Oftenwe are faced with such a traditional European product as. Let's figure out which ones are edible and how to cook chestnuts at home.

What chestnuts are considered edible

In this article we will consider which of them can be eaten, we will figure out what chestnut dishes exist and study their recipes in detail.

Edible fresh such is the fruit of a tree that belongs to the Beech family. Growing area - subtropics and temperate latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

Did you know?- it's a nut.

This plant is widespread on Balkan Peninsula and in Greece... In European countries, the tradition of baking the fruits of this tree at Christmas is widespread.

French people, who are great admirers of these fruits, grow a certain variety of real (edible) ones, which are called kurgudons. In France they are considered a national product to which the French have dedicated a separate holiday.

On the territory of Eastern Europe, the "relative" of this tree is more widespread - the horse chestnut, the fruits of which are not eaten, since they are poisonous.
The edible fruit can be easily distinguished from a horse nut by a small pointed tip at the end of the capsule, which contains the cotyledon.

Now in our country you can buy these in any supermarket, but they are grown in our area exclusively for decorative purposes. Edible chestnuts are a rare product in our latitudes, few know how to cook them.

If you cut the fruit, you can see that inside it is a dense, pale yellow nut.
Cultivated trees differ from wild ones in that their fruits contain one large nut, while in the fruits of wild ones - a few nutsbut smaller.

Important! It should be mentioned that these fruits need to be stored in a cold place, since during long storage the nuts dry out very quickly, losing their glossy shine.

Popular recipes

Most popular traditional chestnuts are a European dish. The fruits must first be peeled from the skin, as well as from the membrane.

Further, in order for them not to explode when frying, they must be cut criss-cross... Then place them in the skillet and cover with a damp cloth.
After closing the lid of the pan, let the fruits cook over charcoal for about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally and change napkins as they dry.

Serve them with chocolate sauce and enjoy a traditional Christmas meal.

It's no secret that an exotic chestnut diet is in trend now, since the problem of excess weight is very relevant.

Soup

To make the Portuguese puree soup, take:

• 1 handful of edible chestnuts
• 500 ml of any meat broth;
• 15 g sifted flour;
• 15 g melted butter;
• ½ cup of cream;
• 1 stem;
• and pepper;
• toast.

Preparation:

1. Pour the chestnuts and chopped celery with the broth and simmer for half an hour, covered over low heat.


2. Use a blender to puree the soup.


3. Fry the flour in butter and add to the puree. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper.
4. Add lukewarm and bring to a boil again.


5. Serve with croutons.



Fried

To make cookies with fried chestnuts, you must:

• 55 g oatmeal;
• 50 g chestnuts;
• 70 g flour;
• 2 tablespoons ;
• ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil;
• 2 tablespoons ;
• 30 g icing sugar;
• 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

1. Roast these nuts according to the standard recipe.
2. Grind them into flour using a coffee grinder or mortar (the structure of the cookie depends on this).
3. Sift flour, combine with oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda. Add the chestnuts you minced. Mix the resulting mixture thoroughly.
4. In the center of the mixture, make a depression in which add vegetable oil and water. Stir.
5. Add yogurt and form a lump of dough.
6. Make tortillas from the dough, put on a baking sheet (with baking paper and vegetable oil). Bake at 180 ° for 10 minutes in a preheated oven.
7. Turn the cookies over and bake for another 5 minutes.

Boiled

To cook Macedonian lamb, take:

• 550 g lamb;
• 320 g chestnuts;
• 2 onions;
• 60 g melted butter;
• 15 g sifted flour;
• Salt.

Preparation:

1. Wash the nuts, cut and cook for 40 minutes, covered.
2. Drain, pour cold and let the fruit cool. Then peel the boiled chestnuts and mash.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan with thick bottom.
4. Cut the lamb into small pieces, place in a saucepan and fry until crusting.
5. Add some finely chopped onion and sauté. Then add flour and add half a glass of water. Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes with the lid closed.
6. Add the resulting meat to the meat, season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat. Serve the dishwith parsley and other herbs.

Stewed

Pork with chestnuts and figs.

For this dish will need:

• 500 g pork fillet;
• 250 ml of white table wine;
• 250 ml of meat broth;
• 1 onion;
• ½ orange (zest);
• 5 pieces. figs.

Preparation:

1. Cut the pork into portions. Marinate in white wine, adding salt, pepper, chopped garlic. Marinate overnight.
2. Fry the meat with onions. Top up with marinade and broth. Simmer for about an hour.
3. Remove the zest from half of the orange, add to the meat, add the chestnuts and figs. Simmer for about a quarter of an hour.

