Roasting chestnuts leisurely in a little cast iron pot over a roaring fireplace would be romantic, wouldnt it?
When I was younger, we would make oven-roasted chestnuts.
Its a classic method, but even that can take 20 to 30 minutes.
I did both soaked and unsoaked, and they roasted with the same peeling ease.
What really matters is how you score them.
Score the chestnuts
I buy chestnuts from my local Shoprite, and theyre in great condition right now.
Later in the season the offerings can become a little dry.
Some chestnuts have two flat sides.
Theyre probably trolling us because they know what were up to.
Just pick a side.
you could score a second slit across the first one; its not completely necessary but it can help.
I tried slicing across the chestnut equatorially and top-to-tail.
Both work but if you’re only making one slice then I suggest equatorially.
The most important thing is to make large slices the entire length of the chestnut.
None of this tiny x nonsense.
Load the air fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
Put the chestnuts in the air fryer basket with the scored side facing up.
This will allow the shell to peel back without being hindered by the tray underneath.
Let the chestnuts cool completely.
Youll hear them crackle as theyre cooling.
Thats a good sign.
Theyll mostly come out in one piece, thanks to the large scoring method.
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