# Problems With Roasting Chestnuts



## _A_me_ (Apr 27, 2013)

Hi everyone,

 I'm sorry if this topic comes up a lot. I would really like some opinions about roasting chestnuts and the way mine turn out. We have a chestnut tree in the backyard and I always eaten them raw. When I was little we all use to roast them over a fire in a pan and I can't remember having any issues with them. Since then I've tried a few times to cook them in an oven and it just hasn't worked.
 Depending on the recipe, I usually cook them for around 25 minutes (x on flat side) I've also tried soaking them 15 minutes prior to roasting. After they're cooked they are crumbly (is this normal?) and soft/squishy in the middle but they are also slightly discoloured. Most times they have a purple tint in the middle. They taste fine raw though and there's no dark spots or discolouration. I pick them either off the tree when the pod is open, or get them from the fallen ones on the ground usually within a day of them falling. 
 Does anyone have any idea why they turn out like this? 

Thank you.

Amiee.


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## MrsLMB (Apr 27, 2013)

Hi Amiee .. welcome to DC .. you won't regret your stop here .. this place is awesome !

I've never roasted chestnuts, nor have I ever had the pleasure of eating them .. but I did a quick search and found this video .. perhaps this will help you.

How to Roast Chestnuts - YouTube


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## Kylie1969 (Apr 28, 2013)

Mrs L, I too have never had chestnuts...would love to try some one day though


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## Addie (Apr 28, 2013)

I wonder if you could order them online? When we had the wood burning stove in the kitchen, my mother made them every year for me. She had a special plate that was more of a grilling basket that you could put over one side of the stove in place of the regualr lid. (She also made toast for me that way.) They always had that woodsie flavor. Sort of like being done over a campfire. I would sit down with the salt shaker and go to them. They didn't last long. But they have gotten expensive now. Still a half pound would make me very happy. I will have to get some this year. They become available around fall time.


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## acerbicacid (Apr 28, 2013)

I love roasted chestnuts (childhood memories of roasting them on a smallish shovel with holes over an open fire) and I have roasted in the oven with the same result as you Amiee, sometimes crumbly and often with that mauvy/purplish colouring.    I too have always used the X cuts.    Since looking at that video though I think I'll try that next time I cook them to see if it does make a difference to the texture.    I once tried to make marrons glace - now I know why they are so expensive 

In London, England you can still see Roast Chestnut sellers in some of the busy streets/markets in the Autumn
London Daily Photo: Chestnuts roasting on an open fire


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## Kujiraya (Apr 29, 2013)

One way to cull out most of the bad chestnuts, before putting in the effort to roast and peel ALL of them, would be to cover the chestnuts with water, and discard the chestnuts which float. This is not a foolproof method: there will be a little bit of wastage as there would have been some good ones amongst the chestnuts which floated, and there will STILL be a few bad ones amongst the chestnuts which sank, but the yield of good ones amongst the chestnuts which sank will be noticeably higher.

Also, it is very easy to burn the chestnuts while roasting them, so boiling them provides a slightly higher quantitative yield, but roasting them is so much more enjoyable and enriching that I would recommend roasting (especially in a coal-fire) as a better overall experience, compared to the much more mundane boiling method, unless yield is all that you are after.


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## Kujiraya (Apr 29, 2013)

I agree about the marron glace. I've just recently bought a supply of them from my local gourmet store at over $60 Australian dollars (over $62 US dollars) for each pack, and each pack contained only 8 (eight) of these delectable morsels.


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## Addie (Apr 29, 2013)

Kujiraya said:


> I agree about the marron glace. I've just recently bought a supply of them from my local gourmet store at over $60 Australian dollars (over $62 US dollars) for each pack, and each pack contained only 8 (eight) of these delectable morsels.


 
Good Grief! Someone better start planting some Chestnut trees down there and bring those prices down. And I had the nerve to complain because they have been $2 or $3 a pound here.


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## _A_me_ (Apr 29, 2013)

Thank you for the replies everyone  I think I'm going to have to try getting them from the store and seeing how they turn out. I have a feeling that its probably something to do with our chestnuts. With the next batch I get of ours, I might try roasting them on the fire instead and seeing if they still discolour .etc


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## chef109 (May 4, 2013)

If I could find them I think they would be a good thing to experiment with and see what they are capable of. Are these something you could find at Wal-mart or do you have to go to some specialty health store or something to get them?


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## Addie (May 5, 2013)

chef109 said:


> If I could find them I think they would be a good thing to experiment with and see what they are capable of. Are these something you could find at Wal-mart or do you have to go to some specialty health store or something to get them?


 
Starting in the Fall, you should be able to find them in your local supermarket in the produce department. They are sold lose and you pick out the ones you want yourself. My mother used to make sage/chestnut stuffing for the chicken. What nuts she didn't use she roasted for me. If you google 'chestnuts' you should be able to find plenty of recipes.


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## buckytom (May 5, 2013)

you may need to fertilize and water your tree for more plump, zaftig chestnuts that'll roast better.

yes, i know. improper english. but they are chest-nuts.


besides london, it ain't christmas without a charcoal grilled bag of chestnuts and smokey, salty pretzel from a street vendor near the rock center tree.


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## justplainbill (May 5, 2013)

Boil fresh slashed chestnuts for 1 -2 minutes.  Bake for 15 minutes at 450F (235C).


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