can't cook .....won't cook

[what..the?]

Just bought some loose chestnuts and haven't got a ******* clue what to do with them, I have a fan assisted oven but do not know what temp or how long to leave them in, also how will I know they are done, and can you undercook them - would they taste funny???

Questions Qusetions Questions???

[Theland]

Pierce them with a needle, or they will explode!

[WendyS]

I often eat chestnuts raw but unless they're very sweet they're not to everybody's taste . Yes, it's vitally important to split the outer brown skins first otherwise they will explode. If using a fan assisted oven I'd then bake them for about 20 minutes on a medium hot oven, let them cool and then remove the outer skin. The inner brown pithy skin should then also peel away easily. Eat sprinkled with salt and a little butter if you're eating them on their own, or you can mix them in with sprouts for main meal vegs, although I think the dried packets of sprouts which you first soak in water are much easier to work wit if using in this way..
If you want to cook chestnuts for nibbling in a microwave, split the outer skins first or cut them in two and cook them for about 4 - 5 minutes on medium high for about half a pound of them. It/s really important to split the skins if using a microwave. I once forgot to do this. The explosion was memorable and the inside of the microwave was totally splattered with tiny fragments of chestnut which was a nightmare to clean.
You will know when the chestnuts are cooked. They turn from a crunchy texture to a soft crumbling texture.
It seems to be a bad year for chestnuts Most of the ones I've bought recently have been rotten inside, so maybe it's best to cut the raw ones in two and then cook them so you don't invite disappointment cooking rotten ones.

[JoolsTwo]

The best way to cook chestnuts is on a shovel over an open fire. Those were the days, (showing my age now).

[1rovert]

Ah! Jim Jools, I remember going upto Picadilly Circus, and buying them off a man who cooked them on a duspin lid.
And what..the? try cooking them on your Bar B Que.
Happy Christmas ALL.

[Eastender]

I cooked these once and never knew you had to pierce them, all I could hear from the kitchen was like machine gun fire lol. Should have seen the mess they caused. I had to enter my kitchen with a bath towel over my head ha ha ha.

[what..the?]

lol eastender thats so funny you poor thing .

"were under fire...man down...man down!"

[FlowerPetal]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm chestnuts mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

does anybody else feel that this years chestnuts seem to be slihtly tasteless???

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm chestnuts lol
saw a guy selling them in my local town centre yesterday for �2 a bag.......approx 10 chestnuts..WHAT A RIP OFF!

Merry Christmas everyone
Flower xx