Baked

To prepare this dish, take:

• 10-20 pcs. chestnuts
• 15 g white crackers
• 30 solid
• Black pepper
• Parsley

Preparation:

1. Boil the fruits for 7 minutes, then remove the hard peel and membrane from the still hot ones.
2. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt. Separately on a plate, mix together the bread crumbs, black pepper, and grated.
3. Pierce the boiled chestnuts with a toothpick, dip in an egg and breaded in the prepared cheese mixture.
4. Put on a baking sheet, having previously covered it with baking paper, at 180 ° C. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

A little about the beneficial properties of the product

Beneficial features of this edible nut are very diverse.

Did you know? Like all nuts, they are very high in calories and surpass almost all plant foods in this indicator.

An important difference from, for example, peanuts, cashews, almonds and hazelnuts, is that these fruits contain much less fat.

It is isolated from useful substances - Foliage and other parts of the tree also have useful properties, which contain an abundance of pectins, glycosides, as well as tannins, and they have wound healing properties.

We got acquainted with the preparation of these unusual edible fruits at home. European cuisine widely uses chestnuts, recipes for which availablefor cooking and non-professional.

Chestnuts in a skillet are a delicious fall recipe.

Among all the products, there is one of the oldest, which is still used today - chestnuts, how to prepare recipes for which, even an inexperienced housewife can figure it out quickly.

Chestnut fruits have a wonderful aroma and peculiar taste, thanks to which the popularity of the nut has survived to this day. It is also worth noting that chestnut is the only nut that contains vitamin C, glucose, fructose, iron, and potassium.

Is it okay to eat raw chestnuts?

It is very easy to cook chestnuts at home, because there are many recipes for boiled, fried fruits. For those who are wondering if it is possible to eat raw chestnuts, any specialist will answer positively. Chestnuts must be peeled to be eaten raw. However, it should be remembered that raw chestnuts do not have the pleasant taste, aroma that are inherent in the nut when cooked correctly.

Boiled chestnuts

Composition

• 400 g chestnuts;
• 1 glass of milk;
• 1 tbsp. l. flour;
• salt, sugar to taste;
• 2 tbsp. l. butter.

Preparation

1. Peel chestnuts, rinse with water.
2. Place fruits in a saucepan.
3. Pour in milk.
4. Put on medium heat.
5. When the milk boils, cook the chestnuts for 35 minutes under a closed lid.
6. Mix flour and butter.
7. Add to chestnuts.
8. To stir thoroughly.
9. Remove from heat, serve.

Cooking methods for chestnuts

Not everyone knows how to cook chestnuts at home, and even more so how to free the fruit from the shell, which must be removed before cooking.

The first way

Make a small incision on the flat side of the nut, put it in boiling water, cook for 5 minutes. Remove the chestnut from boiling water, peel and film. If the film and shells are not removed, the fruit will taste bitter. Place the chestnuts in a saucepan, add cold water and cook for 15 minutes. How are chestnuts cooked according to this recipe eaten? They can be consumed with oil as an independent dish or as one of the ingredients of a salad or a side dish. If the chestnuts were boiled for soup, meat dishes, then dill with spices should be added to the water during cooking.

Second way

Cut the chestnuts on one side. Put all the nuts on a baking sheet, put in the oven. Keep in the oven until the shell breaks. Peel the shell with a film, place the peeled nuts in boiling water, cook for 15 minutes. With this method of cooking, chestnuts should be used immediately, because they dry out quickly and lose their taste. If you know how to cook chestnuts correctly, then you can prepare a very tasty dish.

What can be cooked from boiled chestnuts:

• salad;
• roast;
• souffle;
• pudding;
• component for jam, confectionery;
• can be used as an independent dish in the form of mashed potatoes, porridge.

Chestnut pudding

Composition

• 1 cup peeled chestnuts
• 60 g sugar;
• 0.5 l of milk;
• 30 g butter;
• 60 g flour;
• 3 eggs;
• breadcrumbs.

Preparation

1. Place the chestnuts with milk in a saucepan.
2. Cook until the fruit softens.
3. Make mashed chestnuts, add sugar, milk.
4. Mix butter and flour, add to puree.
5. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
6. Beat eggs.
7. Mix them with puree.
8. Grease a baking sheet with oil, sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
9. Put out the finished mass.
10. Send to oven for 45 minutes.
11. Serve with jam or sweet sauce.

Roasted chestnuts

For those who do not know how to cook chestnuts in a pan or are preparing them for the first time, there is a method that demonstrates how to cook fried chestnuts, the recipe for cooking in a pan is very simple.

Composition

• 500 g of nuts;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• salt, spices to taste.

