If peanuts can be chopped up finely and still be dry, how come grinding them makes them pasty?

Question

If peanuts can be chopped up finely and still be dry, how come grinding them makes them pasty?

In: 29

Answer 1

Peanuts have the same amount of oil in them, no matter if they’re whole, chopped, or ground. With that in mind, think of them like sponges. The inside holds the oil, and so appears dry when they’re whole, but as the peanut particles get smaller, the internal oil is pushed out, resulting in a more oily, and finally pasty, consistency.