This year has yielded a bumper crop of hazelnuts in my garden. I'd like
to make hazelnut butter (which is awesome - I've made it before) but
I'm only able to make small amounts at any one time. I just get too
tired of cracking the nuts by hand.

My question is - is there such a thing as an automatic or mechanical
cracker that would work well for hazelnuts? Obviously, I wouldn't be
looking for something huge that a manufacturer would use - but
something a step up from a vice-type hand cracker.

Thanks for any tips.

Argo
http://greenrealm.blogspot.com
(a science fantasy)

In article .com,
"Argo" wrote:

This year has yielded a bumper crop of hazelnuts in my garden. I'd like
to make hazelnut butter (which is awesome - I've made it before) but
I'm only able to make small amounts at any one time. I just get too
tired of cracking the nuts by hand.

My question is - is there such a thing as an automatic or mechanical
cracker that would work well for hazelnuts? Obviously, I wouldn't be
looking for something huge that a manufacturer would use - but
something a step up from a vice-type hand cracker.

Thanks for any tips.

Argo
http://greenrealm.blogspot.com
(a science fantasy)


Inertia crackers are quite popular amoung the Texans that sell pecans
privately:

http://www.inertianutcracker.com/pages/532776/index.htm

http://www.redhillgeneralstore.com/Orh3457.htm

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...4-0335777-8012
732?v=glance

Hope this helps? :-)

Cheers!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Hi All,
try a hammer on a hard surface, it is faster than a vice. Hope this helps
you.

Richard M. Watkin.

"Argo" wrote in message
oups.com...
This year has yielded a bumper crop of hazelnuts in my garden. I'd like
to make hazelnut butter (which is awesome - I've made it before) but
I'm only able to make small amounts at any one time. I just get too
tired of cracking the nuts by hand.

My question is - is there such a thing as an automatic or mechanical
cracker that would work well for hazelnuts? Obviously, I wouldn't be
looking for something huge that a manufacturer would use - but
something a step up from a vice-type hand cracker.

Thanks for any tips.

Argo
http://greenrealm.blogspot.com
(a science fantasy)

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 20:24:09 +0100, "Richard Watkin"
wrote:

Hi All,
try a hammer on a hard surface, it is faster than a vice. Hope this helps
you.

Richard M. Watkin.

"Argo" wrote in message
roups.com...
This year has yielded a bumper crop of hazelnuts in my garden. I'd like
to make hazelnut butter (which is awesome - I've made it before) but
I'm only able to make small amounts at any one time. I just get too
tired of cracking the nuts by hand.

My question is - is there such a thing as an automatic or mechanical
cracker that would work well for hazelnuts? Obviously, I wouldn't be
looking for something huge that a manufacturer would use - but
something a step up from a vice-type hand cracker.

Thanks for any tips.

Argo
http://greenrealm.blogspot.com
(a science fantasy)




Hammers splat the nut & often leave shell embedded in the meat.

There are electric crackers on the market, but they are not cheap, and
having only seen them in photos and not in action, I cannot say how
well they work in general and specifically for hazels.

http://www.peasandcornco.com/nut_cracker.asp

Boron

Boron Elgar wrote:
Richard Watkin wrote:

try a hammer on a hard surface, it is faster than a vice. Hope this helps
you.

Hammers splat the nut & often leave shell embedded in the meat.

I picture a metal or cermanic sleeve. Inside is a hole
big enough for any filbert. The sleeve is the right
height to not smash the nut most of the time. Put the
nut in the sleeve, hit the sleeve with the hammer. The
result should be a cracked shell most of the time.
There will be some smashed nuts, use them to make filbert
butter or that most addictive of foods Nutella.

Thanks very much for the tips and links. They look promising.

Argo
http://greenrealm.blogspot.com (a science fantasy)

"Argo" wrote in news:1128364943.685313.117700
@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:



My question is - is there such a thing as an automatic or mechanical
cracker that would work well for hazelnuts? Obviously, I wouldn't be
looking for something huge that a manufacturer would use - but
something a step up from a vice-type hand cracker.

Thanks for any tips.

Argo

The best nutcracker I have found is a curved jaw vise grip. It applies a
lot of pressure to crack the shell then stops so it does not crush the
nutmeat. The curved jaw allows it to be set for the average size and
different sized nuts are accomodated by placing them in different locations
within the jaw.

On 1/13/06 10:13 AM, in article
, "Al"
wrote:

"Argo" wrote in news:1128364943.685313.117700
@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:



My question is - is there such a thing as an automatic or mechanical
cracker that would work well for hazelnuts? Obviously, I wouldn't be
looking for something huge that a manufacturer would use - but
something a step up from a vice-type hand cracker.

Thanks for any tips.

Argo

The best nutcracker I have found is a curved jaw vise grip. It applies a
lot of pressure to crack the shell then stops so it does not crush the
nutmeat. The curved jaw allows it to be set for the average size and
different sized nuts are accomodated by placing them in different locations
within the jaw.

I have seen one that works for macadamia nuts! It is a toggle type compound
action cracker. It uses the same principle as heavy duty compound action
pruners. With curved jaws you can place the nut where you can get huge
mechanical advantage. Unfortunately, I do not know the name or manufacturer.
It probably is not cheap.

Bill

-- Ferme le Bush