Preparation

1. Cut each chestnut.
2. Grease a frying pan with oil, heat.
3. Place the chestnuts in a preheated skillet.
4. To cover with a lid.
5. Fry for no more than 15 minutes over medium heat.
6. Stir the chestnuts occasionally.
7. The nuts will be ready when a specific smell appears.
8. Peel the fruit from the shell.
9. Add spices, salt.

Knowing how to cook chestnuts in a pan, you can make a delicious independent dish without serious time-consuming.

Other cooking methods

There is another roasting method that demonstrates how to cook chestnuts in the oven. One of the disadvantages of this method is time - on average, you need to spend 30 minutes. Chestnuts are baked in the oven at a temperature of 240 degrees. You just need to make cuts on the nuts, grease a baking sheet with oil, put the fruits in one layer and just wait.

How to microwave chestnuts

This is the fastest way and will save you time. Chestnuts should be washed, cut, put in one layer on a dish, placed in the microwave. It is better to fry the nuts at maximum power for about three minutes, it all depends on the capabilities of the oven. The recipe is great for those who do not know how to cook chestnuts at home, because it does not require any specific knowledge of cooking.

If a person does not know how to eat chestnuts, but has already been able to cook them, then there are many options. The easiest way is to simply eat raw or cooked nuts. They are tasty and very healthy product even without any manipulations, additives.

Having learned how to cook chestnuts, you might think about what to serve it with in an original way, then a meat dish would be an excellent option. Ready-made nuts can be added as an ingredient to a sauce or stew, stuffed with a roll, and also mashed, stewed, served as a fragrant side dish.

Contraindications

Despite the fact that the chestnut nut is popular, how to cook it is not the only thing you need to know about the product, because it has a number of contraindications:

• allergic reaction, individual intolerance;
• decreased blood clotting, thrombocytopia;
• acute form of gastritis, stomach ulcers;
• irregularities in the menstrual cycle;
• pregnancy;
• constipation;
• low blood pressure.

1. Pierce each fruit with a fork or cut.
2. Place the nuts in a skillet filled with hot oil and cover with a paper towel. Moisten the napkins several times during frying - thanks to this, the fruits will not dry out.
3. Cover the dish with a lid and fry for 30 minutes on medium heat. It is recommended to shake the nuts periodically without opening the lid.
4. Serve the dish, salt or sprinkle with sugar - as you like.

Those who think that fried fruits are too dry can boil them with milk - the combination is simply excellent! For this you need:

1. Peel the already toasted nuts from the film, pour in milk so that the liquid covers them 2 cm higher.
2. Add a couple of spoons of honey, a cinnamon stick.
3. Let the dish simmer until the main ingredient is soft. Before sending the treats to the fire, you can add more cedar cake - this will make the taste of the dessert even more interesting.

How to cook chestnuts in the oven

You can also bake an exotic nut using an oven - the process is even easier than frying in a pan. A known way to cook chestnuts in the oven is as follows:

1. Preheat the oven.
2. Make incisions in each fruit.
3. Put the workpiece in one layer on a baking sheet, leave to bake for 35 minutes.
4. Open the oven and serve the treat. From a part of an exotic nut, you can also prepare, for example, a salad: add vegetables and hard pasta to the peeled fruits, and then it is recommended to mix all this mass with a sauce of olive oil and lemon juice.

Chestnuts in the microwave

This method is quick and safe, if you cut or pierce the food with a fork before laying it in, this will allow steam to escape and avoid “explosion”. It's easy to cook chestnuts in the microwave:

1. Place the fruits in a shallow but wide microwave-safe plate.
2. Salt the product a little, add 3 tablespoons of hot water. Frying this way is unrealistic, but the nuts can be steamed for easy cleaning.
3. Cover the dishes with a lid (not a glass plate) or plastic wrap, leave the dish for 8 minutes, making the power of the technique maximum.
4. Try one thing, then either continue the process, or serve the treat to the table, pouring your favorite sauce onto a plate.

A healthy and containing many vitamins and protein product to the liking of many. However, not everyone knows how to cook chestnuts, and so that you enjoy this appetizer at home and not in a restaurant, follow these recommendations:

1. Before you cook the chestnuts in a pan, they must all be cut so that they will not "jump out" when heated.
2. You need to put raw ingredients in the pan in one layer, while the dishes should not be on the stove for a long time, otherwise the nuts will turn out to be too hard and tough.
3. You need to peel off the peel as soon as the product is cooked, otherwise it will be much more difficult to do it later.
4. If you expect to store edible chestnuts, then know that fresh fruits can be kept in a cool place for literally a few days, otherwise they will become dry and lose their shine. Baked, boiled or roasted nuts will last longer if stored in the freezer.

