Peeling chestnuts is tiring most of the time, especially if you don’t know the right method to do it in a few minutes, without effort and without throwing away half of them.

Chestnuts are part of autumn, they warm us on long winter afternoons, with a particular enveloping flavor that gives that right warmth, that extra touch to a particularly cold season.

Those who love summer and its hot temperatures particularly love them both cooked and raw. In general, they are the most anticipated products of the year because they have a typical taste and scent that makes us feel good. In southern cities, the smell of roasted chestnuts floods the neighborhoods as soon as September arrives, delighting the senses of smell and palate.

Chestnut, components and vitamins that are good for the body

The chestnut is the fruit of the chestnut tree, which is a tree found only in some areas, for example mountainous areas that are not too high. Unlike olives which require more laborious procedures, chestnuts can also be harvested by children, directly from the ground, being careful.

They contain a complex carbohydrate, a starch that makes you feel full easily. In fact, chestnuts were once the ideal food for those who couldn’t afford anything else, i.e. the poor classes. 

The chestnut has a fair mineral content, the levels of potassium, sulphur, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and calcium are very high. If you eat it raw, you can also absorb a significant amount of vitamins, unfortunately during the cooking process vitamin C is lost.

Who can consume chestnuts and when it is recommended to do so

Since they are of plant origin, they are rich in fiber and have no cholesterol so even those with heart problems can consume them. They are excellent for a diet for hypercholesterolemia, it is recommended to consume a maximum of 40 grams per day.

According to what is specified by the experts, if you do not want to give up the consumption of chestnuts, you must eat them as a snack in the morning or towards the middle of the afternoon. They are a nice source of energy, easily digestible if consumed between main meals. Otherwise, they may cause some minor discomfort.

How to peel chestnuts quickly and easily, the trick that always works

Today they can be used for the preparation of many recipes, for example for sweets and savory dishes, then they can also be enjoyed on their own, both cooked and raw, perhaps accompanied with red wine which gives that finishing touch that doesn’t hurt . . The only thing that ruins a somewhat magical moment is the fact that they have to be peeled.

There are those who use a knife to do it, those who scratch them, but the final result is never what one expects, in fact it is often disappointing. In reality, there are methods that allow you to clean both cooked and raw chestnuts in just a few minutes, without effort. For example, you can peel them before cooking, for this you must use boiling water. Alternatively, if you want to make peeling easier when they are cooked you should soak them in water and wait a while. Afterwards, peeling them will be child’s play.

Then they can also be roasted , in this case the humidity must be exploited, so after cooking they must be placed inside a tight cloth and washed. Then, you have to leave them inside for about ten minutes, in this way the peel softens, finally you can proceed. If you want to boil them, you need to add a little oil to the cooking water and the problem will be solved.