stupid hazelnuts

[TurtleMeng]

I just put in the Google search and did not find a thread on peeling these suckers. Maybe I missed it?

So I said "I will make a dacquoise"

I toasted 1 cup of nuts. Dutifull rub them in the kitchen towel. Yeah right, "it's ok to have patches of skin left on". These were not patches. Some did not have any skin come off at all. Some were nicely rubbed off like naked babies. I tasted the ones with skin on, really quite unpleasant. So I sat there and rubbed (with fingers) and rubbed and rubbed. This is crazy.

Did toast them in the toaster oven. Did they just get unevenly zapped? I even took the stubborn ones and tried to toast on stove top. Nothing.

I know there's an alternative method of blanching them and the skin supposedly come off. Is it much better than this?

It's a bad day. Rainy, getting Lasik today so probably can't look @ computer for a while, no dacquoise yet, and actually the egg whites that were gonna be used for it are gone, likely into some more scramble eggs.

[Patrick S]

When I toast hazelnuts, I toast em til they beg for mercy. Or until they're almost black. Whichever comes first. Once the skins are blackened, if you rub them firmly and vigorously in a towel, you really can get 90%+ of the skin right off. If you dont black the skins, they dont come off very well. Also, toast more than you need, so that you can toss the nuts that are particularly buggery and refuse to shed their skin.

The other method is to blanch them with water and baking soda.

Edited February 18, 2005 by Patrick S (log)

[SethG]

I've used the blanching in water with baking soda method and it's been a dream. Easy peelage.

[eatrustic]

I notice a difference between using Filberts (same family?) and actual hazelnuts which are smaller and bit rounder than the Filberts. Sometimes that's all that's available and the filberts don't seem to want to peel as well. Also, less fresh ones won't peel very well in addition to not tasting very good.

Unless there is an esthetic consideration I go ahead after doing my best and use them with whatever skin is on. Any slight bitterness is usually not noticeable with all the sugar and/or chocolate.

[TurtleMeng]

Oh, I forgot to ask. If you blanch them, and the skin shed off like a dream (I'm looking forward to that), do you have to toast them afterwards then? (for the flavor?)

edited for typo. oops.

Edited February 18, 2005 by TurtleMeng (log)

[Patrick S]

Oh, I forgot to ask.  If you blach them, and the skin shed off like a dream (I'm looking forward to that), do you have to toast them afterwards then? (for the flavor?)

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I definitely would. I think toasting really brings out the flavor in most nuts, including hazelnuts.

[kitwilliams]

TurtleMeng:

I see you live in Los Angeles. Get thee to Surfas. They sell them already blanched. Well worth the price...even though it did recently go up. Used to be three pounds for $16 or $18 bucks. Now they're bagged by the pound and I think they were $8 last time I was there.

Definitely toast them.

[Pan]

I notice a difference between using Filberts (same family?) and actual hazelnuts which are smaller and bit rounder than the Filberts.[...]

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I never heard there was any distinction between hazelnuts ands filberts, and have always considered those two words synonymous.

[andiesenji]

I posted many months ago about my very simple method.

After DRY roasting the nuts, I put on my trusty exfoliating gloves, purchased at Cost Plus originally but more recently at Wal-Mart. supposed to smooth your skin, work out the cellulite, etc., but works good on persistent nut skins.

It is sort of like using a soft, pliable sandpaper on the nuts. Works on other nuts too, for instance Brazil nuts -

I should really post some pictures. Maybe the next time I use them.

In the meantime, check at Trader Joes, they also have the peeled nuts as does just about any middle eastern market.

P.S. additional non-nut hint!

I also have one pair that I keep by the sink and use to remove the fuzz from Kiwi fruit.

and to peel Kiwi fruit, I treat them as one would a peach or tomato, dip in boiling water then into cold water, skin comes off easily....

Edited February 18, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[TurtleMeng]

Get thee to Surfas

Oh, last time I had an appointment somewhere near there I tried to go, but didn't make it. It's like a 40 min drive so next time I go to the airport I'll drop by. Is it well stocked? I also wanted to get their Valrhona cocoa powder.

exfoliating gloves, purchased at Cost Plus originally but more recently at Wal-Mart. supposed to smooth your skin, work out the cellulite, etc., but works good on persistent nut skins.

You are kidding. I have Cost Plus down the street and Walmart a little further down. OK. But what can I do post Lasik today?

[chefpeon]

And don't forget, if you dry roast the hazelnuts, de-skinning them while they are still warm is much easier than if they are completely cool.

[chezcherie]

turtlemeng--

where do you live? i ask because there are a lot of ethnic markets that sell the pre-roasted, pre-skinned hazelnuts for waaay cheaper than surfas (and i LOVE surfas--was actually there today, picking up, among other things....valrhona cocoa powder! no lie!) a couple places i get mine are sunland produce (at sunland and glenoaks) and....gawd. the name of the other place slips my mind at the moment...but they have a lot of middle eastern stuff. the turnover is really high, which is nice if you don't like rancid hazelnuts. i don't!

i hope your lasik went well, so you can read this!

