Features and procedure for peeling pine nuts at home

Pine nuts are a very useful product that saturates the body with nutrients and is used as part of complex therapy to get rid of many ailments. Only peeled and properly processed kernels are allowed for use.

If you do not follow the cleansing technique and improper storage, they will not be beneficial. Consider how to peel pine nuts at home.

Features of peeling pine nuts

Pine nuts are very small, like seeds. The dense casing is susceptible to external influences, but there is a high risk of damaging the contents.

General cleaning rules that will allow you to achieve the desired result and get a healthy treat:

• Use suitable tools made of metal or other durable materials, or a special machine.
• Crack nuts only on hard surfaces.
• When handling, place the product in a bag or cover with a towel to prevent scattering of debris and nuclei around the room.
• Treat the shell very carefully so as not to violate the integrity of the soft contents.
• Before mechanical splitting, soak the fruit in hot water for some time and then remove the shell.
• If there are cracks in the shell, try to remove the shell with your hands, and not break it with heavy tools.

You can peel pine nuts at home both by exposure to high and low temperatures, and by mechanical means without preliminary preparation. However, it is better to soak, warm up or freeze the treat in advance so that the shell becomes fragile.

How to quickly peel pine nuts at home

Pine nuts are peeled on an industrial scale using special machines, so it is much easier to purchase a peeled batch immediately.

However, if this is not possible, you can resort to home cleaning methods, which show high efficiency when all the steps are followed. The kernels are easily removed after heat treatment - exposure to very low or high temperatures, as well as their alternation.

Soften with boiling water

Before peeling the pine nuts, soften the hard and stubborn shells. In order for it to become softer, you need to immerse the kernels in boiling water half an hour before cleansing. After the specified time, the nuts should dry completely. Thanks to boiling water, the shell will not stick to the kernels and hands.

Procedure:

1. Prepare the necessary tools.
2. Place the nuts on a hard surface (eg wood) and secure with pliers.
3. Hit hard with a hammer.
4. Be careful not to damage the contents as the kernels are very soft.
5. If there are cracks, try to separate the shell by hand.

Differential temperature method

The alternating exposure to cold and heat helps to solve the problem of cleansing the treat. Procedure:

1. Heat pine nuts on the stove, in the oven, or in any other way.
2. Do not wait until it cools down, immediately place all the nuts in a container with ice or very cold water.
3. Proceed with cleansing, the shell will quickly move away from the kernels and not stick to your hands.

Peeling pine nuts by calcining

This is one of the most popular methods used by most pine nut lovers. You must first prepare heat-resistant dishes (frying pan, baking tray).

Nuts are fried either in the oven or over an open fire. During the frying process, the shell becomes very dry and peels off easily.

Stove-frying steps:

1. Pour the nuts into a hot skillet.
2. Stir constantly, fry for 20 minutes.
3. Set aside the container until it cools completely.
4. Crack the shell mechanically.

Procedure for using the oven:

1. Place the nuts on a dry, clean baking sheet.
2. Place the dishes in an oven preheated to 120-150 degrees.
3. Wait about 15 minutes.
4. Wait until it cools down, remove the shell mechanically.

With the calcination method, the shell becomes very pliable and can be cleaned without much effort. Care must be taken as the kernels are easily damaged.

Freezing

How easy is it to peel pine nuts from the shell if you don't have boiling water at hand? A nut shell can be influenced not only by high temperatures, but also by cold. Cleansing steps:

1. Pour the entire batch into a plastic bag and send to the freezer.
2. Wait a few hours (it is better to leave the product in the freezer overnight) to make the shell more fragile.
3. Roll the bag with a rolling pin (you need to do this carefully so as not to crush the contents and not turn the nuts into a porridge of fragments and pulp).

Important! The main disadvantage of this method is the mixing of kernels and shells, therefore, after carrying out all the manipulations, you need to carefully sort out the contents of the package.

How to crack pine nuts

Cedar fruits are very small, but the shell is highly durable and does not always lend itself to mechanical stress. First of all, it is important to choose the right tools, these can be:

• hammer;
• pliers;
• garlic press;
• rolling pin, etc.

It is better to pre-hold the nuts in hot water for about half an hour. Then they are laid out on a hard surface. It is advisable to cover the fruit with a towel or place it in a tight plastic bag. You need to sharply hit the nuts with a hammer or other selected heavy tool, but you should act carefully so as not to damage the pulp without violating the integrity of the kernels.

Important! Experts recommend lightly adding some salt to the water in which the nuts are soaked. Salt has been shown to break the shells faster.

Processing and storage of pine nuts

It is best to store pine nuts directly in the buds. This significantly extends their shelf life, mold does not appear on them, the pleasant rich taste of the product does not change. Cones need to be well cleaned of coniferous needles, sand and other debris removed, folded into a clean cloth bag, tied and sent for storage.

It is necessary to keep the nuts in this form in a place with a low level of humidity and low temperature indicators.

The ideal option is a pantry in a private house. If there is no suitable place in the apartment, you can put the bag in the refrigerator separately from other food items.

If the nuts are stored in the shell, it is necessary to sort them out and clean them of foreign inclusions, remove spoiled fruits, as well as those with traces of mold. The kernels are poured into bags with a special membrane that allows air to pass through, into fabric bags, ceramic or glass dishes with a hermetically sealed lid that does not allow light and moisture to pass through.

Peeled kernels are most susceptible to external influences and can quickly deteriorate if storage rules are not followed. The strongest and purest fruits should be selected, with a uniform structure and an even shade over the entire surface.

It is necessary to keep the nuts in an airtight container without the admission of light, air mass and moisture, otherwise they can turn rancid.

Pine nuts are stored without peel exclusively in the refrigerator, it is permissible to put the container in the freezer, so the shelf life is extended to six months.

You can understand that pine nuts cannot be eaten, since they are no longer suitable for consumption, by the presence of the following signs:

• the appearance of traces of mold on the surface;
• rancid odor;
• discoloration of nuclei, spots of a different shade;
• sour or other uncharacteristic taste.

Getting pine nuts from the shell is not easy, but possible. By using homemade cleansing methods, you can get a tasty and healthy treat. In this case, it is important to remember to observe the storage rules, since the kernels in their pure form have a short shelf life.

Video: one of the ways to peel pine nuts