Peel Chestnuts

Chestnuts are harvested during the fall and usually eaten most often during the holiday season. You can eat chestnuts alone, or incorporate them into stuffing, pies, and other delicious recipes. Chestnuts are a treat to eat, but often fairly difficult to peel. Peeling chestnuts can be stress-free by microwaving, boiling, or baking them to remove the shells.

Steps

Microwaving Chestnuts

1. Make an X on the belly of the chestnut. Use a sharp chef’s knife or serrated knife. Cut an X shape into the flat side, or belly, of the chestnuts. Cut as deeply as you can without cutting the chestnut into pieces.
   • Wear rubber or leather gloves while you cut to avoid cutting yourself because chestnuts can be slippery.
2. Put the chestnuts in a glass baking dish. Put the chestnuts in single layer in a glass baking dish. It doesn’t matter if the chestnuts are touching, but they should not be on top of each other. Cover the dish with a layer of waxed paper.
3. Microwave the chestnuts on high for 6 minutes. Put the glass dish covered with wax paper into the microwave. The chestnuts are ready when the shells start to pull back. You can microwave the chestnuts for a minute more if the shells haven’t pulled back after 6 minutes.
4. Use a knife to remove the shells. Allow the chestnuts to cool for a minute because they may be very hot after removing them from the microwave. Use a small, but sharp knife to peel off shells and as much of the inner brown skins as possible. This may take some effort, so work slowly and carefully in order to avoid injury.

Boiling Chestnuts

1. Boil the chestnuts in a pot of water. Turn the heat on the stove to a high setting. Let the chestnuts boil for only a few minutes. Then, remove the pot from the heat.
2. Remove a few chestnuts with a strainer. Remove about five chestnuts at a time with the strainer. You can work with up to ten chestnuts at a time, but you should start with a smaller amount until you feel comfortable with the technique.
3. Use a towel to remove the chestnut skins. Wrap the hot chestnuts in a thick, clean towel. Use your hands to work the towel over the chestnuts. Rub with the towel for a few minutes. The skins should begin to peel off.
4. Remove the skins with rubber gloves. Put on rubber gloves. Any type of clean, unused rubber gloves will work. Working one at time, rub the chestnut until the skin begins to peel off. The skins should peel of easily if they have been boiled enough.

Using the Oven

1. Make a long slice on top of the chestnuts. First, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Take the chestnut and place it between your index finger and thumb. Holding it firmly, use a serrated knife to make a long cut on the rounded top of the chestnut. Try to make the cut in one motion. The cut should be horizontal and penetrate all the way through the shell.
   • If you can’t make the cut in one motion, use a gentle sawing motion.
2. Put the chestnuts in a small saucepan. Place the chestnuts in a small saucepan once all of them have been cut. Do not layer them on top of each other. Cover the chestnuts in water.
3. Turn the heat to a medium-high setting. Allow the water to simmer. Then, remove the chestnuts with a strainer before the water begins to boil.
   • You can also use a slotted spoon to remove the chestnuts.
4. Bake the chestnuts for 15 minutes. Transfer the chestnuts from the strainer to a baking sheet. Roast them in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. You may need to leave them in a little longer if the skins haven’t peeled back after 15 minutes.
5. Put the chestnuts in a covered bowl. After taking the chestnuts out of the oven, put them in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel. Let the chestnuts sit for 15 minutes.
   • The steam created in the covered bowl will make the chestnuts easier to peel.
6. Peel the chestnuts. After 15 minutes, you should be able easily peel off the shells and skins with your hands. Some of the chestnuts may be slightly more difficult than others to peel. Throw out any chestnuts that are gooey or have disintegrated inside.

Tips

• To serve, sauté the chestnuts until golden brown after peeling them and add 1 tablespoon (14.2 g) of butter.
• You can purchase chestnuts at most supermarkets and at some farmer’s markets.

Warnings

• Be mindful when using a knife to cut into chestnuts.
• Wait for chestnuts to cool before handling them after being boiled or taken out of the oven.

Things You’ll Need

• Chestnuts
• Serrated knife
• Glass baking dish
• Waxed paper
• Pot
• Strainer
• Towel
• Bowl
• Sauce pan
• Baking sheet
• Gloves (for protection)

Sources and Citations

See also

• Peel a Difficult Hard Boiled Egg
• Peel a Pomelo
• Peel an Egg
• Peel a Pineapple
• Peel a Mango
• Peel a Banana
• Peel Garlic Quickly
• Peel an Onion Quickly
• Peel and Cook Beets
• Peel a Soft Boiled Egg

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