Best Peanut Butter - need help

[Guybrush]

Hi,

I am an Austrian tourist heading to LA in 2 weeks. I would love to buy some really good peanut butter. I like smooth and salty peanut butter with or without chunks. I hate gooey (is this the right word???) peanut butter that sticks to my teeth and palatine.

[monavano]

I switched to Kirkland Organic PB from Costco and wow! what a difference. Can't switch back to Peter Pan and such.

[wolterpynaffit]

I joined this site JUST to answer this question, so I hope you haven't left the states yet. If your looking for really smooth, Peter Pan peanut butter would be good. (but its too oily for my liking) I'm in love with the thicker peanut butters, the kind that you really need a glass of milk to drink with. So if your into that, Maranatha makes really good peanut butter (they also make other types of butters like Almond butter and some sort of chocolate PB :)

heres a link to their website incase your interested in what they have to offer :)

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/nc...

[mamaciita]

Jif Extra Crunchy gets my vote!

[Sean]

Simply JIF is the one for me, less salt and sugar, more peanut flavor...

[Becca Porter]

Jif all the way! They came out with a natural version, that I will actually eat instead of original Jif creamy.

[coney with everything]

second Jif Extra Crunchy

[nofunlatte]

I like Trader Joe's Peanut Butter made with Valencia peanuts--I get the TJ's Organic Crunchy. It is salted and I think there is a creamy (smooth) version as well.

[diablo]

Jif, any style, will meet your criteria.

[qwertyu]

Trader Joe's organic crunchy is hands down my favorite peanut butter

[Jen76]

Mine, too. I could eat it by the spoonful.

[jcr1]

For traditional peanut butter (no emulsifiers, added sugar, etc.) - Arrowhead Mills makes an outstanding product. Superb peanuts from Deaf Smith County, Texas (and no, I'm not from there and don't work for the company)... perfectly roasted... done right. Classic stuff for a jarred product.

The only problem is that it may be tough to find. Try a natural foods market or their website.

Arrowhead Mills also makes an spectacular almond butter... deep roasted with intense flavor... other products too - www.arrowheadmills.com

I have often found a problem with some peanut butters that are "freshly made" in a store or some farmer's markets. The problem is the peanuts... for example, everytime I've tried Whole Foods market PB, it tastes a bit stale and rancid... the quality of the peanuts doesn't seem very good either. Of course, it's best to try sample and check it out for yourself. Also, the machines or the settings on the machines often produce a somewhat coarse grind - on the other hand, having said all that, a farmer at my local farmer's market produces an intense, spectacular almond butter... so you never know...

For regular commercial peanut butter... if JIF is still like what i remember as a kid, you will find it very smooth with good flavor, color, and intensity...

[Bat Guano]

I eat peanut butter for breakfast several times per week, and have tried a number of different kinds; to my own surprise, I actually seem to like Jif Extra Crunchy best. It's one of the commercial emulsified brands, which means the oil doesn't separate, but it has a nice texture and just tastes good, like fresh peanuts. Not very salty, but not bland either. Doesn't seem to be too sticky, though I haven't really paid attention to this factor. Oh, and even though it's emulsfied, it does not contain any trans-fats, as some brands may.

[pikawicca]

I, too, am a Jif fan, but I usually go for the creamy variety.

[monku]

I don't Skippy Super Chunk for me. Life time Skippy fan.

[Gigi007]

I love Skippy and like Jif, if that makes sense. I feel like Skippy has more flavor, but sometimes I prefer the smoother texture of Jif. It depends what kind of sandwich or snack I'm making.

[cgj]

One question to answer for yourself: do you want natural p-nut butter, where the oil separates in the jar and needs to be re-stirred, or do you want a more commercial product, with emulsifiers (the peanut stays mixed). Natural peanut butter can be a little more coarse. (I myself prefer commcerial brands and am happy with smooth Skippy, but I'd get slammed for saying so, I suspect.)

[Guybrush]

I don't like unsalted, coarse or sticky peanut butter. I guess I prefer smooth commercial peanut butter with emulsifiers and salt. Arrowhead Mills, Smuckers Natural Smooth and Trader Joe's organic crunchy need to be re-stirred or are unsalted. Skippy is the only american brand I can buy everywhere in Austria. I wanna try something else. I find little information about Deaf Smith County. Jif sounds good. Perhaps I go for that one.

[weezycom]

I'm a big Jif fan. Skippy is too salty for my tastes. I think Jif has a stronger peanut flavor.

[Barb Werner]

Hi from Montclair, NJ. I love Smuckers Natural Smooth pb. Very good peanut taste and a good texture, IMHO. I've been buying it forever.

[sueatmo]

Hear, hear! But is Smuckers sold on the West Coast?

[Caitlin McGrath]

Nope. West Coast equivalent would be Laura Scudder's, sold at every mainstream supermarket, and serviceable if it's your only natural PB option, just like Smucker's.

[chandler212]

If you want a pre-packaged, commonly available commercial brand, Arrowhead Mills makes a good one.

[monku]

At Magee's Kitchen at the world famous Farmer's Market on 3rd and Fairfax in Los Angeles you can watch them make fresh peanut butter.

Whole Food Market makes fresh peanut butter at their locations.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/

[Guybrush]

Hmm... two options:
1, no one cares about peanut butter
2, no one understands my awkward english