Chestnuts are most popular during winter. They can be eaten in raw form or in some processed form. Chestnuts, which grow on trees, are actually beneficial to our health. Their husk and dark colored shell have to be removed before they can be consumed.
One of the great properties of chestnut is that it has low fat content. Chestnut is a great addition to your weight loss diet. It is additionally rich in vitamin C, which isn’t a common feature in nuts, and also provides antioxidants that boost our health.
If you usually put your chestnuts through highly transformative processes like cooking, some of the chestnut’s nutrients will be lost. However, because of how rich chestnut is in nutrients, you’ll still be left with a significant amount of vitamins. In fact, when chestnut is cooked, some of its antioxidant constituents become more concentrated. Chestnut is good for the heart, it facilitates healthy digestion, regulates blood sugar levels, is rich in vitamins A, B complex, C, and E.
When chestnuts are in season (from September through November), you’ll probably get more appealing price offers than when they’re out of season. With that in mind, you may decide to stock up on chestnuts. That decision will also call for a reliable preservation method which can prolong the shelf life of your chestnuts.
So, what preservation method can be used to reliably store chestnuts?
Can you freeze chestnuts? Yes, you can freeze chestnuts. Freezing chestnuts is an easy process – although you must follow the right steps if you want excellent results. Proper freezing will keep your chestnuts from getting dry and growing mold. Ultimately, freezing can preserve the life of fresh chestnuts for up to 3 months.
This article contains the relevant information you need for freezing your batch of chestnuts. Make sure you do as instructed so as to get the best results out of freezing.
Freezing Chestnuts
There are a couple of approaches that you can take when freezing chestnuts. Some people prefer to freeze chestnuts with the shell on, while others prefer to freeze them without the shell. Based on what you wish to use the frozen chestnuts for, it might make sense to either freeze with or without the shell. For instance, anyone that wishes to roast their frozen chestnuts should not remove its shell when freezing.
Typically a fresh batch of chestnuts can be left in their shells for up to 7 days without spoiling – that is if they’ve been kept in a cool and dry place. Chestnuts can also last up to one whole month in the refrigerator if left in the shell. However, freezing is still the option that provides you with the longest preservation time.
How to Freeze Chestnuts
As it was said earlier in this article, chestnuts aren’t difficult to freeze. Simple steps to follow when freezing chestnuts include:
Step 1: Remove Chestnuts from Shell
For those who would prefer to freeze their chestnuts without the shell, you can easily take them off in a few steps. Start by grabbing a large metal pot and filling it with water. Place the pot of water over a fire and allow it to start boiling. Once the water is boiling, put the desired amount of chestnuts in it and leave them to soak for 3 minutes – you must be careful not to leave the chestnuts in boiling hot water for too long lest they start cooking.
Once the 3-minutes waiting time is complete, remove the chestnuts from the hot water and peel off the shells. If you prefer to freeze chestnuts with their shell on, you can skip this step.
Step 2: Pre-Freeze the Peeled Chestnuts
After removing the shells, the next step is to pre-freeze the chestnuts. Grab a baking sheet and line its bottom with some wax paper. The wax paper is used to prevent the chestnuts from sticking to the baking sheet during the pre-freezing process.
Spread the chestnuts out on the baking sheet and leave a little space between each chestnut and the next. The spacing is intended to keep the chestnuts from gumming together when left to pre-freeze.
Put the baking sheet along with the chestnuts inside the freezer and leave it there for about 3 hours. After 3 hours, check to see if the chestnuts are solidly frozen. Proceed to take the baking sheet out of the freezer and prepare the chestnuts for the final packaging before freezing.
Step 3: Transfer into Quality Freezer-Safe Bag and Label
Remove the pre-frozen chestnuts from the baking sheet and transfer them into a resealable freezer-safe bag. Remove as much air as possible from inside the bag before sealing it off completely. Make sure the freezer bag you use is of high quality.
After sealing the bag, proceed to write the present date on it with a marker. The written date will help you keep track of how long the chestnuts have been frozen for.
Freezer-safe bags are preferable to containers because they don’t take up as much space in the freezer. You can easily stack a couple freezer bags of chestnuts on each other to save space.
How to Defrost Frozen Chestnuts
To defrost frozen chestnuts, you can simply leave them to sit in the refrigerator overnight. Start by taking just the quantity of frozen chestnuts that you can finish at once. Place the chestnuts in the fridge and allow them to remain there for several hours. Once the chestnuts have been defrosted, you can take them out for consumption.
If you can’t wait many hours for the fridge to thaw your frozen chestnuts, simply submerge the entire freezer-safe bag with chestnuts in a large bowl of cold water. Leave the chestnuts submerged in the water for about 3 hours. Once that time is complete, your chestnuts should be ready for consumption.
Please make sure you remember to only thaw an amount of the chestnut that you can finish at once so as to avoid having to refreeze leftovers.