How to Roast Chestnuts Over an Open Fire (Plus Chestnut Roaster Giveaway!)

by Brett & Kate McKay on November 22, 2011 · 529 comments

Wait. Before you begin reading this post, click play on the video below.

Ah, that’s better. Now we’re ready to proceed.

You’ve probably heard the “Christmas Song” hundreds of times in your life, and you’re well familiar with that opening line about “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”

But how many of us have actually partaken in this holiday tradition? If you’ve never had a warm roasted chestnut, you’re missing out. Chestnuts grow from mid-fall to early-spring, and they peak during the holidays—which is why they’re associated with this time of year. They have a texture kind of like a baked potato, and they’re the only nut that contains vitamin C, so eating some is a good way to ward off winter scurvy if you’ll be spending Christmas sailing as a pirate. The sweet, nutty flavor of chestnuts will warm your manly holiday spirit to the core, and most importantly, roasting them gives you an excuse to do something with fire.

What You Need

The Roaster

Yes, you can roast chestnuts in the oven. But what would be the fun in that? A man never misses a chance to build a fire and cook over it.

To roast your chestnuts, you’ll need a pan that you can put into the fire. Long-handled popcorn or chestnut roasters make the ideal vessels for open fire chestnut roasting, as they allow you to roast the nuts without burning your face off. And their lids let you shake the chestnuts around for even roasting, instead of having to turn them over yourself or losing a few when flipping them in a lid-less pan.

If you don’t have a long-handled roaster, you can get by with a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or some other pan. Just be careful not to burn yourself. If you have an old beat-up skillet, you can turn it into a bona fide chestnut roaster by drilling 30 or so holes in the bottom.

If you don’t have a chestnut roaster or a skillet, you can also use a fireplace shovel. And I suppose you could even try sticking them individually on skewers like the boys in the opening image, if you’re the patient type.

The Chestnuts

You can buy chestnuts at some grocery stores, but you may want to call ahead to make sure they have them. While dozens of chestnut varieties exist, most people roast Castagne and Marroni chestnuts at the holidays. Castagne are more common, while the Marroni are a more expensive specialty. The nut of the Marroni is sweeter and plumper, and it peels away from the skin more easily.

When choosing your chestnuts, look for those that are plump, smooth, shiny, and blemish-free. Moldy chestnuts are a common problem, so squeeze and shake the chestnut to see if the nut has shriveled up and pulled away from the shell.

Keep in mind that the larger the chestnut, the longer it will take to roast. Pick chestnuts that are fairly uniform in size and will thus be done at the same time.

Preparation

Rinse the chestnuts under cold water. Lay them on a towel and pat dry.

Before roasting chestnuts, you must score them to allow steam to escape and prevent them from exploding like chestnut bombs while cooking. Simply take a sharp knife and cut an “X” into the flat side of each chestnut.

Once your chestnuts are clean, dry, and scored, build a warm, cozy fire in the fireplace. Let it burn down so that you have a nice bed of hot embers.

Roasting

Place the chestnuts in a single layer in the pan. No need to add oil or grease; as they cook, the chestnuts will release their own oil.

Cover the pan with a lid and hold it over, but not directly in, the fire. After five minutes or so, shake or stir the chestnuts around, making sure to roast all sides adequately. Repeat this process every few minutes.

I didn't have time to wait for a proper ember bed, so I did stick the chesnuts directly in the fire somewhat, even though it isn't reccomended. The outsides got charred, but the insides were mostly okay.

Most chestnuts will fully roast after 25 minutes. A chestnut is fully roasted when the shell starts to open where you made the score mark and you start hearing popping noises. You can also check for doneness by piercing a chestnut with a knife; it should be tender.

Remove the chestnuts and place them in a towel-lined bowl to cool for about 10 minutes. While they’re still warm, remove the shells. The fuzzy inside skin will peel off along with the outer shell.

You can eat the chestnuts plain or dip them in butter and cinnamon for extra holiday flavor and goodness.

_____________________________________________

Win a Jacob Bromwell Chestnut Roaster

The folks at Jacob Bromwell sent me one of their chestnut roasters so I could fulfill my dream of finally trying this classic holiday tradition. And they also offered to give away one of their roasters to a lucky AoM reader as well.

Established in 1819, Jacob Bromwell is America’s oldest cookware company. All of their kitchen and campfire cookware is handcrafted and made in America, just like it was almost 200 years ago. And all their products are backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Their sturdy, authentic chestnut roasters have a nice wooden handle to keep your hands cool, and they can also be used to pop popcorn in the fire, if chestnuts aren’t your thing. The roaster will surely be enjoyed by your family for decades of holiday fun.

