How to prepare delicious chestnuts yourself

Roast chestnuts yourself

When shopping for sweet chestnuts, make sure that the outer shell of the fruit is shiny and not damaged. If small holes are visible, it is possible that maggots have already established themselves. Before you start preparing the chestnuts, you should do a second quality test. Put the chestnuts in a bowl of cold water. All of the chestnuts floating above are bad and can be removed immediately.
Now dry the chestnuts and start preparing for roasting. You can choose between two options, pan or oven.

Roast chestnuts in the oven

1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees circulating air (200 degrees top / bottom heat).
2. Put a small saucepan of water in the oven. This way the chestnuts don't dry out during the roasting process.
3. Cut off the pointed ends of the chestnuts.
4. With a sharp knife, scratch the chestnut deeply on the curved belly side. The shell must be severed and so must the brown skin underneath.
5. Place the chestnuts on the baking sheet with the notch facing up and slide this into the oven.
6. Roast the chestnuts for about 25 minutes. They are cooked when a sweet, nutty smell develops.
7. Take the chestnuts on the stove. The notch should be wide open.
8. Peel your chestnuts and enjoy.

Roast chestnuts in a pan

1. Prepare the chestnuts as described.
2. Heat a pan on the stove. A coated pan or a cast iron pan is best.
3. As soon as the pan is very hot, add the chestnuts.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. If the heat is too high, the chestnuts will harden.
5. Put a lid on and roast the chestnuts for about 20 minutes, turning them several times.
6. Peel the chestnuts as soon as they are cooked through.
7. The chestnuts get a particularly delicious aroma if you put the peeled fruit in the pan again and caramelize it with sugar and butter over a mild heat.

Uses for roasted chestnuts

Roasted chestnuts are an ideal companion for the winter kitchen. With their sweet, nutty taste, they give roast goose or roast venison a very special aroma.
The chestnuts also convince as a starter in the form of the classic chestnut cream soup. For dessert, you should try a chestnut crème brûlée or a chocolate cream with pureed chestnuts.