Naked Hazelnuts

[jgarner53]

Please tell me there is an easier/faster/more efficient way to take the skins off hazelnuts than what I'm doing.

Per the hazelnut biscotti recipe in Baking with Julia (recipe by Nick Malgieri), I boiled them in some water with baking soda (boy did THAT fizz!) for a few minutes and then rinsed them with cold water. That made the skins easy to slip off, but I still had to rub each one with a dishtowel to get all the skin off; some were easier than others, and I had to handle each one individually. I found that trying to rub a handful in the towel was ineffective.

But they sure are tasty!

[andiesenji]

Yes indeed. I have passed this hint on to a lot of bakers who all love it.

First you have to make a shopping expedition to Pier 1, where I found them, or some similar place, I have seen them in other stores.

They are the gloves that you are supposed to use to exfoliate your skin while bathing.

Dry, they have just enough raspy surface to make short work of the skin on toasted (or blanched) hazelnuts or filberts, they also take the skins off blanched almonds that don't want to cooperate.

I also use them for rubbing the prickles off of cucumbers and similar items however their most helpful use is skinning those darn hazelnuts.

Edited July 22, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[chefpeon]

Wow! What a great idea!

I know just the gloves you are talking about too......I can find them in my local drugstore.

Do you think that latex gloves would also work?

They sort of have a rubbery friction-y thing going on.......so maybe they could grip the skins too.......I'm going to try that tomorrow at work.......I'll report back!

[andiesenji]

Wow! What a great idea!

I know just the gloves you are talking about too......I can find them in my local drugstore.

Do you think that latex gloves would also work?

They sort of have a rubbery friction-y thing going on.......so maybe they could grip the skins too.......I'm going to try that tomorrow at work.......I'll report back!

No, my latex gloves don't do the job. However I do wear them UNDER the raspy gloves when handling blanced almonds that are fresh from the boiling water. Save scalding...

[tryska]

what a brilliant idea.

[tryska]

so jgarner - the blanching with baking soda worked well then?

i tried the roasting method and had a hell of a time. how much baking soda and how long?

[rickster]

This is really a great idea. I've found the boiling method works but leaves the hazelnuts with a weird texture. Roasting is far better for texture and flavor, but I've never been able to get all the skins off that way.

Edited July 22, 2004 by rickster (log)

[tryska]

me either. :(

[JustKay]

I've found the boiling method works but leaves the hazelnuts with a weird texture. Roasting is far better for texture and flavor, but I've never been able to get all the skins off that way.

Me too. And one of the cookies I make (for sale), the naked hazelnuts go on top so I really need to get all the skin off.

I've found a great way that makes my job easier.

I buy skinned hazelnuts. They only cost a wee tad more and so worth it. I just toast them and voila! Perfect naked toasted hazelnuts.

tryska - after toasting them wrap in towel and leave to steam for a while. This helps some.

Edited July 22, 2004 by kew (log)

[andiesenji]

I forgot to mention that I have one set of the exfoliating, abrasive gloves in a different color that I use just for handling fish. Much easier to hold onto the slippery fish. Of course if you have fish gloves you wouldn't need these, but these are much cheaper. They go in the wash and when dry just seal them up in ziplock bags to keep them clean until you need them.

I also use them for cleaning peeled bananas when I am going to sauté them or cook them whole.

You know how you always miss some of those little strings that then turn an unattractive dark brown when cooked? One stroke of these gloves will take all those little bits of string right off and also makes it easier to hold onto the banana.

I was on the phone late last night with a friend who is a baker in Alhambra and she said that since I told her about this she has used them constantly and all the other bakers in the place have started using them for similar chores.

You all may invent even more uses for them.

[russ parsons]

i'll have to try the gloves, but the best method i've found is to roast them until fragrant, then as soon as they come out of the oven, cover them with a damp towel to steam briefly. this makes them (somewhat) easier to peel and doesn't change the texture the way boiling does.

[tryska]

so steaming after roasting! i'll try that next time.

btw - how does pan roasting work for hazelnuts?

[jgarner53]

Wow! The glove idea sounds great. I'll have to give that a try.

I've done the roasting bit before and found the skins frustratingly tough to get off, though maybe the steam bath with the damp towel and the gloves will help. I'll try that next time.

Tryska,

The baking soda method works as follows:

2 C water

2/3 C hazelnuts

3 TBS baking soda

(I was doing 1 1/2 C of hazelnuts so scaled the recipe accordingly)

Boil the water in a medium-sized saucepan. Add nuts and baking soda (it will bubble up and maybe over, so be prepared!), and let boil 3-5 minutes until the water turns black, and a nut dropped into a dish of cold water will peel easily. Strain into a colander, and rinse with cold water, then peel away!

After all that, I then toasted the nuts before adding to the cookies, and they seemed fine, though I don't eat a lot of hazelnuts so I might not be noticing a texture difference.

[tryska]

thanks! i will have to give it a try and see if i can tell a difference.

[KarenS]

I roast them and dump them in my large tamis and rub them on the mesh while still warm (I do love buying them skinned too!)

[melmck]

I grab a clean fryer basket with large grates and throw them in hot out of the oven, swish them around with oven mitts on , over the trashcan and at least 90% comes off.

[chefpeon]

So, since getting the skins off of hazelnuts is one of those jobs I hate, I was anxious to try the

"exfoliating glove" method. Told my co-workers about it....we were excited to try. One of them

brought in a brand new pair of the gloves (bright orange doncha know) and we set our hazelnuts in the oven to toast. After toasting, I placed a clean damp towel over them to let them steam, as someone else suggested. Let them steam for about 10 minutes. Then the moment of truth......

the gloves worked a bit, but not much differently than rubbing them in dry towels like we usually do. Not as good a result as I'd hoped........

Next, I placed the hazelnuts in the tamis and rubbed them around (with the gloves still on) and this worked a bit better. It's also nice that the skins fall below the tamis and out of my way.

So my final review is as follows:

The best way to skin hazelnuts: Buy 'em that way! I think the extra cost is worth it in the long run.

Next best way: Toast, steam and roll around in the tamis (the raspy gloves help)

Third best way: Make someone else do if for you.

Of course, I haven't tried the baking soda thing yet, but was hesitant to do that, since I didn't want to mess with the texture of the nuts.

That's my report.

Over and out.

[andiesenji]

Sorry the gloves did not work as well for you as they have for me. I don't steam the nuts and the skins are very dry and crisp.

Of course there can also be different varieties of nuts which may have different characteristics. I have blanched some almonds that pop out of their skins all by themselves while in the boiling water. Others cling to the skins as if they were glued on.

[JustKay]

I didn't say and mean to imply to use a damp towel. Use a dry towel and wrap the toasted hazelnuts in them and let sit for a while. The heat will cause a steam effect and somewhat loosen the skins to a degree. It won't make the nuts real damp at all.

But yes, the best way is still to buy them skinned.

tryska- you put the nuts in a single layer on a pan and bake at 180C for 5 mins. Then stir and bake a further 4 to 5 mins. Put them on a big enough towel and wrap them up. After 5 mins or so, roll the nuts in the towel itself. Finally, use your fingers to help the stuborn ones. This is all done while the nuts are still hot. Once cooled, the skin won't come off.

Edited July 30, 2004 by kew (log)

[chefpeon]

Okey dokey....then....toasted nut trial number two coming up.

This time I will toast them, and not steam them. I will use the gloves while the nuts are still

hot/warm.....and see if this works......!