Do I dry boiled peanuts before eating them?

by Janice
(Yarmouth, MA)

We recently returned from a trip to South Carolina, and we bought some boiled peanuts from a farm stand. The man scooped the peanuts out of water, and put them in a plastic bag. We bought them May 18th, and they are still soaking wet. We did dump them out on some paper bags to try to absorb some of the water, and hopefully dry them out some. Are they supposed to stay wet? If not how do we dry them out? I tried to put a few between some paper towels, and put them in the microwave briefly but that didn't seem to help much. I was going to try to put them in the oven but didn't try it yet.


My boyfriend has enjoyed boiled peanuts several times while visiting South Carolina, but he always had them at a bar, and they were already dry. He had his heart set for some, but now he's disappointed, and thinks the man at the farm stand took advantage of him. Any suggestions?

Comments for Do I dry boiled peanuts before eating them?

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May 24, 2014
 Wet boiled p nuts
by: Bubba C.

I'm from South Carolina, and the proper way to eat boiled peanuts is to suck the juice out of shell before eating the nut. A dry boiled peanut is not a desirable boiled peanut in the south. They are supposed to be moist and even juicy! :-)
May 29, 2014
 Should boiled peanuts be eaten wet or dry?
by: Bret

I agree with Bubba. We eat boiled peanuts wet, and like the shells to be full of juice. Sucking the juice from the shells contributes to the flavor of the boiled peanuts inside.

In Hawaii they do have boiled then dried peanuts, but these are not common in the mainland. The texture of dried after boiled peanuts is very different than traditional boiled peanuts served in southern USA states.
Jul 28, 2014
 Boiled Peanuts vs. Roasted Peanuts
by: Anonymous

Boiled peanuts are wet, soft, and juicy. Roasted peanuts are dry, and hard.
Oct 10, 2014
 Wet Peanuts
by: Ron Mason

My wife's dad visiting us here in south Alabama from west Texas several years ago couldn't even understand the concept of "wet peanuts". Some people just don't get it.
But yes, they're supposed to be wet and juicy and soft and salty.
Oct 20, 2014
 Dry Boiled Peanuts?
by: Anonymous

I lived in South Carolina for 10 years and learned to love boiled peanuts there. I never heard of dry boiled peanuts.
Oct 03, 2016
 You're talking about roasted, not boiled.
by: Ashley

It took me a second to regain my composure after reading this. At first i thought it was a joke. Boiled peanuts are never dry. And bars never serve boiled peanuts. They are always served roasted in bars. Boiled peanuts are best when they are good and soggy and you can chew up the shell and all. Go on the hunt for roasted and stay away from boiled unless you are ready for a mouth full of heaven.

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