Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Preparation
• Part 2 of 3: Hulling Pine Nuts in Hard Shells
• Part 3 of 3: Shelling Pine Nuts in Soft Shells
• Tips
• Warnings

Once you've peeled pine nuts, you will understand why peeled nuts are so expensive. Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine pine, framed by a hard shell, inside the cone. To free the cedar kernels from the shell, they must first be removed from the cone. This will take a lot of effort, but the result will be worth it.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Preparation

1. 1 Collect the pine cones. If you are buying unpeeled pine nuts, skip this step. But if you harvest your buds yourself, you should keep in mind that this is a fairly long process that can take months. Here's what you need to do:
   • For gray cedar pine, collect the cones in September or October and store them in a well-ventilated, dry place like a garage. The cone scales should be tightly closed at this stage.
   • Wait for the scales to open slightly, revealing the seeds.
   • Then tap the buds on the burlap until all the seeds come out. You can also pull out the seeds by hand if you are not afraid to get dirty in the resin.
   • Discard any scales that can stick to the seeds.
   • Remove damaged nuts, bugs have settled in them.
2. 2 Determine which pine nuts you are dealing with. Nuts can be in soft and hard shells, never bite into hard shell nuts with your teeth, you may get hurt. Here are some varieties of cedar pine nuts:
   • Mexican cedar pine. Harvested by hand, its seeds are rich in oil and are highly valued all over the world. The seed shell is very hard and cannot be broken with teeth or hands.
   • Italian stone pine. Popular in Europe and the Mediterranean. This pine has elongated, rounded seeds.
   • Pine Chilgoza. This variety grows mainly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the seeds are long, shaped like a boat with a sharp end. These seeds are husked by roasting, they are not very common in the world.
   • Gray pine. It grows in Northern California, its seeds have a fairly soft shell.
   • Siberian cedar. It has a dense crown and large cones, and, accordingly, large seeds.
3. 3 Store pine nuts in the refrigerator. Unpeeled nuts have a longer shelf life if kept in the refrigerator, so if you don't plan on shelling them right away, put them in the refrigerator. Peeled nuts should be used within a week, they only last a few days without a refrigerator, so if you don't plan on eating them right away, put the peeled nuts in the refrigerator.
   • Some people store pine nuts in the freezer to make them crisper and last longer. Others say freezing kills the rich, nutty flavor of pine nuts.

Part 2 of 3: Hulling Pine Nuts in Hard Shells

1. 1 Use a hammer. If you come across nuts in a very hard shell, and the integrity of the kernel is not important to you, put the nuts in a bag, spread it out on a flat surface and knock on it with a hammer. Knock gently so as not to flatten the core. There will be a lot of rubbish, place a disposable tablecloth on the floor, and also place cardboard or something similar to protect the table on which you will be cracking nuts.
   • This method is not for the faint of heart and requires a certain amount of physical strength.
   • When you have finished cracking the nuts, take them out of the bag and begin to peel them off.
2. 2 Use a can opener. Place the nut on the jagged part of the opener where the handles meet, and crack it open as if you were holding a nutcracker. If you use the opener for this method too often, you will break it, it will also take a long time if you crack the nuts one at a time, but the result will be what you want.
   • Crack all the nuts with a can opener and remove the shell by hand.
3. 3 Use a special device for peeling pine nuts. If you purchase such a device, you will greatly facilitate your task. If you regularly shell pine nuts, your investment in this device will pay off over time. Unpeeled pine nuts are significantly cheaper than peeled pine nuts, so you will save a lot in the end. Here's what you need to do:
   • Place pine nuts of the same size in the device, adjust it according to the size of the nuts. When you're done with these nuts, adjust the device for a different nut size.
   • Wait for the nuts to come out of the device.
   • Shake off any remaining shells and enjoy the nuts.

Part 3 of 3: Shelling Pine Nuts in Soft Shells

1. 1 Use a peeling roller. The following method is suitable for soft-shelled nuts. Place the nuts in a plastic bag, release the air, place the bag on a flat surface, then forcefully roll over the nuts with a wooden roller or rolling pin. You will hear the nuts begin to snap, and the shells begin to crack, freeing the kernels. This can be time consuming and for best results roll small batches of nuts at a time.
   • As soon as you see that all the nuts are cracked, just take them out of the bag and free them from the remnants of the shell.
2. 2 Brush the nuts in your mouth. Although the method of biting nuts with your teeth is not recommended, you can still use it to peel soft-shelled nuts such as gray cedar pine nuts. Do as if you were peeling sunflower seeds: put the nut in your mouth, gently bite the nut until the shell cracks. Then take the nut out of your mouth and peel it off.
   • Be careful not to bite too hard if you want to keep your teeth healthy.
   • This method is most suitable for those cases where you absolutely need to keep the shape of the nut, if this is important to you.
3. 3 Use your thumb or forefinger. If you have soft nuts, you can crack them with just your hands.Place the nut between your thumb and forefinger and press firmly until you hear a characteristic crunch. Then remove the remaining shells. You will have to repeat these steps several times, but it is better to use your hands rather than your teeth.
   • Hulling each individual nut takes some time.
4. 4 Enjoy. Once you have peeled the nuts, you can eat them separately, or use them in various recipes. They are delicious, quite rare, and add a rich, buttery flavor to any dish. Here's what you can do with pine nuts:
   • Raw nuts can be enjoyed as a snack.
   • Use pine nuts to make pesto sauce for use in pasta, fish and poultry dishes.
   • Lightly roast the nuts in the oven and enjoy their crunchy flavor.
   • Add pine nuts to any salad, from sheep cheese and beetroot salads to brie and orange slices.

Tips

• If one nut doesn't crack correctly, just start cleaning the next one.
• To learn how to peel nuts well, you need to train for a long time, be patient.
• You can buy ready-made shelled pine nuts, but their shelf life is much shorter than that of unhulled pine cones.
• The taste of unshelled pine nuts is more intense than that of shelled ones.
• It is economically very profitable to shell the nuts yourself; this can be done in many ways.

Warnings

• Be careful, you can break a tooth by biting too hard.