Walnuts: how to remove the shell from the kernels at home. How to properly and quickly peel walnuts

To peel a walnut or hazelnut, you need to spend a little time and effort. Because of this, many lovers of these products prefer to buy components that have already been shelled. Unfortunately, the conditions for processing, storage, packaging and transportation of such products are often violated. Their consumption can lead to digestive upset and even poisoning. It is better to choose nuts with a protective shell and peel them yourself.

What's the easiest way to peel hazelnuts?

Hazelnuts not only have a pleasant texture and a delicate taste. This is a very healthy nut that supplies the human body with a scattering of vital trace elements and chemical compounds. For this reason and because of certain difficulties in growing it, the component should not be cheap. If you buy a product that is too cheap, it may be empty or damaged inside.

Well, the best way to peel such nuts is in the following ways:

• Pliers. We clamp the nut with pliers and place this structure in the palm. This technique will protect against the spread of debris throughout the room. Gently squeeze the product until the dense shell cracks. All that remains is to clear the kernel from it and you can move on to another instance.

Tip: When choosing walnuts, be careful. It is highly not recommended to purchase wild tree fruits; all existing cleaning methods have practically no effect on them. Such nuts can be easily recognized by their small size and unusually elongated shape.

• Hammer. If you need to clean several products at once, or the nut turns out to be too hard, it is better to use another method. Place the hazelnuts in a fabric bag and place them in one layer on a hard surface. We take a wooden or metal hammer and begin to lightly hit the nuts until all the shells on them crack. You don’t even have to peel the nuts, just pour the contents of the bag into a bowl and remove the kernels from the mass.
• Oven. If the hazelnuts are very hard, you should first place them on a baking sheet and place them in the oven at medium temperature for no more than 10 minutes. During this time, the shell will become more pliable and it will be easier to clean the components.

Removing the shell does not complete the cleaning, because fresh hazelnuts are covered with a thin skin, which imparts bitterness to the kernels. It is not so easy to remove it manually; first you need to fry them in a hot frying pan without oil over low heat for 5 minutes. Now we place the nuts between two pieces of fabric and three palms. This will allow you to quickly bring all the elements to the desired state at once.

You should not try to crack hazelnuts with your teeth, as this can cause serious problems with the enamel. Even a garlic crusher is not always able to cope with hard shells.

How to quickly and efficiently peel walnuts?

Many people try to crack walnuts the old fashioned way using a knife or scissors. This is not entirely correct and, most importantly, unsafe. If you slightly miscalculate the pressing force, there is a risk of getting a cut or damage to the tool blade. It is better to try one of the following methods:

• Using boiling water. Place the walnuts in a bowl, pour boiling water over them and wait 10 minutes. Drain the liquid and wait for the product to cool. Now the products can be quickly and effortlessly split with a knife or scissors. The halves will separate on their own under slight pressure.
• Pliers. A walnut is not a hazelnut; cracking it with pliers is not so easy, but it is possible. The principle of performing the manipulation is the same. But this method is recommended to be used only when you need to clean a small volume of product.
• Heating in the oven. Place the walnuts in a preheated oven and keep for 10 minutes at 200ºC. This time is enough to make the shell more fragile and pliable. But in this case it is better to work not with a knife, but with a hammer. We just take a nut, place it on a wooden board and lightly tap it with a hammer. The shell will fall apart into pieces; the kernels will only need to be cleaned of jumpers and dirt.

In this case, too, not everything is finished yet, because the edible kernels are covered with a dense husk. If the nuts are young, then these formations will come off the surface without any problems, you just need to rub the elements a little. But with an older product everything will be more complicated.

Removing the husks from walnuts

To remove the husk quickly and without hassle, it is not necessary to process each nut, as some housewives do.
It is much easier to use one of the following approaches:

• Place the ingredients in a fabric bag, lightly shake and pour into a bowl. Pour boiling water over the product and leave for 5 minutes. Drain the liquid, put the workpiece in the bag again and shake it again. After such manipulations, all unnecessary skin should come off the nucleoli. An additional advantage of this approach is that it returns the delicate milky taste to even slightly stale products.
• You can also fry the kernels in a dry frying pan for 5 minutes. After this, they are very easy to clean; part of the husk will come off the nuts during the heat treatment process. The main thing is to ensure that the products do not burn. Problems will be indicated by a change in the color of the workpieces and the appearance of a specific pungent odor. By the way, some housewives still add a little vegetable oil, but not to the frying pan, but to the nuts themselves about a minute before the end of processing.

