How to Toast Nuts in the Microwave

Fourth week of March. Macy and Henry came up for a Saturday — second time Henry has been on the property. Henry helped me in the workshop with a small project — repairing a chair Hannah has had in the kitchen for fifteen years and which had a wobbly leg. Henry has hands. He took to the welding I showed him. I taught him a small bead. He was attentive. After the chair was fixed he said: I could like this. I said: come take a class. He said: I will. I think he might.

Macy and Hannah talked in the kitchen. Macy was telling her about nursing school. Twenty-one and on a path. She has changed. She is more open than she was a year ago. The Tulsa move was the right move. I texted Caleb later that day: Macy is doing fine. He texted back: I know. I see her every couple weeks. I had not known he was seeing her every couple weeks. I texted: when. He texted: she comes by. I asked her to. He texted: she's my daughter. I said the same thing back at him: she's your daughter. The reckoning between Caleb and Macy is theirs and is happening on its own time. I am not a part of it except as the uncle who let her stay summers when Caleb couldn't parent. The work I did with Macy was the work I did. The work Caleb is doing now with Macy is the work he is doing. The arc of our two roles is shifting. He is becoming her father in a way he has been ready to become for years.

Sunday morning the morels came. The first cluster — eight under the south oak. I gathered them. I left two for spore. I came back Monday and found six more elsewhere. The mushroom hunt has begun.

The morels always pull me back into the kitchen with a certain reverence — I don’t want to overthink them, but I do want everything around them to be right. Toasted nuts have become a regular finishing touch for me this time of year, scattered over a simple morel sauté or a spring green salad, and I keep coming back to this microwave method because it’s fast, forgiving, and consistent — the kind of small technique, like teaching Henry that first weld bead, where the payoff is bigger than the effort suggests.

Prep Time: 2 min | Cook Time: 4 min | Total Time: 6 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup raw nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts)
1 teaspoon neutral oil or melted butter (optional)
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the nuts. If using oil or butter, toss the nuts with it in a bowl until evenly coated. Spread them in a single, even layer on a microwave-safe plate — no piling or overlapping.
First interval. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove the plate and stir or shake the nuts to redistribute them evenly.
Continue in short bursts. Return to the microwave and cook in 30-second intervals, stirring after each one. After each interval, check for color and smell — you’re looking for a light golden color and a warm, nutty fragrance.
Watch the final minute closely. Most nuts finish between 3 and 4 minutes total, but microwaves vary. The nuts will continue to toast slightly from residual heat after they come out, so pull them just before they look fully done.
Season and cool. Transfer immediately to a clean plate or cutting board — not the hot one they cooked on. Sprinkle with salt if using. Let cool for 2–3 minutes before using or storing. Nuts crisp further as they cool.
Store. Keep any unused toasted nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or freeze for up to two months.

Nutrition (per serving)

How to Toast Nuts in the Microwave — A Simple Skill Worth Knowing, Like Learning a Bead