Video: How to roast chestnuts

For a long time, the British, Greeks and French ate roasted chestnuts and considered them not an exquisite delicacy, but rather a necessary product. Every poor man knew how to cook chestnuts. Now the chestnut is considered a symbol of France, in whose honor they organize holidays and write songs. On festive squares they are eaten hot straight from the bags, washed down with wine.

In botany, there are noble and horse chestnuts, which differ not only in fruits, but also in leaves. The noble one is eaten, calling it a real chestnut. In Russia, a horse is grown, unsuitable for food and poisonous to humans, but serving as an excellent decoration for city parks and alleys. But on the market and in the store you can buy the fruits of the noble chestnut grown in countries with a subtropical climate.

Description

You can find edible chestnuts in the nuts section of the supermarket. They should be brown with an elongated tail. The fruits of the noble plant were called Euboean nuts after the island of Euboea, where chestnut trees were intensively planted. By the end of summer, spherical fruits appear on the branches of the plant, resembling a small apple in size. Compound fruits are strewn with thorns, which, when ripe, crack and fall to the ground. The chestnut itself is shiny and dark brown, smooth to the touch.

Chestnuts were considered bread for the population of many countries. The tree does not require special care, but it gives a rich, tasty and nutritious harvest that helped people out in hungry years. Chestnut flour is similar to wheat flour, but more yellow and sweeter. If you mix both varieties, the bread will be much tastier, since noble flour contains much more sugar, protein and fat.

Still wet fruits are harvested from trees, and to get flour, they are artificially dried. Under the changeable autumn sun, it is impossible to dry a huge amount of nuts. During drying, the kernels shrink, the peel becomes brittle and easily separates from the pulp. In the old days, they were cleaned in different ways - they were threshed in wooden boxes, poured into bags and beaten on the logs, trampled on with heavy shoes with metal soles.

The green, inedible, thorny cupule protects the nuts from wild animals and provides the starchy seed with enough carbohydrates for full ripening. Humanity has come up with many ways to cook chestnuts. They are boiled, dried, fried, baked. The tradition of roasting chestnuts over an open fire is still preserved and is considered the best way to cook them, both in France and in England. But chestnuts are valuable not only for delicious nuts, but also for wood with amazing unique patterns. It lends itself well to polishing and is resistant to decay.

The benefits of chestnuts

Kernels are considered a source of starch, fiber and sugar. They contain vitamins, tannins, pectins, minerals. Parts of the tree (bark, leaves, branches) are used for medicinal purposes:

• a decoction of dried leaves is used to treat bronchitis;
• fresh leaves cure whooping cough;
• alcohol tincture get rid of eating disorders and dysentery;
• fruits and bark relieve puffiness caused by kidney disease;
• nut broth helps to cure boils and abscesses;
• nuclei reduce pressure, help get rid of heart disorders, treat thrombosis, phlebitis, varicose veins;
• there are cases when with the help of fresh fruits it was possible to cure malaria;
• fried pulp is used for uterine and hemorrhoidal bleeding.

The benefit of chestnuts is their low fat content compared to walnuts, or.

Contraindications

In case of chronic diseases of the intestines, kidneys, liver, it is worth consulting a doctor before using chestnuts for treatment. Those who suffer from diabetes mellitus and poor blood clotting should not use them. They can also cause allergies. Sometimes people confuse noble nut with horse nut, which causes serious poisoning. Although it is quite difficult to confuse the fruits - they differ in an elongated shape.

How chestnuts are cooked

Recipes for making healthy roasted and roasted chestnuts have been preserved almost unchanged since ancient times. Reddish fruits are eaten with salt and sugar and added to other dishes for a variety of flavors. There are several ways to prepare chestnuts. Since roasting chestnuts is not difficult, they are easy to cook at home. If you ask a European how best to cook chestnuts at home, he will advise you to fry them. They are fried in a skillet, on a grill, on a wire rack, in an oven and microwave.

In a frying pan

The easiest and most affordable way is to fry in a pan. Better if it is a special griddle pan with holes. Since chestnuts are often a rarity in the home of residents of Russia and Ukraine, you can fry them in a frying pan with thick walls. Teflon is not suitable for these purposes. To fry a European treat, you don't need much: a knife, napkins or paper towels and a frying pan.

Before cooking, several cuts are made on the fruits so that they cannot explode due to the moisture overflowing them. Spread in even layers in a dry preheated pan and cover with damp wipes. Simmer for 20 minutes in a sealed container. During this time, they are stirred and the napkins are moistened. When the shell starts to crack and comes off easily, then it's time to check the chestnuts. If they are darkened, the shell is cracked and the flesh is visible in places, then they are cooked. They clean them immediately, without waiting for cooling. Eaten hot with salt and vegetable oil.

