I have tried various methods for peeling chestnuts but none of them seem to work for me.
Scoring a cross in each nut took forever and led to the first aid kit for plasters.
Roasting is perfect for nibbles around the fire but not great for larger quantities.
Boiling led to a mushy nut and the skins still didn’t come off easily.
The method below is great, not much hassle and works!
When you get back from the woods laden with chestnuts, do step one whilst waiting for the kettle to boil for a nice cup of tea. This avoids the sorry sight of bags of mouldy chestnuts left forgotten for several days.
- Cut the chestnuts in half lengthways. Place on trays and put in the freezer. Now you can forget about them for a day or two.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil and put in a couple of handfuls* of the frozen chestnuts.
- Boil for exactly 4 minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and peel.
*Only put in as many as you can peel before they cool down too much making the job more difficult. I find about 20 halves is about right. Obviously if you have a few helpers you can multiply this amount, making the task a whole lot quicker.
It takes the two us about an hour to peel a kilo.
I refreeze mine for later use, either chucking a handful in to roast along side a chicken or to make a hearty autumn soup.
