Can You Eat Chestnut Shells? Benefits, Effects, and a Detailed Guide to Quick Peeling Methods
Chestnut, also known as mao li and feng li, is a common dried fruit in China's Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other regions. It generally matures and goes on the market in September and the month after, and to eat chestnuts you must peel the shell, so can you eat chestnut shells? What are the benefits and effects? How do you peel them quickly?
1. Can you eat chestnut shells?
Chestnut shells are generally not easy to remove, especially raw ones, which are the hardest to remove, so many people choose to eat them. In fact, chestnut shells are edible, but they are generally not recommended for consumption, and most people will not eat them, because the surface of the chestnut shell has a layer of fuzz, and eating it may affect the human respiratory tract. Especially for those with a cough or throat discomfort, the respiratory tract will become even more uncomfortable after eating it, so it is recommended not to eat it.
2. What are the benefits and effects of chestnut shells?
(1) Anti-inflammatory and cough-relieving
Chestnut shells contain natural anti-inflammatory components that can effectively help the human body eliminate various inflammations in the respiratory tract, especially for patients with chronic bronchitis and cough caused by chronic bronchitis, it has a good therapeutic effect. Therefore, chestnut shells can be boiled with water and consumed to relieve the condition.
(2) Moistening the lungs and resolving phlegm
Like chestnut flesh, chestnut shells have the effect of moistening the lungs and resolving phlegm. They can also eliminate inflammation caused by the stomach and trachea, dilute phlegm in the trachea, expand the trachea, and promote the discharge of phlegm. Therefore, people with lung heat, pneumonia, and cough with excessive phlegm can consume them regularly, and they can also play a relieving role.
(3) Clearing heat and detoxifying
Clearing heat and detoxifying is also one of the important effects of chestnut shells. It has obvious therapeutic effects on human mumps and lymphadenitis. The specific method is to crush fresh chestnut shells, then add vinegar and mix evenly, and apply it directly externally to the inflamed area, which can quickly reduce swelling and relieve pain. If the condition is more serious, the chestnut shells can be boiled in water, and combined internal use and external application can achieve good improvement.
3. How do you peel chestnuts?
1. How do you peel fresh chestnuts?
(1) First remove the spiky hard outer skin, which can generally be opened with a small knife or fire tongs and other tools. If you encounter one that really cannot be opened, you can first crack it with a heavy object (do not use too much force), and then use a small knife to remove it.
(2) For the layer of skin clinging to the flesh, you can directly cut the chestnut in half and then dig it out to eat, or cut a small opening with a small knife and slowly peel it to eat, but this is rather troublesome and most people will not use it.
(3) Use a hammer to repeatedly tap the chestnut to separate the skin from the flesh. When it is almost separated, use a small knife or simply peel it off.
(4) Using the principle of thermal expansion and contraction, put the chestnuts in the refrigerator to chill, then take them out and blanch them with warm boiled water, and the skin can be easily peeled off.
(5) If you are not in a hurry to eat them, you can place them in a ventilated and cool place to let the moisture slowly evaporate. When the moisture is almost dried, cut the chestnuts in half, and then the skin can be directly removed.
2. How do you peel chestnuts quickly?
(1) Microwave heating method
Use scissors to cut open the outer shell of the raw chestnuts you bought, then place them in a microwave and heat on high for 30 seconds, which will make the flesh and skin separate automatically. However, when using this method, you must cut open the outer shell of every chestnut, otherwise it is easy to cause the microwave to malfunction.
(2) Thermal expansion and contraction method
Use a knife to peel off the outer shell of the chestnuts, then put them into boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then take them out and soak them in cold water for 3 to 5 minutes. This makes it very easy to peel off the chestnut skin, and the taste remains unchanged. In addition, you can also first put the chestnuts in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes, then take them out and blanch them in warm boiled water, and the skin can also be easily peeled off.
(3) Sun exposure method
Place the chestnuts with the outer shell removed in the sun for one day, and the shells will also crack quickly.
(4) Storing raw chestnuts at home
Wrap raw chestnuts in a plastic bag and tie it tightly, then place them in the refrigerator to chill. After a period of time, take them out and make a small opening in each chestnut, then put them in boiling water and cook briefly, which makes peeling especially easy. When storing, the storage time can be determined according to your own situation; generally, storing for one month is no problem.
(5) Hot water soaking method
Wash the raw chestnuts and put them in a container, add a little refined salt, then submerge them in boiling water for 5 minutes, take out the chestnuts and cut them open. In this way, the chestnut skin and chestnut shell fall off together. This method saves time and effort in removing chestnut skin.
(6) Chopstick stirring method
Peel off the outer skin of the chestnuts, then cut them in half and put them into boiling water to soak for a while, and stir with chopsticks; the chestnut skin will separate from the chestnut flesh. Note here that the soaking time must not be too long, otherwise it will affect the nutritional components of the chestnuts.
(7) Refrigerator freezing method
First cook the chestnuts, then let them cool, and put them in the refrigerator to freeze for two hours, which can also quickly separate the shell from the flesh. This way, the chestnut skin peels quickly, and the chestnut flesh remains intact.
3. What are the most practical methods for quickly peeling chestnuts?
(1) Use a knife to cut a cross shape on the surface of the chestnut, not too deep; just cut through the shell and the inner skin (it does not matter if you cut a little of the chestnut flesh).
(2) Put the cut chestnuts into a pot, add water, and cook until 70 percent done.
(3) Take the cooked chestnuts out of the pot, then quickly plunge them into cold water; this can quickly remove the shells, and many people in real life use this method.
(4) Gently squeeze the cut opening and tear it open with your fingernails, and the chestnut flesh can be peeled out.