The difference between almond meal and almond flour

1. LunchScraps.com The difference between almond meal and almond flour Almond meal, almond flour, what's the deal with that? It could have been the opening line of a particularly poor comic in the 80's but it has been a common question for those on a low carb or gluten-free diet wanting to step up their pastry game. Strolling through your local supermarket, in between pondering the meaning of life, you might have asked yourself "is there any significant difference between almond meal and almond flour?" Yes and no my friend, yes and no. Both almond meal and almond flour are made up from ground up sweet almonds, but because almond flour is made from skinless blanched almonds it has a finer grind to it compared to almond meal, which is usually made from ground up almonds with their skin still on. It's therefore advisable to use almond meal in baked goods where a bit of a flakey texture doesn't matter, I'm talking your cookies and brownies here, while reserving the almond flour for the finer stuff like your delicious cake recipes. It's therefore fair to say that the difference between almond meal and almond flour lays exclusively in their difference in texture, almond flour is (usually) a finer, more ground up form of almond meal. That's why you'll often hear the two terms used interchangeably, which is probably the main cause for the confusion behind the difference between almond meal and almond flour. Is almond meal healthy? Since the difference between almond meal and almond flour doesn't lay in the way they were made there's no difference between the health benefits of the two either. As with most things pastry the key lays in moderation. Research has shown that almonds contain unstable fats, otherwise known as polyunsaturated fats, which when ground up and consumed in excess can cause inflammation and other health problems. Almonds are rich in Vitamin E to somewhat counter this effect, although it remains unclear to which degree Vitamin E protects the unstable fats from oxidizing when ground up and thus being moderately detrimental to your health when consumed in excess. It's however not all bad news here, since besides being rich in Vitamin E almond meal is also rich in monounsaturated fats, which are "the good kind" of fats also found in olive oil

2. that reduce the risk of heart disease. Add to this the known cholesterol lowering effects of almond nuts and it's still fair to say that one almond meal based cake a day will keep the doctor away. Or almond flour based, because besides the more flakey texture of almond meal there's really not much difference between almond meal and almond flour. But you'll have to also keep in mind that both almond meal and almond flour, since they are made of ground up nuts, are high in calories. Moderation is therefore key, if you stick to one portion of almond meal based pastry a day you're totally fine and the pro's of the mighty almond nut greatly outweigh the cons. Is almond meal gluten-free? Almond meal is definitely gluten-free. This makes it an excellent choice for people practicing a Paleo diet or the unfortunate souls cursed with gluten-intolerance . It however also poses some practical problems since the lack of gluten in almond meal compared to regular flower means you'll need to use another ingredient to keep your pastry of choice together. Taking a regular cake recipe and simply replacing the regular flour with almond meal will result in a cake that fails to bind and thicken, and thus disappointment all around. If you're not worried about keeping the recipe gluten free a mix with regular flour will do the binding and thickening trick. Start by replacing a fourth of the regular flour with almond meal, see how it turns out and slowly "work your way up" from there. As a rule of thumb going 50/50 on your almond meal/regular flour ratio will yield great, nutty one might say tee-hee, results. If you want to keep it gluten free a great alternative to use is Xanthan Gum, which has both the thickening and binding qualities you're looking for without adding the gluten you're desperately trying to avoid. Not surprisingly there's no difference between almond meal and almond flour when it comes to gluten. So the final verdict on the difference between almond meal and almond flour? Besides the difference in texture there's isn't much, almond flour is simply a finer, more ground down version of almond meal. You can therefore grind down your almond meal into almond flour if your recipe calls for it. The health benefits are a mixed bag, practice moderation and you'll however, like so often in life, be perfectly fine. LunchScraps.com