In the oven

Chestnuts are fried both in a skillet and in the oven. To do this, cross-shaped shallow cuts along the edges are made on the fruits. It is better to put them not on a baking sheet, but on a wire rack with cuts up. The processed fruits are placed in an oven heated to 220 C and after 15-20 minutes. check their condition. If the cuts have turned into an opened flower, the product is ready. It is important to remove the peel not cooled down, so it is better to put on oven mitts on your hands. Put the cooked pulp on a towel for 5 minutes. then serve.

In the microwave

Frying chestnuts without cuts at home is dangerous (they can explode), it is better to cut or pierce each of them with a knife, as when cooking in a frying pan and in the oven, so that steam comes out. Fold in a shallow microwave oven, add salt and a little water. Frying them in the microwave will not work. You can only steam and peel and then fry them in oil. The dishes are covered with cling film and set at full power for 8 minutes. then they try. If the nuts are not ready, add time.

In the airfryer

As in the previous cases, chestnuts are fried crosswise with cuts. Spread on a baking sheet, and set the temperature on the timer to 180 C. Bake for about half an hour. The main secret of roasting noble chestnuts in the airfryer is placing the fruit on the foil. From above, it is also recommended to cover them with foil.

Boiled chestnuts

You know how to roast chestnuts, but how to boil them properly at home? To do this, you need to wash the fruits and cut them on the side. Then the prepared chestnuts are poured with water and cooked for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and remove from boiling water one at a time, peeling of shell and peel. For cooking puree, you can use the unpeeled fruits, boil them for 20 minutes, and only then peel.

Cooking secrets

How to make delicious and nutritious chestnuts at home? There are several secrets that will provide an unusual product with an excellent taste and aroma.

• When buying edible chestnuts, you need to pay attention to the kernels - they should be wrinkled with a brown shiny skin.
• The purchased fruits should be thoroughly washed and dried. They are poured with boiling water. Those that float up are useless, and those that have settled to the bottom are selected and cleaned of the shell.
• They should be fried, observing the exact time. If you overdo it a little, the kernels will become dry and tough.
• The rind is easiest to remove from hot fruits.
• It is necessary to remove all films, membranes and membranes from the fried kernels.
• You don't need to cook more than you can eat at one time. Stay nuts will become tasteless and dry quickly.
• Chestnut flour, although very tasty and aromatic, has a short shelf life. It should be used immediately and should not be stored for more than 1 month. It is advisable to mix it with wheat flour.
• It is recommended to store raw chestnuts in a cool, dark place.

Recipes

Frying chestnuts is not at all difficult, they can be included in many recipes, and diversify your diet from familiar products, both vegetable and meat. Since it is not always pleasant to roast chestnuts at home (they emit a lot of smoke), you can simply douse them with boiling water. They are delicious raw when added with sauce, meat and herbs. Some housewives grind toasted kernels in a blender and fill them with milk. This puree is a semi-finished product for making soufflés, sauces and bread dough. You can add the mixture to muffins, tarts, and cakes. Crushed chestnuts will surprisingly complement the taste of ice cream. Pounded chestnuts go well with vegetables - cabbage, carrots, mushrooms.

Chestnut dessert

To please children or guests, you can cook chestnuts as a dessert. This will require:

• 60 g butter;
• 500 g fresh fruits;
• 100 g sugar (honey can be used).

The washed fruits are cut and placed in the oven. After half an hour, when the chestnuts are cooked, they are taken out and peeled. The peeled kernels are boiled in a saucepan. After 5 min. transferred to a mold and mixed with butter, honey or sugar. Bake in the oven for 2 minutes. when serving to adults, the chestnuts are poured with cognac, and for children - with yogurt.

Chestnuts with cauliflower

• cauliflower 450 g;
• chestnut fruits - 250 g;
• butter;
• one egg.

Boil cauliflower in a covered saucepan for 15 minutes. Take out, separate the inflorescences and chop finely. Cut the chestnuts and send to the pan. As soon as they start bouncing, stir and fold onto paper napkins. Chop the peeled fruits. Place the cabbage in a greased frying pan, add the chestnuts and a beaten egg. Season with salt and cover. Simmer over low heat for 3 minutes. Then stir and leave for 5 minutes. Serve with milk sauce.

