It took me many years to finally come up with a foolproof way to cook chestnuts. Here's what I do: First, be sure to select nuts that are are full rounded and do not show any blemishes, mold, or are starting to split. Scrub chestnuts in warm water. Using a chestnut knife (there actually is such a thing) or a bird beak parer, make an "X" on the rounded side of each nut. Put in a pot of boiling water that is well salted and simmer 7 minutes. Take them out of the water and place on a shallow pan or pie plate (I use a discarded aluminum pan from the bakery). Place in a 425 degree oven for 24-27 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly and gently squeeze each nut to pop shell. Let them cool enough to handle and finish peeling them. We are chestnut addicts and it works for us every time. Some people score the nuts around the circumference rather than make an x, but I think that's too much work.
It took me many years to finally come up with a foolproof way to cook chestnuts. Here's what I do: First, be sure to select nuts that are are full rounded and do not show any blemishes, mold, or are starting to split. Scrub chestnuts in warm water. Using a chestnut knife (there actually is such a thing) or a bird beak parer, make an "X" on the rounded side of each nut. Put in a pot of boiling water that is well salted and simmer 7 minutes. Take them out of the water and place on a shallow pan or pie plate (I use a discarded aluminum pan from the bakery). Place in a 425 degree oven for 24-27 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly and gently squeeze each nut to pop shell. Let them cool enough to handle and finish peeling them. We are chestnut addicts and it works for us every time. Some people score the nuts around the circumference rather than make an x, but I think that's too much work.