5 December 2015 Chestnuts

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/2015/December 2015/5 December 2015 Chesnuts/HTML/ 5 December 2015 Chestnuts
Cooking chestnuts using the microwave.The nut is scored with a cross using a knife and hammer. This is to release air when cooking, otherwise the nut explodes. The nut is cooked for 1.11 minutes. The shell and lining is then finger removed by pulling the protruding corners of the cross.The nuts are perfect and were purchased from Costco.

 

[IcyBC]

I like chestnut and at this time of year, our local fruits and vegetables are having so many different types of nuts on display. I have to buy some and try out your method.

 

[Maelalove]

I've never actually had Chestnuts, ever, and I am so curious about it. No one around my area really makes them(as far as I've been aware. We have plenty of holiday traditions but that's not one of them). I'm not sure if they're hard to grow here, or what it may be, but where do you usually get them from? Are you ordering them or growing them yourselves? I'm so excited just thinking of it, I've wanted to roast some chestnuts and try it out for so long.

 

[Corzhens]

We love roasted chestnuts and we are fortunately that it is available here. There are chestnuts vendors who appear by the roadside right there in the city during the Christmas season. Sometimes they appear as early as November and stay there until the middle of January. A kilo of roasted chestnuts costs a little less than $10 so it is not exorbitant in the standards of the middle class.

 

[Maelalove]

We love roasted chestnuts and we are fortunately that it is available here. There are chestnuts vendors who appear by the roadside right there in the city during the Christmas season. Sometimes they appear as early as November and stay there until the middle of January. A kilo of roasted chestnuts costs a little less than $10 so it is not exorbitant in the standards of the middle class.

Oh man! I don't live in a big city(more suburbs, and definitely still don't see many vendors in our "downtown" areas) and so I never really get to see it. Maybe if I took a trip to the city during the holiday I might be able to get it, but I couldn't be too sure. Yours sound amazing, though!

 

[Corzhens]

There is actually a chestnut vendor near one of my offices (I have 2 office locations) which is walking distance so I would probably pass by there before going home and buy half a kilo for an after dinner snack. What we do is reheat the chestnut in the oven toaster for 2 or 3 minutes so it will become crispy and better to eat.

 

[Bootsy]

We're fortunate to be able to buy fresh chestnuts.

We don't have a microwave so can't try that method.

Boiling them is one way of cooking them which leaves them very juicy but my favourite way is the old fashioned method - putting them in the ash can that is under the grate of an open fireplace. We score them first (just a small cross made in the top with the point of a knife) and they open up, as in Durgan's picture, and it's easy to judge when they're cooked by looking at the slightly toasted effect that can be seen through the opening.

The shell also gets crispy and is easy to remove. Pick it up using a cloth, give it a little squeeze and it cracks open. Then the pieces of shell flake off. The flavour is fantastic.

 

[Maelalove]

We're fortunate to be able to buy fresh chestnuts.

We don't have a microwave so can't try that method.

Boiling them is one way of cooking them which leaves them very juicy but my favourite way is the old fashioned method - putting them in the ash can that is under the grate of an open fireplace. We score them first (just a small cross made in the top with the point of a knife) and they open up, as in Durgan's picture, and it's easy to judge when they're cooked by looking at the slightly toasted effect that can be seen through the opening.

The shell also gets crispy and is easy to remove. Pick it up using a cloth, give it a little squeeze and it cracks open. Then the pieces of shell flake off. The flavour is fantastic.

You made me jealous and hungry all at once just by reading this, haha.
If I ever do get chestnuts, I'm going to be trying both of those methods, they sound amazing.