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Previously, this delicacy could only be tasted abroad. It so happened that in our latitudes only horse chestnut grows, which, by the way, even horses do not eat. But the French, Spaniards and Italians were more fortunate - they have edible fruits falling from trees right on the streets, and in some places there are still chestnut forests, where whole families go in season, just like our mushroom pickers. But if the latter need to know, then even a 3-year-old child can easily fill a basket of chestnuts.

Fortunately, today there is no need to travel far and wide to get to know the taste of this delicacy. Do not be lazy to look into the section with nuts in the supermarket, and we will teach you how to cook chestnuts at home.

You will need:

How to choose chestnuts

It is quite easy to distinguish between noble and inedible species. They have a green skin, densely studded with small thorns, and there are several fruits in the box.

Nuts are shiny, smooth, dark brown in color with elongated tails, a bit like a bulb. May be similar in size to walnut, chicken egg or tangerine, depending on variety and country of supply.

At room temperature, fresh chestnuts are stored for no more than 4 days, in the refrigerator for about two weeks, so you should refuse from shriveled or very dark fruits - they will taste bitter. The ideal choice is firm, rounded fruits, free from damage and spots on the shell.

If you buy a frozen product, also pay attention to the expiration date - it should not exceed 5-6 months.

You can also find pickled chestnuts on sale. They do not need additional processing, but are immediately used for food.

Heat treatment

Pour water over the fruit. Those that immediately float up are not suitable for food, they must be thrown away, then use only those that have settled to the bottom. Wash them well and pat dry on a towel.

Before you cook, roast or bake the chestnuts, you need to make holes in them for steam to escape, otherwise the nuts will simply explode. Using kitchen scissors or a thin knife, make a thin cut in the side or a cruciform cut on the top, snagging the flesh slightly. You can also poke some shallow holes in the rind with a fork.

After cooking, pour over them with cold water and immediately remove the shell along with the film and black streaks. Cooled fruits are much more difficult to clean, so wear gloves or use a towel.

The following methods will help to facilitate the cleaning process:

• cut the peel in a circle and boil the chestnuts for 3 minutes in boiling water with a tablespoon of vegetable oil;
• put the nuts in the freezer overnight, then put them in boiling water and immediately place them under cold water.

Chestnuts can also be eaten raw, after removing the shell and film. However, their taste and aroma in this case will be much inferior to the cooked fruit.

Serve as a stand-alone dish or make salads, desserts, snacks, mashed potatoes, soups, and more. But first, we will learn how to cook chestnuts in the simplest ways.

How to fry in a pan

For starters - a classic recipe. To roast chestnuts at home, it is enough to have a large, thick-walled pan with a tight-fitting heavy lid, in which it is convenient to prepare popcorn. A grill pan is also suitable for this purpose, but by no means a Teflon container.

Take exactly the amount of fruits that you plan to eat, since they do not last long when cooked. After cooling, the taste is significantly reduced.

• Heat the skillet over medium heat without adding oil.
• If a darkish core is visible in the cut made, add a tablespoon of water or place a damp towel under the lid. The steam will soften the chestnuts and make them juicier.
• Do not add temperature during cooking. Moderate fire is more than enough.
• Don't forget to stir.
• After they start to burst with a characteristic sound, from time to time, just shake the pan without opening the lid.
• The dish is ready, when the shell darkens, it will be easy to remove, and the split widens. This will take approximately 15-25 minutes.

Roasted chestnuts are perfect with both salt and sugar. If you're making a beer snack, simply sprinkle them with sea salt. If you want dessert, pour it over with chocolate or sweet sauce.

In the oven

A similar taste will be obtained if chestnuts are cooked in the oven, and this will take much less effort.

• Place the nuts on a dry baking sheet, cut upwards.
• Preheat the oven to 210-220 degrees and set the chestnuts on for about 20 minutes.
• Again, check to see if the cut has opened. If so, it's time to take it out.
• Leave the peeled pulp on a towel for 5 minutes and serve hot.

Try not to overexpose the kernels on fire, otherwise they will become dry and tough.

Roasted chestnuts are served hot with beer or young wine.

In the microwave

The main advantages of this method are that you do not need to spend a lot of time, and the process itself is extremely simple.

• Place the sliced \u200b\u200bnuts in a microwave safe container.
• Season with salt and add a few tablespoons of boiling water (the water should not cover the fruit).
• Cover with cling film and place in oven for 6-8 minutes at full power.
• Cook the chestnuts until tender, adding a few minutes if necessary.

This will result in steamed nuts, which can then be peeled and cooked in a skillet with or without heated oil.

In the airfryer

• Place a layer of nuts on a pallet. You can cover them at the top and bottom with foil.
• Place a suitable container of boiling water on the grate below.
• Set the temperature to 200-205 degrees.
• Cooking time - 15-20 minutes until the kernels turn yellow.