According to experts, the use of approaches involving heat treatment is more preferable. They not only simplify the process of cleaning nuts, but also establish the quality of the product. If during exposure the kernels begin to emit a specific smell of mold or rot, this indicates a violation of the rules for storing nuts. It is better not to eat them, even if they look very appetizing. But such pre-treatment, on the contrary, will fully reveal the taste and aroma of the fresh product.

Walnuts are considered one of the most favorite delicacies and ingredients for making homemade baked goods. But how to crack a walnut, because its kernel is securely hidden under a strong shell, is not an easy question.

A lot of time has passed since the publication of The Nutcracker, and people have come up with all sorts of ways to crack the nut. The skill of how to peel walnuts will also help here, because it is not very pleasant to gnaw nuts along with the remains of a broken shell.

Not everyone knows how to crack a walnut without damaging the kernel. To date, through trial and error, methods have been invented by which the kernels can be extracted from the nut, intact and unharmed.

Quick ways to peel walnuts

There are different options for splitting walnut fruits. Among them there are quick ones and those that require a certain amount of time. We will figure out how to quickly peel walnuts and remove the kernels.

How to chop walnuts at home? The most famous method, which is passed down from generation to generation, is to split using a door:

1. To do this, you need to open it a little, then put a walnut in the crack between the jamb and the door, and slowly close the door.
2. Having heard the characteristic cracking of the shell, you need to remove the nut and carefully separate the kernels from the shell. There is no need to pull the door too zealously - you may end up with crumbs instead of kernels. It is better to resort to this method of chopping walnuts extremely rarely, only when there are no other means at hand. Frequently cracking nuts with a door can scratch the door trim.

The next most popular method is using a regular kitchen knife:

1. To crack the shell, you need to insert the sharp tip of a knife into a small small hole between the two halves of the shell. It is located at the top of the flattened part of the nut.
2. Then you need to slowly rotate the knife, either clockwise or counterclockwise, as is more convenient for you.
3. When the fruit splits into 2 halves, a knife will help you peel the shell from a walnut and carefully remove the kernels.
4. The only disadvantage of this method is that the walnut may not be divided into two parts, and a small piece may break off from it. Through the small hole formed, it is impossible to remove the entire kernels without damage.

Another tool for cracking walnuts is a hammer:

1. Place a nut on a cutting board or any other surface and hit it with a hammer.
2. Here, too, a certain skill is required: if you hit it hard, you will end up with a mess of kernels, partitions and shells.

But how to properly crack a walnut without hurting your fingers? Be careful or use a special board with a recess for the nut. The shell may scatter throughout the room; to prevent this from happening, you need to place the nut in a plastic model or linen bag before cracking.

How to quickly peel walnuts is a question that consumers often face, so you can buy a special walnut cracker on sale. It is made of durable metal and looks like tongs; its operating principle is very simple: the nut is clamped between two grooved plates, and you need to press the handles with your hands. Here, too, you need to calculate the force; the compression must be leisurely in order to ultimately obtain whole kernels. Using this principle, you can crack a nut:

• pliers;
• pliers;
• gas wrench;
• garlic press.

There is another modern “nutcracker”, which is a device consisting of two solid cast plates with recesses. The plates are connected to each other by a spring. A walnut is placed between these plates and pressed. Today this is the most effective way to remove the kernels from the shell intact. The big advantage of such a device is that the remains of the shell will not fly apart.

After describing these methods, you will understand how to peel a walnut, as well as how to chop walnuts at home so that the kernels remain intact. You may ask why whole kernels are needed, since you can enjoy the nuts in their chopped form, but for the pie, the nuts are generally turned into crumbs? There are a lot of recipes in cooking that require a whole kernel, so housewives have to put a lot of effort into getting it out of the nut. These recommendations will help you complete the task faster.

Softening the shell with water

Every housewife should know how to crack walnuts at home. To soften the shell and internal partition of a walnut:

1. You need to put the required amount in hot water (it is better to use boiling water) and wait 30 - 40 minutes.
2. Carefully divide the shell into two parts with a kitchen knife and separate the partitions. Under the influence of hot water, both the shell and the membrane will soften sufficiently and the kernels can be removed intact.

How to crack walnuts if you don’t have boiling water on hand. You can soften the shell using brine:

1. Place the required amount of nuts in a bowl and add salted water, equal to 1.5 tbsp. l. per liter of water.
2. The fruits need to be kept for about 30 minutes, placed on a napkin to drain off any remaining water, then carefully divide the fruits into 2 halves with a fork or knife.

