There are light and dark varieties of tahini. Light tahini is used in hummus.
Tahini is probably best known as the major ingredient in hummus besides chickpeas. While the process of making tahini has several steps, the sesame seed is the only ingredient. To make tahini, sesame seeds are soaked in water for 24 hours and crushed to loosen the bran from the kernel. The crushed seeds are then placed in a salt water solution. The bran sinks to the bottom and the seed kernels are removed from the water, toasted and milled to produce the oily sesame paste known as tahini. When you buy tahini in the market, it usually comes with an expiration date, but you can preserve the food for a longer time by freezing it.
Instructions
1. Look inside your container of tahini. It can be frozen in glass jars, sealable plastic bags, or air-tight plastic containers, but the trick is that tahini will expand slightly when it freezes, much as water expands when it turns to ice. Therefore, leave at least 1 inch of headspace in whatever container you are choosing to use. If you do not have that much, you will need to switch to a larger container.
2. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the mouth of the container. Doing so will help prevent freezer burn. If you are using a container that is air-tight and recommended for freezing, you can skip this step.
3. Place the tahini in the freezer. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, frozen food is safe from the growth of bacteria, and therefore almost always safe for consumption. However, the quality of the food can certainly suffer over time. Consider discarding your frozen tahini after a year in the freezer.
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