Need help with ChestNuts

[TwoRails]

I assume all chestnuts are edible. Just got some fresh off a "giant" chestnut tree and have been boiling them for almost an hour now and they are still very bitter![B]

These are a lot larger than "store bought" ones. Is there a better way to cook them?

Do they have to dry first, like garlic?

Or are just bitter chestnuts? Any ideas?

[timbit]

i've found that wild stuff generally doesn't taste as good as domesticated food. for instance, queen anne's lace (big flower thingy with a whole bunch of little white flowers) is the same thing as a carrot, but it hasn't been domesticated. it tasted like crap. very bitter and woody. anyways, my point isthat the food you get in the store has been "bred" so to speak into something that tastes far better than its' wild counterpart.

[(51)]

Aren't you supposed to roast them (on an open fire...)

[mbossman2]

Make sure that you are using true chestnuts, not horse chestnuts, they are not good eating.

yes, roasting them is best. cut a small "x" at the apex of the chestnut (so they don't burst and make a mess) and cook them in an oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

You can boil them but that is best if you are planning to make mashed chestnuts (it softens them up)

[TwoRails]

So my assumtion (and I hate the word "assume" :) ) that a chestnut is a chestnut is obviously wrong. Don't know if the tree these came off of is "wild" or not. Or even if they are horse chestnuts. It's a tree in someone's back yard and the nuts drop all over the place outside of their yard (I don't know the people) and I picked them up.

I did find out, however, that they need to be "cured." And curing them is nothing but letting them dry out and that sweetens up the meat. That can take a week or three, and since these nuts are super fresh (some were even dropping off the tree as I was gathering them up), I imagine it'll take a few weeks.

[Clover]

It is my understanding that the small chestnuts are the ones for roasting, they are brown and prickly on the outside. The inside is about the size of a very large grape.

[pam123]

I think you've got a horse chestnut tree.
The nuts are well known for their "bitter flavor", to humans, and were dried for horse and cattle winter feed.
Description is here : http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/chehor58.html
That wild vs. cultivated isn't really true when it comes to chestnuts, before they were put on the brink of extinction American chestnut trees were noted for their sweet apple-like flavor.
Nowadays, with the chinese variety and the european variety, I find them mealy and bland but every so often I get a few that have a surprisng amount of underlying sweetness.
There are chestnut bread and cake recipes, though I find them way over-rated, as well as one desert, with alot of whipped cream, that's tolerable.
Like 51 said you roast chestnuts and as long as you don't intend to keep them over the winter (or ship them across an ocean) they don't have to be aged.

[TwoRails]

I think your are right; they are probably horse chestnuts. Your link is very interesting and I'll have to pay close attention to the leaves the next time I get over by that tree (it's in a different town).

Thanks for all the good info everyone! Quite a lesson learned :)

TwoRails

PS: since I can't get any good store bought chestnuts, I'm thinking of getting some online.

This place looks good. Has anybody tried them? Or have a different recommended place?

http://www.chestnutsforsale.com/index.htm