Anyone know how to roast chestnuts?

My MIL just called and she got a bag of chestnuts and wants to roast them. She doesn't have an "open fire" so I would assume they can be roasted in the oven, but at what temp and for how long? She was told to boil them, but that doesn't sound right...

Any suggestions?

My grandma used to fix them both ways. When she'd use the oven, she'd cut a little x on one side, put them on a cookie sheet with the x cut facing up,and bake them at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes of so or until they were tender. I never liked them roasted, boiled or raw, so I can't tell you how good they are!

I tried the X-cut method once years ago, and the chestnuts tasted great -- but they were fuzzy! There's some kind of fuzz inside between the nut and the shell, and that put a crimp in my enjoyment. Maybe the boiling is intended for after the roasting, to get rid of the fuzz...?

ETA: I just googled "how to roast chestnuts" and got lots of instructions for different methods! Give it a try...

I know my Grandma roasted them in the oven too, but I couldn't tell you how. Let us know what you figure out! I'd like to try them! They are tasty! And I just tried boiled peanuts the other day. Those were fabulous!

I boil mine for a few minutes in salt water and then just roasted in the oven.

Cutting the skin is a must though, or they'll explode while cooking

Found this link on ask.com:

http://www.missico.com/personal/tidb..._chestnuts.htm

I just love roasted chestnuts but haven't had them in years. Gonna look for them this year tho. Good ones are hard to find, in my area anyway. The ones at the grocery always seemed too small, shriveled up and 'old', so I never bought any of those kind. I'll try looking at one of the area ethnic stores as they usually get the "good" stuff.

Someone mentioned the 'fuzzy stuff' that sticks on the nut after peeling the shell: I believe that only the shriveled up 'old' ones do this. The big, fat fresh ones don't have this 'problem', in my experience.

My mom used to boil them in water also. I also liked them this way too. Much easier to peel and you don't have to worry about the 'fuzzy stuff' either. Different taste tho from the roasted ones.

When you roast [bake in the oven] they MUST have a slit in the skin otherwise they will explode on you in the oven! I always used one of those paring knives to make the slit. I would make a cut oh, about a third of the way down of the nut. No need to slit the skin on the boiled ones though.

Good luck and enjoy!

Another thought: the timing is everything in roasting chestnuts. If you overcook them they will be hard as rocks and you'll end up tossing them because they're pretty inedible at that point. After 20 minutes keep checking their tenderness by inserting a fork or toothpick [much like you would do with a baked potato], into the slit skin.

i have a fire pit and was thinking of doing this but do I need a special pan?

Over an open fire?

From google

http://www.ehow.com/how_9920_roast-chestnuts-oven.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/da...ts_68084.shtml

Originally Posted by Renovia

i have a fire pit and was thinking of doing this but do I need a special pan?

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Do you have a cast iron pan? If so I'd use that.

i don't have a cast iron pan......are they that yummy? not the pan - the nuts!

Originally Posted by Renovia

i don't have a cast iron pan......are they that yummy? not the pan - the nuts!

Click to expand...

The nuts are wonderful.

You can get a pan like that a Target for about $30.00.

Thanks guys! I'm not sure how she is going to do them, but I forwarded this thread to her.