We explain to you how you can easily roast chestnuts, give tips for preparation and introduce you to delicious recipes with the sweet chestnuts.
Roasting chestnuts – step by step
- Soak the chestnuts in water for an hour and then dry.
- Then cut off the tips of the chestnuts with a sharp knife or scissors.
- In the next step you have to scratch the peel crosswise at the top, this prevents the chestnuts from bursting. The brown skin under the peel, the so-called seed skin, should also be incised.
- Now you put the chestnuts with the incised side up on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 180 degrees. Then you can roast the chestnuts for about 20 minutes. Turn over in between and moisten with a little water.
- The chestnuts are ready as soon as the skin is torn open and bulges outwards. After cooling down, you have to peel the chestnuts.
Roasting chestnuts: You should pay attention to this
The chestnuts should be shiny and free of holes or damage. You can recognize good chestnuts by the fact that they sink to the bottom in a bowl of waterwhile the bad fruit floats on the surface. Fresh chestnuts don't keep for too long, so you should process them as quickly as possible. You can find tips for this in our article on preparing chestnuts – in addition to roasting, you can also cook chestnuts, for example.
Roasted chestnuts are reminiscent of nuts in taste, but they are also slightly sweet. If you only want to roast a small amount of chestnuts, you can prepare them in a pan instead of in the oven and caramelize them with butter and sugar if necessary. Delicious chestnut recipes are, for example, our chanterelle and chestnut fricassee or our recipe for chestnut cookies.
Chestnuts: season and storage
Chestnuts are in season from September to December and are not only extremely tasty, but also healthy: 100 grams of the sweet chestnut contain only two grams of fat, and the fruits also have vitamins C and E, potassium, iron and a high fiber content. They should be stored in a cool and dry place. The best way to do this is to use a basket, as oxygen can reach the chestnuts from all sides. Alternatively, they can also be stored in the refrigerator.
Video tip: This is where chestnuts and chestnuts differ
Looking for even more tips? Here we show you how to roast pine nuts.