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How to peel chestnuts?

2023-01-19T10:23:08.996Z


Protected by a bitter brown skin and a thick bark, chestnuts are not always so easy to peel. Here are five tips for easily peeling chestnuts.


Creamy in the mouth, delicious and fragrant, chestnuts are a must in autumn.

They can be eaten mashed in pastries or on toast, with poultry for the end-of-year celebrations, grilled over a wood fire or even glazed... These fruits are protected by a bitter brown skin and a thick rind that does not are not edible.

Here are five tips for easily peeling chestnuts.

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Score the chestnuts to peel them more easily

Whichever method of peeling you choose, the first thing to do is to incise the chestnuts.

To do this, you can use a sharp paring knife and draw a deep line on the lightest and most tender part of the fruit.

Shelling will be much easier afterwards since the bark and the second skin will split from this incision.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, we immerse the chestnuts in a large volume of water to rinse them and put aside those that float, because these are either rotten or pox.

Roast the chestnuts before peeling them

The most traditional cooking is that of embers.

It gives the chestnuts a scent of wood fire reminiscent of the smell of the forest where they come from.

For this, you can use a fireplace or a barbecue.

Simply place the incised chestnuts on a plate resistant to very high temperatures and wait for the bark to turn brown.

When they are cooked to perfection, they are transferred to a cold dish to let them cool down before peeling them.

The same method can be used for baking at 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes.

To avoid burning yourself while peeling them, it is advisable to wrap them in a clean tea towel or aluminum foil.

It is the perfect cooking to accompany fine poultry such as a roasted Barbezieux capon.

Read alsoHow to cook chestnuts?

Cause a thermal shock to peel the bark of chestnuts

To peel off the bark of the chestnut, you can use the thermal shock technique.

We then speak of the “English” method.

The incised fruits must be placed in the freezer for at least 24 hours.

On the day of preparation, boil a large volume of water in which the still frozen chestnuts are plunged for 5 to 8 minutes.

We then use a slotted spoon to take them out, we wait a few minutes for them to cool.

The bark and the second skin will easily come off in one piece.

If you don't have a freezer, there is another technique.

Simply scald the chestnuts in the same way to remove the rind and then immerse the fruit in milk overnight.

The next morning, the second bitter skin will come off without difficulty and the fruits will be ready to be used to make a chestnut cream or puree.

In video, 5 tips and tricks to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh longer

Easily peel your chestnuts using the microwave

It is quite possible to taste chestnuts even with minimal equipment such as a microwave oven.

The risk with this method is that the chestnuts will burst during cooking.

To avoid this, place the incised fruit in a bowl of lukewarm water for 10 minutes.

They are drained before placing a few in a single layer on a microwave-safe dish or plate.

Then bake at full power for two minutes.

It is possible to extend the cooking for one minute on the grill function.

It is better to watch the cooking carefully, because overcooked fruit quickly becomes hard and inedible.

When the chestnuts are just cooked, the bark and the second skin come off easily.

Use a steamer for chestnuts

To preserve all the nutritional qualities of the chestnut (iron, phosphorus, vitamins B and C, rich in starch, etc.), it is better to steam them.

After having rinsed and incised them, it is advisable to place them in the basket of a steamer for 7 minutes.

Once cooked, let them cool before peeling them.

Again, it is better to tackle this task before they cool and the second skin comes back to stick on the fruit, complicating the operation.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-01-19

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