How to prepare roasted chestnuts that peel easily, there’s a secret, and I’ll reveal it to you right away. To make good roasted chestnuts, you need good chestnuts, not too fresh so they are well matured and more flavorful. It is important to store chestnuts properly to prevent them from drying out or getting moldy, so I recommend getting them shortly before using them and at home, keep them in a basket where they are well ventilated and not too tight or overlapped, this way we avoid them getting moldy or black in a few days, if it’s very humid in the house try to find the driest corner, maybe put an old wool sweater at the base. To get good roasted chestnuts the first step is to have good chestnuts available. Once you have passed the first step, let’s see how to prepare them. I will also leave you some tips for cooking in the oven, microwave, or air fryer, I also used to make them on the wood stove’s plate, it was on every evening and when I had a craving, I would put some on for me and mom as we watched TV. Chestnut time, roasted chestnut time, time of yellowing leaves falling in the woods, of half-open burrs releasing their beloved fruits, everyone rush to gather, you can smell it in the air, the smell of goodness, of the woods, and of roasted chestnuts.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients for Roasted Chestnuts that Peel Easily
- 2.2 lbs chestnuts
Tools to Prepare Roasted Chestnuts that Peel Easily
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pan
Steps for Preparing Roasted Chestnuts that Peel Easily
Start by scoring the chestnuts to prevent them from exploding during cooking. This operation should always be done regardless of the cooking method. Make a nice cut along the swollen part of the chestnut, and continue a little underneath so that the chestnuts will open during cooking and will be almost peeled already.
The second very useful step is to soak the chestnuts in a bowl covered with cold water. Leave them to soak for at least half an hour.
To prepare roasted chestnuts on the fire, you need a special chestnut pan, the pierced pan, if you don’t have one, you can use an old pan that’s no longer good for cooking, but before using it, you need to pierce it with a steel nail and a hammer, this should be a fairly simple operation, I always did it when I was a girl, now I have a special pan.
Place the still wet chestnuts in the pan, they should all fit at once, if not, proceed in two batches. Place the pan on the largest burner and keep it at medium heat. Start cooking your chestnuts. Stir occasionally with a wooden spatula to cook them evenly. Keep them on the fire until they blacken a bit on the outside, and you’ll see they will start opening up, check they are well cooked before removing them from the fire. If necessary, lower the heat a little to cook them evenly.
Once done, transfer them to a basket covered with a cloth, preferably slightly damp, not wet. Close and press, leave them for 2 minutes before peeling and enjoying your roasted chestnuts. Peel them while still warm, it will be much easier.
Alternatively to cooking in a pan, you can cook them in the microwave, just put them in the microwave after preparation and let them cook for a few minutes at maximum power. In the oven, chestnuts cook in about 30 minutes at 356°F – in the air fryer about 20-25 minutes at 356°F.