[Patrick S]

I notice a difference between using Filberts (same family?) and actual hazelnuts which are smaller and bit rounder than the Filberts.[...]

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I never heard there was any distinction between hazelnuts ands filberts, and have always considered those two words synonymous.

←

Most people do use filbert and hazelnut as synonyms. I always have. But some people use the word filbert to refer to two specific European species of Corylus or hazelnut, C. avellana pontica and C. maxima, which are slightly different from 'hazelnuts' from the American species C. americanus.

[TurtleMeng]

turtlemeng--

where do you live? i ask because there are a lot of ethnic markets that sell the pre-roasted, pre-skinned hazelnuts for waaay cheaper than surfas (and i LOVE surfas--was actually there today, picking up, among other things....valrhona cocoa powder! no lie!) a couple places i get mine are sunland produce (at sunland and glenoaks) and....gawd. the name of the other place slips my mind at the moment...but they have a lot of middle eastern stuff. the turnover is really high, which is nice if you don't like rancid hazelnuts. i don't!

i hope your lasik went well, so you can read this!

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I live near Pasadena....thanks for the tips...I am reading very little today on the computer to preserve my eyes! The Lasik went really well and I am happy.

[TurtleMeng]

I just want to add something....

It's pouring out there, so I decided to try the blanching with baking soda technique. The book calls for 6 Tsp in 1 quart water, which is a lot of baking soda. I used about 2/3 of the water and 4 Tsp. The book says boil for 4-5 minutes. I swear it was not even close to that long. I picked up one and the skin was able to slip off.

Good. I rinsed them, rubbed the skin off, very neat. Happy.

Then I toasted them, about the same length. At first I took some out thinking now skinless they needed shorter toasting time. I bit into the samle. HOOOORIBLE. So I said, undertoasted. Toasted more until they looked about the same color as my previous batch (straight toasted and skin rubbed off). BAD taste. (it's also not crunchy like the other ones. kind of chewy) It's either the baking soda, or overcooked. If it's just the baking soda, this technique is useless.

I am toasting some more straight now to see the difference....the scientist in me....

[TurtleMeng]

my last report before retiring to rest my eyes

It turned out my hazelnuts were too old. I toasted some more and they still tasted terrible. Sigh. Will buy more. But has anyones noticed that the blanched ones taste any different?

Also, would halzenut meal (TJ has them) taste similar? I have not opened my bag yet. It probably would need to be toasted, and perhaps not finely ground enough. I am still dreaming of making my dacquoise. But I will persevere and grind some not-rancid-hazelnuts myself.

[chefpeon]

I've used the blanching in water with baking soda method and it's been a dream. Easy peelage.

I've blanched almonds to peel them, but never used baking soda.

What does the soda do, exactly? Do you need it for hazelnuts but not almonds?

[kthull]

Since I don't use them that often, when I get the chance I buy skinned hazelnuts from King Arthur Flour.

[TurtleMeng]

I've used the blanching in water with baking soda method and it's been a dream. Easy peelage.

I've blanched almonds to peel them, but never used baking soda.

What does the soda do, exactly? Do you need it for hazelnuts but not almonds?

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I have no idea. Does anyone know? I was following instructions from the book (chocolate dessert by Pierre Hermes). I guess I should have tried blanching them without the baking soda....but I threw away all those nuts...

So when you blanch almonds how long does it take? Does the skin come off easily? This is getting more like Chem 130 A (which, btw, is physical chemistry, which I did very poorly in)

[Patrick S]

I'm not sure what the bake soda does. Perhaps it softens the skins by facilitating the absorption of water.

[chefpeon]

So when you blanch almonds how long does it take? Does the skin come off easily?

It only takes two to three minutes to blanch almonds. And hoo-boy, the skin definitely slips right off! Be careful, because it's really easy to pinch those suckers and shoot em across the room!

This is particularly fun if you like to annoy your co-workers.

I still wanna know what's up with the baking soda thing when blanching hazelnuts. The next time I need to skin a batch, I'm going to blanch with no soda and see what happens.

Usually I dry roast mine and rub them in my tamis while still warm to get most of the skins off, but it's blanchorama next time!

[momlovestocook]

I knew I saw someone boiling the hazelnuts on a cooking show and talking about the baking soda. I finally remembered it was on an episode of baking with Julia. I just got out my book and it said the baking soda is what takes the skins off but doesn't say why.

Sandra

[TurtleMeng]

The next time I need to skin a batch, I'm going to blanch with no soda and see what happens.

Oh, please let me know if that works. I don't think we have figured out what's the deal with baking soda here. I will refrain from experimenting for a while as everyone in the family thinks I am nuts.

[SuzySushi]

I've never used baking soda in blanching almonds. Just boiling water does the trick. Wonder if hazelnuts are the same? (No one here sells hazelnuts out of the shell... sigh.)

[viva]

I read somewhere that the alkalinity of the baking soda is required to loosen the skins off hazelnuts.