Preparing & Cooking Chestnuts
Chestnuts come in a raw state and need to be cooked using one of the below methods, raw chestnuts have a bland taste but when roasted they are described as tasting like a sweet potato. Chestnuts have many different uses besides roasting, check Chestnut Recipes sections for many great ideas.
How to Prepare
Chestnuts have three layers, an outer shell, an inner skin (pellicle) and within all that the fleshy nut that you can eat when cooked.
1. Lay chestnut on its side
2. Cut or score halfway around the outer shell and pellicle.
Cooking Methods
Dry roast: . Cook precut chestnuts on a hot surface until shells open along cut. A dry frying pan will suffice (no oil or water) turning often.
Roast by open fire, barbecue, Wok: Frequently turn precut chestnuts over a flame or under a grill, until shells blacken and open and flesh is soft.
Microwave: Place single layer of prepared chestnuts in a covered mircowave container on 850 watts/high for 2-3 minutes until shell opens and flesh is soft.
Boil or steam: Place precut chestnuts in a pan of cold water or steamer, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until shell opens and flesh is soft.
Stirfry: Add cooked chestnuts at the end of a stirfry and heat through. If using raw chestnuts, peel outer shell, chop and cook with other vegetables.
Puree: Peel cooked chestnuts, halve, scoop out the flesh and puree in blender with liquid according to a recipe.
Oven: We do not recommend baking in an oven. This method does not achieve the right temperature difference between the nut and shell to enable easy removal. The nut will become overly cooked and dried out.
How to Peel
Wrap cooked chestnuts in a tea towel. When slightly cooled remove outer shell and inner brown skin or pellicle while warm and damp.
Storage
Store chestnuts in an airtight container or plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator. If stored correctly they can stay fresh for up to a month but are best eaten soon after purchase. For storage for longer periods we recommend firstly cooking your Chestnuts (roast or boil). After cooking, shell them and leave to cool overnight. When they have cooled and lost most of the moisture they can be sealed into small containers/ freezer bags and frozen until needed. They can be defrosted when required and reheated. Great for Xmas Chestnut dishes.