Chook n Boo Mum Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 is there a quick & easy way of doing this? Am boiling a few for about 3 mins & peeling them as quickly as poss - which it isn't very quickly as they are such a fiddle - then repeating with another batch. I have 2 kg to peel..... Why do I do this to myself - why not stick to simple preserves? (I'm making Chestnut jam from the RC Preserves book) Sha xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I cut a slit into each one, put 10-15 around the edge of a plate, cover with a sheet of kitchen paper and microwave for 40-60 seconds. I find them much easier to peel then and they are semi cooked already. The paper helps contain the mess if one explodes (make sure the cut is into the brown furry skin too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 Thanks Christian, I will try that tomorrow - or the next day! My fingers are so sore tonight, having been burnt on the early chestnuts out of the boiling water & gouged by the knife on the latter ones as they had cooked slightly & the skins seem to stick back as they cool Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 This is useful to know! Our local woods are full of lovely sweet chestnuts, so I filled my pockets with them on dog walks over the weekend! I've never done anything with them before, so has anyone got any good recipes? J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 Hi JM, I am doing some chestnut jam with mine today, so I'll let you know how that turns out. I think it comes out rather like chestnut chocolate spread without the chocolate if that makes any sense at all!! It's from the River Cottage Preserves book, pg 86/87 if you have access to the book. Will let you all know how it turns out & whether it's worth all the hard work.... Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I have millions of conkers, but no chestnuts around here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spencers Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I can second Christian on the microwave method & because it's fairly quick you can do them in small batches so you get at least a chance of peeling them while they're still warm. There's nothing worse than having a huge pile of chestnuts to peel once they've gone cold and the skins are sticking. It's one of those labours of love each autumn. But so worth the effort! And you feel so virtuous when you've got a few kilos peeled and in the freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 The peeling puts me off too, but I do love chestnuts. A real treat in Autumn. I'm missing Kate in NZ who gave me beautiful chestnuts from her garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Hi All, Well I personally am not overly enamoured of the chestnut jam - probably due to the fact that I don't really like cooked chestnuts anyway, much rather have crunchy raw ones! - but several people who had their fingers in the residue and have tasted it a week later, say it's food of the gods and well worth the effort! As a result I am ploughing on with the second kilo of chestnuts, using the microwave method. I've found so far that the brown skins go crispy when they cool down, so they are much easier to peel - thank you Christian ! Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