Entering to win one of these old fashioned roasters is easy. Just leave a comment giving us your thoughts on chestnuts or simply sharing your favorite holiday tradition.

Contest is over. Winner will be selected shortly.

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301 Dan Williams November 23, 2011 at 2:38 pm: My favorite holiday tradition is visiting my uncle outside Philadelphia. My parents are deceased, so that’s what I tend to do. Not sure I can do it this year, but I’m hoping!
302 Ray Abel Losoya November 23, 2011 at 3:06 pm: My favorite Christmas tradition is traveling to Mexico to see my family. It’s like a two week party. There is tons of food, drinks, partying, meeting relatives, sight seeing, dune buggies, pinatas, fireworks, cliff diving, and just enjoying life.
303 Toma Randjelovic November 23, 2011 at 3:12 pm: I still have the chestnut roaster my dad made from an old pot and long metal handle. We use it each year.
304 Jesse Sheridan November 23, 2011 at 3:16 pm: I have never had warm roasted chestnuts! I think I would like to try them and possibly start the tradition. Sweet nuts sound tasty!
305 Bret Muehlheausler November 23, 2011 at 3:25 pm: Never tried roasted chestnuts. This article just made me want to try it.
306 Brian M November 23, 2011 at 4:06 pm: Growing up in California I always saw these as more of an East Coast tradition. Maybe it’s time to give these a try out west.
307 Ron H November 23, 2011 at 4:11 pm: Never done this, but looks awesome and can be a tradition to add to my new family that I married into. Thanks!
308 Chris November 23, 2011 at 4:25 pm: I have never tried chestnuts, but would like to. My favorite holiday tradition is watching “It’s A Wonderful Life”.
309 Jared McDaniel November 23, 2011 at 4:51 pm: I’ve always wanted to ry roasting chestnuts. This could make an awesome camping treat as well as a Christmas tradition.
310 brian November 23, 2011 at 4:52 pm: This article has caught my interest and I would love to try roasting chestnuts. It may just become a new tradition in my family.
311 Jerad November 23, 2011 at 5:33 pm: I would love to add this to our Christmas traditions. Although commonly thought of over Christmas, it is never something we’ve done before.

Our favorite tradition is to sit down with some hot chocolate and some lit candles and watch One Magic Christmas. Unbeatable.
312 John November 23, 2011 at 5:33 pm: I was fortunate enough to live overseas for a number of years. You can’t go anywhere during the Christmas season without seeing a street vendor selling “Heisse Marroni”.
Usually they wrap the chestnuts in a paper cone and it was fun to eat them while walking and shopping in the cold weather.
I think it would be great to have street vendors like this here in the US.
313 Ryan November 23, 2011 at 5:36 pm: I was in Vancouver, B.C. for a family vacation and passed a street vendor roasting chestnuts and it smelled AMAZING! When we went back to go buy some they had closed or moved their cart and I missed my chance to try them, but I decided I’m going to do it this winter myself and if all goes well, start a tradition of my own
314 Oliver November 23, 2011 at 5:36 pm: I spent a couple of winters in France and now miss the street vendors that would be in the towns’ squares with fresh roasted chestnuts. Better than a coffee for warming the body on a chilly winter day.
315 Ryan November 23, 2011 at 5:39 pm: Can’t wait to try this! If all goes well I’ll have a new tradition for years to come.
316 Mario November 23, 2011 at 6:00 pm: Before roasting chestnuts, you must score them to allow steam to escape and prevent them from exploding like chestnut bombs while cooking.

Nothing says holiday cheer like an exploding chestnut bomb!!!
317 Pat November 23, 2011 at 6:33 pm: I remember going to a Christmas parade and smelled something wonderful. I followed my nose and came up to some guy who was selling chestnuts. He had some kind of box contraption that had smoke coming out of it. Never had a chance to look into it since he was surrounded by customers. The chestnuts were warm and oh so good.
318 Joseph koch November 23, 2011 at 6:34 pm: Since becoming a married man, my favorite holiday tradition has been one my wife and daughter taught me.

Marisha could never wait ’till the actual date for presents. In addition, my wife’s family always gave each other a new set of pajamas for each person, so on Christmas Eve you had a new set of pajamas to wear that night/the following Christmas morning.

This tradition gradually morphed into what we did the year I became part of the family. We all got new pajamas of course, but Marisha being impulsive as she is, could never wait to give people presents, so we always ended up with her passing out one present Christmas Eve; one year it was several days beforehand because she simply couldn’t contain herself any longer.
319 Jonah Grubb November 23, 2011 at 6:39 pm: Roasted chestnuts are amazing. All across europe they are sold in the streets and are by far the most satisfying snack on a crisp autumn or winter day. It’s too bad that they aren’t as popular in the U.S.
320 Spencer November 23, 2011 at 7:03 pm: Maybe we can have another article on making your own manly eggnog?