Softening the nut shell using high temperatures

How to peel a walnut without damaging the kernel if you don’t have a nut cracker on hand. To clean the nuts better with minimal damage to the kernels, you will need a regular oven:

1. The fruits need to be dried a little in it; the nuts should stand in an oven heated to 200 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes. After this procedure, cleaning the shell can be much easier.
2. Gently hit the cooled walnuts with a hammer.

Another similar method, only the fruits need to be dried in a heated frying pan. The walnuts must be stirred periodically for 20 minutes so that the temperature is evenly distributed. Before shelling the walnuts, you need to let them cool.

To ensure that the nuts always crack easily and the kernels are easily separated from the shell, you need to choose the right nuts at the market or in the store. Ask the seller to crack a walnut in front of you, or take 2 walnuts and squeeze them in your palm; if the shell gives in easily and begins to crack, then such nuts will not create any special problems when cleaning. You can also ask the seller how to properly chop walnuts.

Knowing how to properly peel walnuts, you can not only enjoy them, but also prepare a lot of interesting dishes.

No similar news

Today, walnuts, which first became known to people many years ago, namely in Ancient Persia, are available to everyone. And in those days only members of royal families could use them. The fruits of the nut are valued to this day. They are grown both for their own use and for sale. Sometimes people wonder how to crack a walnut at home quickly and reliably? Today we will talk about the most popular ways to get a delicious nut.

Nut cracker

For many years now, most people have been using such a convenient device for cracking nuts as a nut cracker. But if previously this device was available in one standard copy, now you can order it online or purchase various types of nut crackers in a store. One of them is made of metal and is shaped like forceps. To work with it, you should clamp the nut between a pair of grooved plates, and at the same time press well on the handles with your hands. If you are trying to get whole kernels, then do not overdo it with the pressing force.

Another walnut cracker is a device that has two cast plates with recesses for placing the fruit. The plates are securely fastened to each other by a spring.
How to crack walnuts with this thing? Each one needs to be placed between the plates and pressed. In this case, the remains of the shell do not fly apart. What else do you use to crack nuts? Some craftsmen quite successfully try to split them with a garlic press, pliers, pliers, or a gas wrench.

Video “Various Methods”

From the video you will learn many methods on how to split the kernel of a walnut tree.

Champagne bottle

Not particularly well-known, but also an effective method. You can use an empty champagne bottle. So, how to properly crack walnuts this way?

It is advised to take a cutting board, place a nut on it and hit it with the bottom several times. Since there is a recess there, this will save you from having the fruit pop out and having to catch it around the kitchen. In some videos you can see how to crack nuts using a champagne bottle and an iron hammer to beat the meat.
You should sit on a sofa or chair, place a food cutting board between your legs, placing a bottle on it with the neck up. A nut is placed on it with its butt up, which must be held with one hand, and with the other, hit it hard with the side of the hammer. This method is suitable for walnuts, but cannot be used, for example, for hazelnuts.

Small hammer

You can use a regular hammer. In order to crack a nut, you need to place it on a cutting board or other stable surface. Next you need to hit the hammer quite hard. But not excessively, so as not to end up with a mess of nucleoli, shells and partitions.
This is especially important for those who, after splitting the fruits, plan to use them for sale. Care must be taken not to injure your fingers. You can use a board that has a recess for placing a nut. There is one more trick. In order not to collect shells all over the room later, it is recommended to place the fruit in a linen or plastic bag before chopping.

Door and jamb

This method is quite well known among the population. For many generations, they cracked nuts by inserting them into the gap between the door and the jamb. It is important to close the door slowly. Otherwise, you risk getting a mess of the kernel, partitions and shell.
After the shell cracks, you need to separate the kernel. But today, when modern, convenient nut crackers have appeared, there is no need to risk door trim, which can simply be scratched.

Boiling water

Not everyone knows about the ease of cracking nuts due to exposure to ordinary boiling water.

You should absolutely not buy dried, moldy nuts that have dark spots or a strong rancid odor. They produce very harmful substances that are produced by mold fungi - aflatoxins. Aflatoxins can cause severe allergies and also destroy liver cells.

Buying nuts without shell, pay attention to the color of the kernels. Old nut kernels turn yellow, some of them may acquire an unnatural bright yellow hue.

Nuts in shell, if they begin to mold, when split they form a cloud of pollen - it is also better not to eat these. You can also take several nuts in the shell and shake them - old, expired, dried nuts will rattle more than fresh, recently collected ones.

