Chestnuts in air fryer all the secrets
Yes indeed! With the air fryer you can prepare delicious roasted chestnuts.
In no time you can get excellent hot chestnuts, very soft and inviting, toasted on the outside, soft and tasty on the inside and easy to peel.
Ideal as a healthy snack or quick bite, great in sweet version sprinkled with sugar and a splash of rum or in savory version as a side dish to accompany meat roasts.
A quick alternative to traditional oven baking of chestnuts, allowing you to save electricity and still enjoy delicious hot chestnuts in their natural state.
Easy tested recipe, also ideal for those who eat gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
To achieve soft chestnuts it’s important to soak the chestnuts for at least an hour, in water and salt, the shell will come off more easily once the chestnuts are cooked, discard those that float immediately. With this trick, you will be able to peel the chestnuts in record time.
Another secret is to score the chestnuts to prevent them from bursting during cooking and arrange them directly in the basket, with the scored and rounded part facing up, in a single layer and without overlapping.
Once ready, wrap the chestnuts in a damp cloth, wait 3-4 minutes and serve.
You can store the cooked chestnuts in a food bag.
Note that the temperature and cooking times are generally indicative, as much depends on your type of air fryer, however, the recipes on my Blog are all previously and rigorously experimented by me, so more than tested, but I still advise you to check the cooking from time to time, to best adapt times and temperature to your air fryer.
You might also be interested in:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 41.63 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 7.94 (g) of which sugars 1.59 (g)
- Proteins 0.48 (g)
- Fat 0.33 (g) of which saturated 0.06 (g)of which unsaturated 0.24 (g)
- Fibers 0.77 (g)
- Sodium 40.52 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 15 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 for the Chestnuts in air fryer
- 10.5 oz chestnuts
- 2.5 cups water (for soaking)
- 0.07 oz fine salt
- 0.55 cup red wine (optional)
Tools
- Air fryer Philips
- Cutting board with two built-in side trays, oven-safe
- Dish towel
- Air fryer paper with holes
- Air fryer paper trays without holes
Steps for the Chestnuts in air fryer
Wash the chestnuts and score them with a cross cut (or if you prefer, only horizontal) on the rounded side (trying to cut only the outer shell and not the flesh) this cut will prevent them from bursting during cooking.
If you make a single horizontal cut, deep and long (but without cutting into the flesh), you will get softer chestnuts on the surface.
If you make the cross cut you will get more roasted chestnuts on the surface.
In both cases, they peel immediately and easily.
Take a bowl and fill it with water, add 2 g of salt (it helps digest them better) and a glass of red wine (optional). Pour the scored chestnuts into the bowl and remove those that float immediately, as they are not good. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes (if you’re in a hurry) to an hour.
After the soaking time, drain the chestnuts (no need to dry them) then arrange them directly in the air fryer basket, with the scored and rounded part facing up, in a single layer and without overlapping.
Set the air fryer temperature to “manual” at 340°F for about 15-20 minutes, the cooking times will depend greatly on your type of fryer and the size of the chestnuts.
Once cooked, wrap the chestnuts in a damp cloth for about 5 minutes and then you will see that they peel easily, serve them hot (but they are soft and tasty even cold). Here is the excellent result in the photo below
You can use them as a healthy and light snack or as a side dish for roasts or to prepare other recipes.
Shopping Tips !!!
I am very happy with my Philips Air Fryer, with a large basket, plus the Rapid Air technology creates optimal hot air circulation that cooks food evenly and keeps it crispy on the outside and tender inside.
With 13 cooking functions in one: Fry, bake, grill, roast, and reheat. A healthier way to cook, separates and captures excess fat (healthy and tasty dishes with up to 90% less fat). Cooks up to 50% faster and saves up to 70% energy compared to an oven (halves cooking times compared to a traditional oven, as it DOES NOT require preheating).
Very useful is the mode: “Keep warm”. The individual components, finally, are all easily removable and dishwasher safe. Highly recommended!
For this recipe, I used this handy perforated parchment paper for the air fryer, non-stick, easy to clean, can also be used in a traditional oven.
When I don’t want to dirty the air fryer basket (for example, recipes with batter), I often use these baking paper trays Non-stick Disposable Parchment Paper for Air Fryer, without holesthat don’t dirty the fryer, but the hot air circulates anyway because they are very thin. Moreover, they are oil and water-resistant, non-stick, do not burn, and can be used in a regular oven.
This cutting board with two built-in side trays (one for cut foods, the other for scraps) is very convenient.
Moreover, if you want to keep your air fryer clean and at the same time, protected from scratches and abrasions (for example: from tongs), these Reusable non-stick heat-resistant grill mats are very useful.
You can purchase all the items I recommend here above, on Amazon, at a great price, just click directly on the respective links.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to prevent chestnuts from hardening and make them easier to peel?
Soak the chestnuts for a minimum of 30 minutes, preferably 24 hours.
What does it mean if chestnuts float?
If the chestnuts float, they have gone bad and you should throw them away.
How to peel chestnuts more easily?
You need to score them with a horizontal cut on the rounded part and then soak them (see above).
Which parchment paper to choose for the air fryer?
If you use the air fryer for foods that drip (such as batter), it’s best to use non-perforated parchment paper (the paper is very light, and air and heat circulate equally). If the foods to be cooked in the air fryer are dry and do not drip, it is preferable to use perforated parchment paper.
What to use to keep the air fryer clean without scratching it?
Reusable non-stick grill mat, heat resistant, for Air Fryer