Hmm, time to try my hand at roasting chestnuts.
321 Macaroon Kipling November 23, 2011 at 7:09 pm: My favourite holiday tradition is watching Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.
322 Daniel Edwards November 23, 2011 at 7:29 pm: My god, I have to move into a house with a fireplace now. I, apparently, have led a very sheltered life. Thanks AoM for bringing these classic traditions to the attention of the modern man!
323 Matt November 23, 2011 at 7:39 pm: Besides trying to sit through all 24 hours of A Christmas Story ( I triple-dog dare you to do it), I enjoy tossing up piles of decorations while my wife is either a) asleep or b) out of the house. She never expects it and always reacts so well!
324 Joe November 23, 2011 at 8:07 pm: When I was little, my great-Uncle Joe used to come visit at Christmas. When we would go off to Christmas service he would stay behind and leave a Christmas coloring book and crayons for us on our beds. It would be after midnight when we’d get home and he’d tell us Santa must have left it. Years later I eventually took up pipe smoking because of him (I missed the smell of his pipe at Christmas time).
325 kyle gordon November 23, 2011 at 8:35 pm: My favorite holiday tradition is getting together with my family on Christmas. We have over 30 cousins and it is a BIG event. We all count down for presents and then rip into them at once. Since I have gotten older I know enjoy watching the kids the most, as it is so exciting for them!
326 Jayson Lykins November 23, 2011 at 9:10 pm: Before my grandfather passed, we used to make the best cranberry sauce with an old fashioned grinder. I can’t eat any other cranberry sauce without comparing it to our original and remembering my grandparents’ house…
327 Liam Cawley November 23, 2011 at 10:01 pm: I’ve never had chestnuts, but after reading this, I can’t think of a more festive snack (barring wassail). As a child, i don’t remember my family having any particularly culinary holiday traditions, but we would always watch A Christmas Story when we dressed the tree. Living in northern Indiana (where the film takes place) and having a father from Cleveland, Ohio (where the film was shot), I feel as if that film resonated with my younger self on a level unequaled by other Christmas movies.
328 Craig Jones November 23, 2011 at 10:29 pm: Great article, it brought me way way back. I’m inspired to resurrect an old skillet for the job. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve done an article on that as well.
329 Kyle wiley November 23, 2011 at 10:43 pm: Remember roasting chestnuts in a class when I was in elementary school. It’s traditions like this that I hope to begin with my family, today.
330 Doug November 23, 2011 at 10:48 pm: I don’t think that I have ever had a chestnut.
331 Josh November 23, 2011 at 10:51 pm: I have a lot of thoughts on the The American Chestnut, or Castanea dentata. It is from a deciduous tree ravaged by blight, limiting it’s territory. This is a sad commentary on what once was a stalwart amongst the American forests. Chestnuts roasting indeed!
332 Jerry Evans November 23, 2011 at 10:52 pm: hi
i planted 8 Dunstan chestnuts last year.
Sure could use a roaster.
333 Jacob November 23, 2011 at 11:29 pm: Growing up, we had a couple chestnut trees growing across the dirt road from our house. For those that don’t know, when the chestnuts fall from the tree, they’re covered in a burr that looks like a pin-cushion full of needles. Those things were killer on the barefeet of an innocent farmboy.
334 Burkey November 23, 2011 at 11:44 pm: I saw chestnuts at one of the high end grocery store. I think I’ll pick some up next visit and pop them in the oven in grandpa’s iron skillet.
335 JD Armstrong November 24, 2011 at 12:00 am: Favorite Holiday Tradition: Cutting down a Christmas tree — with a saw (not just picking one out from the tent down the street).
336 Joe November 24, 2011 at 12:29 am: Favorite Holiday tradition: Delivering Christmas cookies that mom baked to the neighbors with dad.
337 Rob Pistella November 24, 2011 at 12:34 am: Great article!

Suggestion: Scor the chestnuts, then boil them…20 minutes or so… This makes them plump and moist. Then roast, but now roasting time is cut in half, the nuts remain moist, and not as burnt, and you can serve them to guests much quicker!!!
338 Ryan November 24, 2011 at 12:36 am: I have yet to try chestnuts in any way. But after reading this article I am determined to make it happen this year!
339 Sam Granger November 24, 2011 at 12:58 am: Could chestnuts be turned into a form of peanut butter? Chestnut butter and jelly sandwiches as a holiday treat? I mean what if you make a bunch and people only have a couple?

