Chestnuts Won’t Peel? Here’s the Trick for the Oven and the Air Fryer
Why do some chestnuts refuse to peel? These four methods, from the oven to the air fryer, share one trick: score them, soak them, and wrap them in a cloth.
Score, Soak, Wrap
Chestnuts are the autumn fruit par excellence, with a sweet, soft flesh once they’re cooked. The hard part is the peel, and the Italian trick has three steps: score each chestnut, soak it for two hours, and wrap it in a cloth as soon as it comes out of the heat. These four methods all rely on it.
Baked Chestnuts
Baked Chestnuts are the simplest way to do it at home. Each chestnut gets an inch-long horizontal cut and soaks for at least two hours. Then they’re dried well, spread on a parchment-lined sheet, and roasted at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. Covered with a dry cloth for at least 15 minutes, the skins come off easily.
Pro tip: move the chestnuts around every so often while they bake so they cook evenly.
Air Fryer Roasted Chestnuts
Air Fryer Roasted Chestnuts use the same trick with a shorter cook. After the cut and a two-hour soak, which also lets you discard the damaged ones, the chestnuts go into the basket at 320°F for about 15 minutes, until the cuts are well open.
Pro tip: spread them in a single layer so they don’t overlap. For a larger batch, cook in two rounds, and keep the finished ones warm in a tea towel.
Roasted Chestnuts
Roasted Chestnuts are the street-vendor classic. They cook for about 30 minutes in a perforated pan over medium heat, stirred often, and are served hot in a paper cone. In Palermo vendors add a handful of salt to the embers, so the chestnuts come out white instead of blackened.
Pro tip: cover the chestnuts with a damp paper bag while they cook, and keep wetting it so it doesn’t burn. They stay softer.
Boiled Chestnuts
Boiled Chestnuts score the shell all the way around and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes in lightly salted water. They then rest in a closed cloth for 10 minutes. The recipe also has a version in rum syrup, with a 15-minute boil, then jars of vanilla and rum syrup that keep for six months after a 30-day wait.
Pro tip: flavor the cooking water with a cinnamon stick.
Cooked Once, or Saved for Later
However they’re cooked, chestnuts end up soft and sweet, and on their own they’re naturally gluten-free and vegan. Raw ones keep for up to two weeks in a basket, or can be frozen raw and cooked straight from the freezer, so a big bag from the market doesn’t have to be cooked all at once.
