Cooking chestnuts in an air fryer is a practical and quick method very similar to oven cooking; as you know, an air fryer is nothing more than a high-power convection oven, so it can perfectly replace oven cooking, which, in my opinion, remains the most convenient and effective method, especially if I have to cook a lot of them.
On the blog, you can find chestnuts with coarse salt in a pan, and microwave chestnuts, a very valid and quick alternative that involves soaking the fruits, and from today also cooking in the air fryer.
First of all, I recommend buying marroni, slightly less economical but with a better taste and much easier to peel. Chestnuts are usually used for all recipes that involve cooking in water or other liquids. If you don’t know the difference between chestnuts and marroni, I refer you to my guide.
Regarding cooking in the fryer I recommend arranging them in a single layer to achieve even cooking. At most, arrange them in two layers but no more. If you have to cook many, you will have to do it in batches, so in my opinion, it’s better to opt for the convection oven.
Last but not least advice should chestnuts always be soaked in water? Absolutely not. If they are fresh, firm, and compact, they do not need soaking. This is the perfect season to buy them because they are very fresh and, precisely for this reason, easy to peel.
Soaking is necessary when chestnuts or marroni have been stored at room temperature and have lost their freshness, becoming slightly less firm. In this case, I recommend making a cut in the shell and leaving them in water for 1 hour to soften the inner skin and remove it easily.
Let’s see how to prepare them:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: for 500 g of chestnuts
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 306.25 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 66.20 (g) of which sugars 13.25 (g)
- Proteins 3.96 (g)
- Fat 2.75 (g) of which saturated 0.52 (g)of which unsaturated 2.04 (g)
- Fibers 6.38 (g)
- Sodium 12.50 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs chestnuts (or marroni as in my case)
- as needed water (only if they are not fresh, firm, and compact)
Tools
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Knife
Procedure
Wash the chestnuts to remove any earthy residue, pat them dry with kitchen paper, and cut the outer shell with a very sharp knife (try to avoid cutting the flesh if you can).
If the chestnuts are fresh, firm, and compact, you can proceed immediately with cooking; if they are less fresh and thus less firm, you will need to soak them; place them in a bowl, cover them with cold water, and let them rest for 1 hour.
Preheat the fryer and set it to 375°F, place the chestnuts in the basket arranging them in a single layer to achieve even cooking (at most, arrange them in two layers but no more) with the cut side up and cook them for about 18-20 minutes. Cooking time varies depending on the power of your appliance.
Once cooking is complete, turn off the fryer, pour the roasted chestnuts into a bowl lined with a damp cloth, and let them rest for 5 minutes; this step helps maintain the moisture of the chestnuts and makes them easier to peel.
The chestnuts in the air fryer are ready, peel them and enjoy.
Tips
Chestnuts cooked in an air fryer can be stored for 2 days in a bowl covered with a dish towel.
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