Serve hot, slightly salted.

How to cook chestnuts

• Prepare the fruits in advance - wash, peel and sort.
• Dip them in boiling water.
• Cooking time depends on the size of the nuts - from 10 minutes to half an hour.
• Remove from heat and clean, taking one at a time from the water.

Bake raw chestnuts at 180 degrees.

How to bake chestnuts

Products
Chestnuts - to fill the bottom of 1 baking sheet

How to bake chestnuts
1. Wash the chestnuts.
2. Make deep cuts in each chestnut and place in a saucepan.
3. Pour chestnuts with water and put on fire.
4. Bring water to a boil and turn off heat.
5. Transfer the chestnuts to a baking sheet or wire shelf.
6. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
7. Place a baking sheet with chestnuts on the middle level of the oven.
8. Bake chestnuts for 20 minutes, turn over in the middle of baking.
9. Remove from the oven, cover and leave for another 20 minutes.
10. Peel the chestnuts and serve.

How to cook delicious chestnuts

When baked, the chestnuts will burst, sprinkling the chestnut pulp liberally over the oven. To prevent this from happening, you should, firstly, cut the chestnuts before baking, and, secondly, carefully monitor the temperature regime. For small chestnuts, the baking temperature should be reduced to 180 degrees.

Before baking, the chestnuts must be treated with water so that they do not dry out. To do this, you need to either soak the chestnuts in water for 20 minutes, or put them in water and bring to a boil.

In most European countries, roasted chestnuts are a street treat. Trees with these miraculous fruits grow just on the streets of cities, and therefore any tourist can try the dish at a very affordable price. Here, you can taste the taste of this delicate nut only in a restaurant, or try to cook it yourself at home. Just how to roast chestnuts?

The taste of roasted chestnuts is rather unusual and not everyone will like it, like any other product. But it's worth a try, especially since it's not only tasty, but also very healthy. The main nuance is to learn how to cook them correctly.

So, we master the art of cooking roasted chestnuts.

Chestnuts are high in vegetable protein and are very healthy to eat. It is especially indispensable for adherents of a vegetarian diet, since it is able to fully provide the body with protein, which they exclude, refusing to eat meat.

But, despite all the benefits of chestnut-nut, there are a number of contraindications to its use. Therefore, before you eat it, you need to pay attention to your own health and evaluate all the pros and cons.

Positive qualities of chestnuts

So, the following features are among the useful properties of the nut.

1. High energy value. You can eat two, three chestnuts, and not remember the feeling of hunger for half a day. A good product for those who like to eat at night or before bedtime. You can eat chestnuts before going to bed and sleep peacefully until morning, full and not afraid for the figure. For people whose constant companions are fatigue and weakness, chestnuts are the best helper.
2. A great option to diversify the menu. This versatile nut can be fried, boiled, baked and made into salads. If traditional cereals, pasta and potatoes as a side dish are simply bored, then chestnuts can be cooked as an addition to meat or fish.
3. Saturates the body with vitamins and minerals without sacrificing a thin waist. As noted above, chestnuts contain a lot of protein, in addition, they are a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. In reasonable quantities, the product will not only benefit, but also help to saturate the body with everything it needs during the diet. Athletes can consume the product as a protein source after exercise.
4. A universal medicine. Chestnut-nut is useful for diseases of the respiratory organs, thrombophlebitis, varicose veins. A decoction of fruits, bark or leaves will help relieve acute symptoms of hemorrhoids and remove skin problems.
5. It is a source of women's health. The product is recommended for women with mastitis, mastopathy.

Contraindications

In any case, if there are the slightest health problems, you should consult your doctor before introducing chestnuts into the diet.

• allergies;
• poor blood clotting;
• acute gastritis and stomach ulcer;
• violation of the menstrual cycle;
• pregnant women;
• low blood pressure;
• problems with stool;
• completeness.

Before you understand how to roast chestnuts properly, you should learn how to choose a nut. There are fruits of edible and inedible plants. It must be remembered that you cannot eat any chestnut, since some nuts may even be poisonous.

Traditionally used in cooking:

• sowing chestnut;
• american;
• crenate, or Japanese;
• softest, or Chinese;
• chinkapin.

The specified varieties of chestnuts with a thorny shell, the color of which must be green, are suitable for eating. The fruits should be elongated, outwardly similar to an ordinary bulb with a small tail.

But it is better not to even try to eat the lumpy, round fruits of the horse chestnut, because this is at least food poisoning.

