Chestnuts are not like other nuts! Chestnuts have a sweet taste and delicate aroma. They are great with wine and are a traditional turkey-stuffing ingredient. During the fall, there are chestnut recipes featured in cooking magazines. Once cooked, they must be peeled.
Storage: Fresh chestnuts should always be refrigerated to prevent drying out. If they sit out for a day or two – especially when fresh – that is ok and may help in easier peeling. They can also be placed in zip lock bags and stored in the freezer for later use.
To cook: Prior to cooking it is ok to let them sit out for a day on the counter to allow a little dehydration which will help in the peeling.
Two methods work well, boiling and roasting.
- If you are new to chestnuts, it is probably best to begin by boiling. The larger the size, the longer the boil. For the Giants, we suggest an hour and less time for the smaller sizes. Let the chestnuts cool and then peel. When boiled, the chestnuts have more of a potato consistency – they are not crunchy.
- “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” Everyone has heard the song! Before any type of roasting, the chestnuts must be scored! Cut an ‘X’ into the flat side of each nut with a sharp paring knife. If you don’t do this they will explode – like a baked potato that hasn’t been “forked.” Roast in oven on cookie sheet at 350 degrees until the peel starts to curl back and you can smell them. Larger chestnuts may take 30 minutes while smaller ones may be done in 15-20 minutes. Some people roast outdoors on the bbq. The trick here is to not overcook either in the oven or on the bbq because they will be hard as rocks.
After chestnuts are cooked, let them cool until you can handle them. They must be peeled and there are two skins that need to be removed. A small paring knife is used and you peel them from the pointy side down in sections.