Which nuts are better, shelled or not?

Of course, nuts without shells are more convenient, but they last longer in shells. In addition, nuts that have been shelled by hand are always cleaner: sellers cannot guarantee that the nuts did not crumble, fall to the ground, and so on. It is most dangerous to buy shelled nuts in open markets: all the dust and dirt settle on them, and if trade is carried out near the road, their kernels also absorb harmful substances from exhaust gases.

Buying packaged nuts, pay attention to the expiration date. They are usually stored in opaque packaging for a year, in transparent packaging - no more than six months; if the shelf life is much longer, it is better to put such nuts aside and buy others.

How to choose walnuts

Their kernels should not be wrinkled, stained, dark or yellow. The shell of fresh walnuts is very hard, it is impossible to crack it with your fingers; only old and spoiled ones crack easily. The color of the kernels ranges from ocher-yellow to brown.

How to choose hazelnuts (hazelnuts)

Good peeled hazelnuts are smooth and free of plaque. But it’s better to buy the one in the shell: peeled hazelnuts absorb harmful substances faster than other nuts. There should also be no whitish coating or dark spots on the hazelnut shell: these are the first signs that the hazelnut has begun to deteriorate, and it becomes moldy very quickly. Dried hazelnuts can be identified by their weight and sound: they are much lighter than fresh ones and rattle.

How to choose pine nuts

Old and peeled pine nut kernels that have begun to deteriorate have dark dots at the ends. But on the shell of each of them, on the contrary, there should be a small dark spot - this is evidence that there is a full-fledged grain inside. And this is important: in dry years, many shells are empty, or the kernels do not grow to the required size.

The most popular types of nuts that are widely used in cooking are walnuts. They have excellent taste and beneficial properties. But their cores are reliably protected by hard matter. You need to figure out in advance how to peel walnuts correctly so that the separation of the kernels does not take too long.

Splitting using a bag

It would seem that what is difficult about how to peel nuts? All you need is a wooden board, a hammer and a cloth. The fruits are wrapped in cloth - this way their shells will not fly apart. Now they need to be placed on the board, and you can start stabbing with a hammer. Finally, we open the bag and begin to select the edible internal parts. But where whole halves are required as a decoration for culinary masterpieces, such nut chopping is not at all suitable.

This article may also be useful for fans of another method of quickly splitting the fruit, when the latter is placed in an ajar door between the door leaf and the jamb on the side where the hinges are hung. All that remains is to close the door. In this case, the solid door structure acts as a kind of nutcracker. As a disadvantage of this method, it can be noted that the aesthetic beauty of the door risks being greatly damaged. Still, you can adopt and use alternative methods of how to properly beat a walnut.

Several options for how to properly chop walnuts

The Nutcracker, familiar from childhood

One of the easiest ways is to crack nuts with tongs designed specifically for this purpose. They are inexpensive and can be found at any hardware store. But here you need to practice so as not to pinch your hand.

If you want to avoid possible damage, then immediately buy exclusively the Nutcracker nut cracker, which is the latest modern device designed for chopping hard fruits of the “tree of life”. It is designed as follows: two cast halves are connected to each other by a distributing spring. This nutcracker is considered an almost ideal tool that allows you to crack nuts with little effort. In this case, the core is preserved as much as possible during extraction. In addition, the room will not be strewn with shell fragments after the splitting process, because when using a nutcracker, the shells do not shatter.

Using the power of hot water

After the nuts have been in boiling water for about half an hour, it will not be difficult to open them without any effort; it will be enough to use a fork or knife with a thick blade. Under the influence of boiling water, the dense shell becomes softer, and all the partitions of the nut swell, making the kernel more accessible. At the top of each nut there is a small slit on both sides. This is where a knife with a strong tip is inserted and turned slightly. This movement will make it easy to divide the fruit into equal parts. The nucleolus remains completely dry, and it can be easily and simply reached with your fingers.

The oven will help us out

Cleaning walnuts is possible without boiling water. Instead, the fruits are placed on a sheet in the oven for about ten minutes, which also makes peeling them much easier.

Which walnuts are difficult to peel?

For fruits from wild trees (their peel is much denser), not all methods may be effective. They are so hard that they are not worth buying either in a store or on the market. They differ in their appearance. Their shape is slightly elongated and their size is small. There is no, not even the tiniest, crack between the flaps of a wild walnut. To break it you will need a hammer.