How to roast chestnuts at home - the main ways

When the chestnuts are selected, you can start cooking them. Surely no one will be left indifferent by the taste of roasted chestnuts. Let's find out how to roast chestnuts at home. There are several ways, but any of them must begin with a bulkhead of the fruit.

First of all, you must throw out all damaged, dented, cracked or spoiled copies. Good nuts should be thoroughly washed with a sponge and poured into a container of water.

You can cook only nuts drowned in water, those fruits that have surfaced, without pity, we send to the trash can.

Selected, good fruits must be left in water for at least 15 minutes, then dried with a towel and pierced with a fork so that the shell does not break during the frying process.

In a frying pan

Roasting chestnuts is easy. This makes a tasty and healthy dish.

1. A thin and small frying pan is not suitable for roasting chestnuts. It is necessary to take a frying pan with thick sides and bottom, and large enough.
2. There should be enough oil to completely cover the beans, and it is better to put moistened napkins on top so that the chestnuts do not dry out.
3. When heated, the chestnuts begin to explode, and the lid will be able to keep these delicious nuts from jumping out of the pan.
4. They should be fried for about half an hour over medium heat.
5. In order not to overcook the chestnuts, it is necessary to shake them from time to time during the frying process, but under a closed lid. Or you can stir it periodically with a spatula.
6. You can determine the readiness of the chestnut by simply pressing on it. The finished chestnut will be soft.
7. It is necessary to spread the finished product on paper towels to remove excess fat.

In the oven

If you don't know how to roast chestnuts at home, choose the oven method. Fried in this way, they will retain all their useful substances and at the same time do not saturate excess oil.

To do this, you need to perform a number of actions.

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Sorted, washed and dried fruits cut or chop.
3. Put the prepared product on a greased woodwind leaf with a cut up.
4. Sprinkle the fruits with water and send to bake for no more than 20 minutes.
5. To prevent the chestnuts from burning, you must periodically move them.
6. When the fruit becomes soft, and the shell itself begins to crack easily, you can take out the chestnuts, cool and peel.

The chestnuts are ready! You can serve them as a side dish, or as an independent dish.

In the microwave

Another way to cook chestnuts quickly at home is to roast them in the microwave. The process of preparing these tender fruits is the same as in the previous two cases, but they will have to be prepared in two stages.

1. Put the prepared chestnuts in a deep dish, cover with wet wipes, send to the microwave for 5 minutes at maximum power. Do not be lazy and stir the nuts every one and a half minutes.
2. At the second stage, add vegetable oil to the dish and bake for another 15 minutes, stirring at the same frequency.

In the airfryer

The recipe for cooking chestnuts in an airfryer is similar to baking in an oven.

1. Sort the fruits, soak, dry and cut.
2. Place the good nuts on the airfryer baking sheet.
3. Bake the chestnuts for about half an hour at 180 degrees.
4. There is one secret to roasting chestnuts in this glass saucepan - the bottom and top wire racks must be covered with foil. Then the effect of a double boiler is formed and the nuts do not dry out and do not become hard.

How to peel roasted chestnuts?

You can peel the chestnut by simply pressing on it. The shell will begin to lag behind and just remove it.

It is necessary to start peeling immediately after cooking the beans, within ten minutes, since it is much easier to remove the shell from warm nuts. Once the chestnut has cooled, the shell becomes harder and harder to remove.

It is necessary to peel the nut not only from the upper peel, but also from the inner films and membranes.

To help peel off the peel, you can put the chestnuts in a steam bath for a short time before roasting. The finished product is also wrapped in a damp towel for easier cleaning.

The Italians and French use a special secret of peeling ready-made chestnuts - they put them in a bag. This way the chestnuts are not only easier to clean, but also stay warm longer.

In order to make your own dish at home that will not be inferior to the restaurant one, you should pay attention to some useful recommendations.

1. Boil the chestnuts for a few minutes before frying.
2. Be sure to pinch or cut each nut. This will prevent them from shooting out of the pan and will be easier to clean.
3. You can only put the beans in the cooking container in one layer.
4. You do not need to fry the nuts for a long time so that they do not become hard.
5. You can store raw chestnuts for a short time, just a couple of days, in a cool place.
6. You can extend the shelf life of the finished dish by placing it in the freezer.

Conclusion

Chestnut is a wonderful delicacy that is very useful for the body and has great nutritional value. As it turns out, these tender beans are not that difficult to cook. At the same time, it can be eaten as an independent dish, a side dish, added to a salad or soup, and even served as a dessert.

Such an unusual product will diversify the everyday menu and become an exotic highlight of the festive table. It will not only bring joy to your taste buds, but also quickly and permanently satisfy your hunger.