Oooooooh, my nuts! Update - nut-cracker recommendations, please!

Penelope_Penguin

Woofles wrote: »

It's a good job you didn't ask that in the Arms.:rotfl:

Two Ronnies - You're nuts, my Lord; you're crackers my Lady :rotfl:

Woofles

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Two Ronnies - You're nuts, my Lord; you're crackers my Lady :rotfl:

The old ones are the best.

Just a passing thought, does anyone pickle walnuts these days, I think my mother used to do them, but can't remember why.

gemmaj

(this is tongue-in-cheek, not a recommendation!)

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/maggie-thatcher-nutcracker/index.html

morganlefay

champys wrote: »

I use one of those 'barrel-shape' things, not quite sure how to describe them. Like this one. It cracks very carefully and is not too hard on the hands. But people have different preferences. DH dislikes this one and uses a small hammer, very effectively.

I've got one of these too and it's really good. But I find it really easy to be OS when I've just spent £££s on a new gadget...very irritating !
PS this one apparently doubles as a thing to get champagne corks out of bottles, so probably helpful over Xmas ?

PasturesNew

Years ago somebody gave me a "walnut opener", it had been in a bag of walnuts she'd received, she'd eaten them all and threw this walnut opener at me.

It's brilliant .. and the good news is you don't need one.

Here's a picture: http://annabelchaffer.co.uk/products/dining_accessories/images/sterling_silver_walnut_opener_105L_HB31.jpg (this one is sterling silver)

But, the important thing is that point at the end. All you do is push the pointed end into the soft base of the walnut (it slides in easily), then one quick twist and the walnut splits neatly into two halves.

Without a walnut opener I've successfully used some small sharp scissors to do the same job. I thought I'd lost my walnut opener ... but I haven't as I spotted it the other month.

Penelope_Penguin

I am soooo tempted by these :rotfl:

Update - all nuts cracked. It was a long and tedious job, but the nuts are now inside my Festive baking; thank you to all who contributed :T

Penny. x

greenbee

Woofles wrote: »

Just a passing thought, does anyone pickle walnuts these days, I think my mother used to do them, but can't remember why.

My dad does, but it's easier to buy them (given that the squirrels get most of the walnuts we don't exactly have a glut!). They're great with ham at christmas. I think the pickling is because walnuts are better fresh

timmmers

Woofles wrote: »

The old ones are the best.

Just a passing thought, does anyone pickle walnuts these days, I think my mother used to do them, but can't remember why.

YEah they do, and they taste wicked is why :cool: You can't eat the shells if they aren't pickled is one reason they get pickled too.
Some people ca't even look at them, others like me love them..like Marmite love or hate thing isn't it?

Morrisons sell them, but better ones come from Booths (Epicure aren't bad). I tried for years to make my own, then I found the secret was that they have to be unripe without the shell hard :rotfl:

To crack walnust easily and without a million bits...insert a flat blade (strong knife or screwdriver) into the very top of the nut where it joins...and twist Splits onto two nice halves that way.

To crack a large number of the same type and general size of nuts..I saw some guys in Morocco lay them between two strips of wood slightly smaller height than the nuts, then a block on top ..and they walked on that. The shells broke, but it didn't squash the nuts inside because the wood stopped it going too far. I think that doing that with Brazils wouldn't work very well though...tough things they are.

t