving the store. Apologies to anyone who slips in the peanut oil. Is somebody in town hording the natural pb?? I'm really surprised that Chiang Mai has a wider selection (and cheaper) than Big Bangkok. I've been buying fresh ground natural peanut butter from Bangkok Xian Guest House (123 Saladaeng, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand 02-233-6303) for almost twenty years! I plan to head over to the Xian Guest House as mentioned by unblock and get some freshly ground pb. Thanks again for the lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfchandler Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 It's really hit or miss as to when the "natural" peanut butters can be found on the shelves around BKK grocery stores... I'd wager, probably the best bet day to day would be places like Central Chidlom market, Paragon Market and Villa Soi 31. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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