The fastest way to peel chestnuts.

In my years of making chestnut stuffing, I have always found that the hardest and most time consuming part is peeling the chestnuts. I’ve experimented with various methods of handling this unpleasant task with mixed results but this year I may have found the easiest and fastest way to peel those chestnuts. Here’s how.

Begin by cutting the chestnuts in half widthwise. Put a handful of 5 chestnuts in a microwave safe bowl and add some water to get them wet. Drain and then put the bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. The chestnuts will be hot but will otherwise come right out of the shell. There will always be a few that don’t peel easily but at least you’ll have more time to work on those. Repeat this process until all the chestnuts are done, one handful at a time.

Time will tell if there’s a method that will top this one.

UPDATE: I just found out about an even faster way to peel chestnuts. First, take a stick of dynamite…