That's how I do them -- although you can't find them here but the "X" did work -- back in the day when I could find them!

I find that the X will cause the shell to roll back and sometimes it takes the skin back with it. The question is how to separate the meat from the skin.

Is it temperature? I have tried 325, 350, and 420.
What if I soak them in water, maybe the steam will help.

Prevent them from exploding? I seriously have my doubts. The flower end has a small opening that should act as a vent. However, I am now going to try cooking without cutting the X.

The exploding idea is probably as old as the idea that over stuffing a turkey will cause it to explode which has never happened.

Peel the chestnuts when they are very, very warm. Just barely not burning your fingers. We used a sharp, short paring knife. Once they cooled, they didn't peel well. So just heat up a cup measure of them with the X cut into the shell. If you need more, then heat a second batch. That way they won't cool off and be impossible to peel.

I also used to peel them very very warm--and even sort of burning my fingers. The rest of the secret is to do them in front of something that's more listen-worthy than look-needing on TV, or maybe a chat with a friend/relative who likes to carry the conversation. :) But then I stopped bothering because way too many of the chestnuts had those gray worms. I've been told they're tasty, but it's a big eeewww when they pop out while roasting. Bigger eeewww when they're inside and don't pop out!

Several years ago I learned the real secret. Trader Joe's has roasted and peeled chestnuts, vacuum sealed in a box in the produce section. They last for months and months in the fridge ready to open when needed with just a flick of a knife. No worms! And great with Bubbie's Bread and Butter (i.e., Sugar) pickle chips.

Plllog, are Trader Joe's chestnuts out of China? I don't think I've ever seen them in my T.J.s.

I tried them in the pouch
Yeech!

I have yet to see the worm, and not unlike the worm in Broccoli, I imagine it does taste like the environment in which it lives ): That is why I closely inspect them at the store especially at the flower end which has to be closed tight least it be moldy.

I also check them to have a good flat side for slicing least I end up with a band-aid on my thumb , well, as I do right now... (:

Still, there seems to be no conversation about getting that skin off or why some of them have the skin peel back upon heating.

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I cut a single slit in the concave side of the chestnut, making sure to cut fully through the shell and skin, soak in water overnight, then roast and peel when warm. Squeeze the roasted chestnut so that the cut gapes open, then pull the skin apart at the cut. "Most of the time", the shell and skin come off cleanly in two halves.

I experimented a little with soaking in something other than plain water, like sugar water, but never got too far. It would be interesting to try other liquids.

This was one of my Christmas "chores" when growing up - peeling chestnuts for the Christmas stuffing. We always did the X in the base and then steamed the nuts. I remember the skin peeling back from that incision enough so that removal was not too difficult. Time consuming for sure, but manageable. And of course whoever did the peeling was free to sample the crumbled bits that often resulted.

Disappointing when they are often ruined by storage/shipment methods. They should feel heavy for their size and almost cold/damp but often look moldy. Not fresh.

It has been a few years since I have found good ones at the market. After the x cut, and not a tiny x. Make one slice as far around as you can. I then tried a simmer in water. then into the oven 350 for 20 min until the softened shells roll back. Toss in a bowl of olive oil, rosemary, S and P, any spice you like...serve warm. Or keep warm in foil packet or covered pot in a low oven.

...and get a pair of these

At the top of the page if you search, 'chestnuts', you will find a few more threads.

They will explode without a moisture escape route. Dad put some in the open fire when I was young... boom, pow, pow, pow.

Just try the soaking after cutting. Just do it and stop complaining, lol. It has been a year so no biggie to ask again, just kidding.

Blubird, theTJ's chestnuts say Product of France. They're only there until they're gone, so how long they're in the store will depend on popularity, but if you don't see them, ask. They're usually in the produce near the brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and similar small packets. Link above is a picture.

I have seen them in Costco, BJs, Price Rite, and Stop & Shop. Apparently France is the only source...

"You posted last year also, so you've not taken any advice...chestnuts"

No, not a matter of taking advise, I lost contact with a lot of sources at that time and have not had any access to chestnuts until now.

Fair enough, I was joking...and search and take advice and try again another method. Steam, soak, cover, cut more generously all around....

Here we have a local orchard where you can pick your own chestnuts, if you wear sturdy gloves to protect you from the spines!

I'd prefer to buy them already removed from the outside prickly husk, and Elery will cut and roast them, he makes an "x" in the end and tosses them on a sheet pan into the oven. He doesn't soak them first, maybe we should try that. I find them difficult to peel no matter how I cook them, and they kind of remind me of squash in flavor, so we just don't use many.

I have found that they peel more easily when still hot, so either you must have asbestos fingers or gloves!

Annie

I gave up trying to roast after a couple of miserable failures, and 1 batch I bought at a local gourmet store were all rotten(!).

Last batch I bought, I boiled, & it was SO much easier.

So weird because we used to oven roast fresh chestnuts every year when I was a kid & they were always easy to peel.

CBS Sunday Morning had a segment on roasted chestnuts last week.

https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/postcard-from-china-chestnuts/

The video mentions roasting them for almost an hour but does not mention temperature. This tells me that slow and low is the answer. It says nothing about boiling but I figure a lower temperature will steam the skins off.

The CBS segment is not very complete.

In China, roasting is done using sugar coated sand at high heat. The chestnuts are of a different variety. Smaller and rounder and sweeter. The sugar blackens the sand, the burning sugar kind of smokes the chestnuts and imparts a nice aroma. The hot sand also roasts the chestnuts very evenly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzsOgPb8zTg&t=19s

I also enjoyed the roasted chestnuts street food at Paris. They roast the chestnuts basically the traditional way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmnfMmz-4HI

dcarch

Dcarch, that's why it's called a segment. ;)

I just read to slice all except one and cook them at the lowest possible setting in your oven fpr an hour or so. When that one explodes, you know that the rest are done....

Could the answer be so simple?

Slice them and roast at 200 degrees for an hour. Every one of them peeled easily, well, with the exception of the two that were moldy. Forget boiling.

I even created a tool to slice them safely. I also devised a method to select them from the bin for the best ones: tightly sealed at the point end and not easily squeezed. Do not accept ones with pin holes (worms).

Looking round, I see so many recipes that say to roast them at 400 degrees or more. Why is that?

Life is good.....