Chestnuts: Choosing, Roasting, Boiling, and Storing

Choosing Chestnuts:

Chestnuts are available from October through March with the peak being the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Cooked and shelled chestnuts can be purchased and are available in sealed jars and left unopened will last up to a year. . If chestnuts from jar are too firm when opened add water and steam them for a few minutes to soften. Chestnut puree is sometimes found in speciality stores, Dried chestnuts can also be found in speciality or Asian markets.

When choosing fresh chestnuts look for the following:

Hard and shiny shells
They do not rattle when shaken
Unblemished shells that are heavy for their size are optimal
Store in refrigerator in perforated bags for up to 1 week

Roasting Chestnuts:

Roasting Chestnuts is a very simple task. Just follow these few simple steps:

Wipe off the nuts with a damp cloth
Cut a X through the base of the shell
Place nuts with the X side up in a pan
Place pan in 450 degree oven and cook for about 20 minutes
Remove nuts when shells have burst open and the nut meat looks golden brown
Cool shells just long enough so that you can hold them and peel the shells

Shelling Chestnuts:

Shelling/Blanching Chestnuts Pan/Oven Method:

Wipe chestnuts with damp cloth
Cut an X through shell at base
Place nuts in skillet along with 1/2 tsp of butter per each cup of chestnuts
Shake skillet over heat until butter is melted
Place in cold oven and let sit for 5 minutes
Remove from oven and remove shells with knife
This method accomplishes both shelling and blanching as one step as skins adhere to shells

Boiling Chestnuts:

Boiling Chestnuts:

Place chestnuts in pan and half cover with water
Boil 20 minutes
Empty Water from pan, leaving chestnuts in pan to dry off with the pan still over low heat (This will insure chestnuts do not crumble when peel)
Peel and Store in tightly covered jars in refrigerator