What the Shell?! Welcome to Your New Snack Obsession

PHOTO COURTESY OF FORGE FRIED

Aric Christensen and Molly Krichten knew it was nuts to start a new business in this economy, but the couple also knew they had a great product.

Forge Fried sells whole, seasoned peanuts fried in 100% peanut oil that you eat, shell and all. They’re a common snack in Florida, where Christensen spent 20 years of his life. Like most northerners, Pennsylvania-born Kritchten was skeptical at first. You might as well chew on tree bark, right?

But once she tried the peanuts, she melted like butter.

The frying process makes the shell crispier than the roasted version, but without drying out the nut itself. Think fried chicken, but with peanuts instead of poultry. The Forge Fried mascots, as-yet-unnamed cartoon peanuts created by GamerHeroine, are what caught my attention on social media. My taste buds soon followed suit.

IMAGE BY GAMERHEROINE

The couple buys whole, washed legumes wholesale, then fries them and dries them in small batches several times a week in their state-inspected and licensed home kitchen on the North Side. Due to the high demand, they’re already looking to expand.

The satisfyingly crunchy munchies are available in a variety of flavors, such as Simply Salt, Garlic dusted with Uncle Jammy’s Garlic Lovin’ Rub, the ginger-soy-based Golden Boy and Spicy made with dried Scotch Bonnet peppers from Sewickley-based KizzleFoods. You can buy them in 14-, 12.5-, 8- and 4-ounce bags online, at The Grand Candy Shop in Mars, Cookie Cookie Ice Cream in Kennedy and at events throughout the region. On Dec. 13, Forge Fried will be shelling out snacks at the annual Christmas market at North Country Brewing Co.’s production facility in Slippery Rock.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FORGE FRIED

I interviewed Christensen and Krichten at Four Points Brewing in Allegheny West and can attest that fried peanuts and craft beer are the perfect combination.

Since launching the company last summer, the couple has been experimenting with different local seasonings and hopes to collaborate with area bars, restaurants and, of course, ballparks.