In the early 1990’s, as an experiment, our father decided to try planting a few chestnut trees on our family farm to see how they would do in the cold Kansas climate. Much to everyone’s surprise, they did very well, and 10 trees turned into 260 trees, and growing! We have found that the rich Kansas soil produces a very flavorful nut.
Oven Roasting
With a serrated knife, cut an “X” on the flat side of the nut, making sure you cut all the way through the shell so it doesn’t burst.
Tip: Use an oven mitt or tongs to grip the chestnut to avoid getting cut.
Lay the nuts in one layer on a baking pan – “X” facing up.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes for crunchy chestnuts or about 20 minutes for softer chestnuts.
Tip: The longer the cook time, the softer the chestnuts will be.
Fireplace Roasting
Use a fireplace popcorn basket or a long handled pan especially made for roasting chestnuts.
Tip: Don’t overcrowd the pan, and shake the pan as you would popcorn.
Make sure to hold the pan just above the flame, not in it. This method should take about 15 minutes, or until the outside shell is black.
Remove nuts from the pan and cool. Peel and eat. The chestnuts will be almost creamy inside.