# I has a chestnut. What I do with it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275 "2007-11-30T04:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/1 "2007-11-30T04:19:22Z")
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, etc, not being a particular tradition here in the South, I was surprised to see them at Publix tonight. I picked some up on a whim. Now… what do I do with them to roast them? I have to score them, don’t I? With a knife? Is there an easy way to do it? Do I have to do it on a fire, or can you oven roast them? I’ve never bought them or eaten them or _anythinged_ them before (except smelled them in Portugal). Help? (Also, how long do they keep?) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/2 "2007-11-30T04:27:56Z")
Score them with a knife so they don’t explode and microwave untill you smell nutty deliciousness. You can probably find a time online, but all microwaves are different so their time will be no more imaginary than mine. The shells are soft compared with walnuts. Once you’ve had one the keeping time will be irrelevant. I just talked myself into buying some. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/3 "2007-11-30T06:33:10Z")
My roommate roasted a batch in the oven. The smell was quite interesting, definitely a smell that I would associate fall with. Stunk up the house. 😛 We would break open a cooked chestnut whenever we wanted one after that, but warm and mealy and right from the oven tasted the best! ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/4 "2007-11-30T06:43:17Z")
Soak it in vinegar for a year, roast it in a clay kiln, drill a hole through it, thread it with a long shoe lace and then you will have a champion [conker](http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/conkers.html) ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/5 "2007-11-30T09:17:57Z")
I cooked some tonight that I bought last week but never did anything with. I cut x’s into the tops? bottoms? The darker, non-pointy ends with a pair of kitchen shears, then threw them into a hot cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. Covered the skillet and shook it every couple of minutes. Cooked them for a little over 15 minutes, then shelled them and tossed them in a bowl with a bit of verjus, olive oil and a little fleur de sel. I ate them up, they were quite delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/6 "2007-11-30T09:55:50Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] Soak it in vinegar for a year, roast it in a clay kiln, drill a hole through it, thread it with a long shoe lace and then you will have a champion [conker](http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/conkers.html) [/QUOTE] Mine is an eleventy-one-er. Horse chestnuts (conkers) aren’t the same thing as sweet chestnuts though - hopefully the OP has the latter. Stab a cross in them with a sharp knife and roast them - ideally in a cast iron pan in the embers of a fire, but oven methods also work. Don’t overcook them though, as they will turn into a substance hard enough to break teeth and abrade diamonds. Some of them will probably explode no matter what precautions you take. You just have to accept this, or not cook chestnuts. Some of them may have insect larvae inside them, but this will be obvious when you peel them, unlike banana worms. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/7 "2007-11-30T14:42:12Z")
[QUOTE=psycat90] I cooked some tonight that I bought last week but never did anything with. I cut x’s into the tops? bottoms? The darker, non-pointy ends with a pair of kitchen shears, then threw them into a hot cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. Covered the skillet and shook it every couple of minutes. Cooked them for a little over 15 minutes, then shelled them and tossed them in a bowl with a bit of verjus, olive oil and a little fleur de sel. I ate them up, they were quite delicious. [/QUOTE] That sounds absolutely delicious and I don’t even know what chestnuts are supposed to taste like! Might try that. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/8 "2007-11-30T15:06:48Z")
You have a chest nut? I’d go see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/9 "2007-11-30T15:07:01Z")
I think they taste like what potatoes want to be when they grow up. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/10 "2007-11-30T15:26:26Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] Soak it in vinegar for a year, roast it in a clay kiln, drill a hole through it, thread it with a long shoe lace and then you will have a champion [conker](http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/conkers.html) [/QUOTE] hehe. Thanks for the link, never heard of conkers. > [@](#): > > If a player drops his conker, or it is knocked out of his hand the other player can shout ‘stamps’ and jump on it; but should its owner first cry ‘no stamps’ then the conker, hopefully, remains intact. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/11 "2007-11-30T15:41:33Z")
I was going to say “No stamps!” in an earlier post, but thought nobody would get it. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/12 "2007-11-30T16:53:15Z")
