On 07/12/2019 09:50, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Bill Davy wrote:
What is the name of the furry membrane between the good bit and the shell?

And how can I cook them so it comes off easily. I've bought some (Chinese)
but when I roast them (in the oven as open fires were a thing of my past),
the membrane does not come off. I am sure it used to in the good old days
when we peeled very hot chestnuts in front of the fire, and I do not recall
treating the chestnuts before roasting. Online there is much talk of
soaking/simmering/boiling them first.

And I am sure that it didn't. I don't know what conditions make it
come off easily.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

When I was young we lived just outside Hastings and accross the lane
were a few sweet chestnut trees, You would scuff the husks under foot to
open then amd then select the largest nuts which would thenhave an X cut
into one side or the top if they were round, then they were put onto the
Aga hotplate, cut side up for probably 10 mins or so till they started
to open, then we would remove the husk, the inner membrane was usually
dry and either eaten or removed.
I wonder if it's the faster cookung that's the problem.