According to its properties, pine nuts are considered one of the most useful. But meanwhile it is very difficult to open it so as not to damage the core. For a long time, several methods have been invented.
Technological methods for freeing nuts from the shell are most often not available at home. In one method, the nuts are placed in a container and sealed. Then the atmospheric pressure in the container is raised and lowered for some time very sharply. As a result, the shell scatters, and the kernels remain intact. This method is not cheap, and only large companies for processing nuts can afford it.
Manual peeling of pine nuts is too difficult and time-consuming, so it is better to use various tools for this.
It is believed that pine nuts cannot be cleaned with teeth, as this is ineffective and guarantees a trip to the dentist. In fact, you can learn this way too. Nuts are bitten by the piece, while holding the nut with the thumb and forefinger. That end of the nut, which is more pointed, should at the same time look inside the palm. The front teeth squeeze the nut in the middle and across until a click is heard. If everything is done correctly, the pine nut shell will split into two equal halves, in one of which the nut itself will remain. It is similar to peeling seeds, with the difference that the seeds are bitten lengthwise and often start at the tip. Raw, unroasted nuts have shells that lend themselves better to the teeth than roasted nuts.
At home, nuts are often peeled by soaking and roasting. First, the nuts that need to be cleaned are soaked in water, and then fried, excess pressure forms in the shell and it cracks. This method, despite its simplicity, is not worth using, since soaking and strong heating do not in the best way affect the beneficial qualities of the nuts. It is allowed to use this method only if there is confidence that the temperature will not be higher than 45 ° C.
You can use a small hammer or garlic press to peel the nuts, a certain amount of nuts will be lost and this method will take a lot of time, but you will be sure that the nuts have retained all the benefits. To regulate the pressure and impact begins to be obtained soon, so there will be less waste.
Only the intact pine nut kernel contains all its beneficial properties.
When peeling nuts, remember that peeled nuts are not stored for a long time, there is a lot of oil in them and it can turn rancid. You can store such nuts for no more than 3 months, and it is best to take the amount that you plan to eat at a time for cleaning each time. Rancid nuts taste unpleasant and can be dangerous to your health and can cause intestinal problems. Peeled pine nuts are stored in an airtight bag, preferably in the refrigerator.
Unpeeled nuts are stored in canvas bags in a dark, dry place and only after they have been pre-dried. There is no point in storing undried nuts - they will deteriorate very quickly. For drying, the nuts are removed from the cones and laid out in a thin layer on a cloth or paper in a dry and warm room. If the kernels are not removed from the buds, you can try drying the buds themselves. Dry air often opens them and pine nuts fall out on their own. There are also special devices for extracting pine nuts from cones, these tools are called shelling machines or huskers.