I have a recipe at home for cream of chestnut soup that was SO GOOD. I’ve only made it once however as it was a pain in the ass shelling all the chestnuts and made my fingers raw. IIRC you roasted them using the methods above, shelled them, sauteed them with some onions and garlic and then added some beef stock and simmered for a good long while, then I think some milk and heavy cream, and then pureed the whole thing at the end. It was really good. Ah, [I think this was it!](http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chestnut-Soup-2/Detail.aspx) Chicken broth, not beef. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/13 "2007-11-30T17:14:27Z")
Mmmmm. Fresh roasted chestnuts! They smell _awesome_ while they’re roasting (oven is fine), and are best eaten when they’re just cool enough that you don’t burn your fingers shelling them, imho. However, cooled, shelled and sliced thin, they make a really nice addition to bread stuffing, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/14 "2007-11-30T17:57:23Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] Score them with a knife so they don’t explode and microwave untill you smell nutty deliciousness. You can probably find a time online, but all microwaves are different so their time will be no more imaginary than mine. The shells are soft compared with walnuts. Once you’ve had one the keeping time will be irrelevant. I just talked myself into buying some. [/QUOTE] If you’re going to microwave them, do it in a paper bag. No matter what you do some will explode. Cleaning chestnut off the inside of a microwave oven isn’t as bad as cleaning off egg, but the difference is so slight as to not matter. About two minutes at half power should do it. More or less depending on how dry they are. This late in the season, probably about 90 seconds, And not more than 7 in a batch. If it’s rubbery, it’s underdone. If it’s hard as marble you’ve overcooked it. There is a very narrow just right. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/15 "2007-11-30T17:59:53Z")
Damn, I want some chestnuts now. I wonder if they have some at Target. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/16 "2007-11-30T18:32:05Z")
It just occurred to me that I’ve never eaten a chestnut – nor seen any for sale in a supermarket. Where can you get them? Are they only edible if roasted? Why are they never included in cans of mixed nuts? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/17 "2007-11-30T18:49:20Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] It just occurred to me that I’ve never eaten a chestnut – nor seen any for sale in a supermarket. Where can you get them? Are they only edible if roasted? Why are they never included in cans of mixed nuts? [/QUOTE] I don’t know if they’re edible unroasted, but I never hear about them that way. In the interest of fighting ignorance, who here will volunteer to try it and report back? 😛 Around here, I find them in the produce section of the supermarket. Sometimes in bags, sometimes loose in a bin, and you bag them yourself. As for seeing them in mixed nuts, well, they seem to have a somewhat higher moisture content than your average roasted nut, and my experience is that they spoil pretty quickly, so that may be the reason. They’re also considerably lower in fat than most other nuts, but I don’t know if that’s relevant to why they’re not in mixed nuts. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/18 "2007-11-30T19:01:05Z")
[QUOTE=norinew] I don’t know if they’re edible unroasted, but I never hear about them that way. In the interest of fighting ignorance, who here will volunteer to try it and report back? 😛 . [/QUOTE] They just don’t taste good raw. Like a raw plantain only harder. And the fuzzy covering between the shell and the nut is a bitch to peel off when they aren’t cooked. When cooked the skin comes off easily and the nut is soft and somewhat sweet. We roasted chestnuts every year around the holidays since I was a kid. I’ve tried opening and eating a raw chestnut or two in my day. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/19 "2007-11-30T19:02:11Z")
[QUOTE=Bewildebeest] If you’re going to microwave them, do it in a paper bag. No matter what you do some will explode. Cleaning chestnut off the inside of a microwave oven isn’t as bad as cleaning off egg, but the difference is so slight as to not matter. About two minutes at half power should do it. More or less depending on how dry they are. This late in the season, probably about 90 seconds, And not more than 7 in a batch. If it’s rubbery, it’s underdone. If it’s hard as marble you’ve overcooked it. There is a very narrow just right. [/QUOTE] Late in the season? The grocery store definitely didn’t have them before now. Are these likely to be “new” chestnuts from nearby, or “old” ones from far away? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275/20 "2007-11-30T19:04:25Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I was going to say “No stamps!” in an earlier post, but thought nobody would get it. [/QUOTE] I wanted to post “Stick it up the chimney, and let’s put out the fire.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-has-a-chestnut-what-i-do-with-it/428275.md?page=2)