Though we never did chestnuts, after Christmas Eve Mass, we’d go to my German grandparents’ house and have a spread including, (so much) stollen, sauerkraut, sausage, (a little beer, schnapps or kimmel) and ham. One of my favorite holiday traditions is just eating ham with my dad for hours after it was served. It’s good when it’s warm. It’s good an hour later to go with your whiskey sour. It’s good 3 hours later when you want one last snack before hitting the road.
340 i.urriola November 24, 2011 at 1:05 am: Every year we have a big brunch (serving ~20 people) for Christmas. It’s my favorite meal of the entire year (even more than Thanksgiving)
341 Dean November 24, 2011 at 1:55 am: Would like to have one to give my son in law at whose house we spend Holidays and always have chestnuts available. Am sure he would like it.
D
342 K November 24, 2011 at 2:29 am: I’ve only ever roasted chestnuts in the oven, I’ll have to do it properly once I win this roaster.
343 TT November 24, 2011 at 2:50 am: The chestnuts roasting is a relatively “young” tradition in our family, but we delight everytime we have some in a cold winter evening.
344 Chris November 24, 2011 at 4:49 am: I’ve only done it with a pan…a roaster would be a great way to keep them from ending up on the ground as usual!
345 Nick November 24, 2011 at 5:59 am: My wife and I take an autumn holiday each year to the New Forest (for the Americans, the New Forest is in Southern England) and we go and pick up chestnuts from the forest floor and roast them over the open fire in our holiday home. We normally get enough to take some home to make a chestnut stuffing for our Christmas dinner.
346 Chris Adamiak - Damn yak Dry Goods. November 24, 2011 at 6:22 am: Growing up in a wood heated home, Chestnuts were always a treat in the winter. I also love to see the street vendors selling the little baggies of chestnuts in the city.
347 Joel November 24, 2011 at 7:50 am: We don’t have chestnut trees around here but when the kids were small I could find them in the grocery once in while when in season. I didn’t have a roaster and they didn’t sell them around here so I would boil them. They were delicious and we were surprised how much they favored sweet potatoes. For us they were an exotic treat. I had intended on getting a roaster for those rare times chestnuts were available here. This article has inspired me to do just that and hopefully share the experience with the grand kids. Thanks.
348 Cal November 24, 2011 at 8:32 am: A fire, a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and a comic book about a boy and his tiger – that’s my Christmas holiday.
349 Jason Brookins November 24, 2011 at 8:39 am: I would love to try this; maybe it could work with our six acres of pecan trees, too.
350 John November 24, 2011 at 9:00 am: Wonder how chestnuts go with my favorite Christmas movie — Jean Shepherd’s “A Christmas Story” ?

“Sons-a-bitchin’ Bumpusses!”
351 Chad Trombley November 24, 2011 at 9:04 am: Nice! Historical Reenactments are very manly. In a world hard pressed by instantaneous delights, it warms my heart to get slow roasted delights. Set me up with a professional chestnut roaster and let me have at AoM!
352 Cameron Ford November 24, 2011 at 9:12 am: I have never seen a chestnut roaster before! I assumed it was done over a grill or something like that. My family never roasted chestnuts, but one of our favorite Christmas traditions was enjoying Mom’s famous cinnamon rolls together for breakfast. That has been our Christmas breakfast for years! Thanks for the informative article.
353 Matthew Bedford November 24, 2011 at 9:31 am: In Italy in January of 2007 there were street vendors roasting chestnuts in open fire pots around Pisa. It smelled amazing but I didn’t try any at the time. I have wanted to though, since then. And now I’ll be moving to a home which has a fireplace where I’ll be able to engage in this tradition.
354 Spats November 24, 2011 at 9:34 am: My favorite family tradition is impromptu bluegrass jam sessions, with real instruments for the musicians and improvised noisemakers for the chillins and the bystanders.
355 Dan November 24, 2011 at 9:43 am: We always made chestnuts as a kid. Is was a big deal with my father. We usually got them and put them in the oven and put wine on them and roast them in a pan. It was always part of our Sunday dinner between thanksgiving and Christmas.

Thanks for the post!

–Dan
356 Victoria Pinnell November 24, 2011 at 9:59 am: We so enjoy bringing the family together around a nice cozy fire as the days get colder and we catch up with all of the days happenings. We have done this since our four children were “little sprouts” and to this day we still look forward to unwinding in the same way after a busy week and they are now in their twenties. The chestnut roaster sounds like a wonderful old time tradition that would be fun to introduce to everyone as a great memory of home, when they all move on to start their own families and traditions. Can’t wait to surprise everyone.
357 Mikkel November 24, 2011 at 10:08 am: When I was traveling over seas during the holidays in New Zealand there was a gentlemen who had a cart he specially designed to roast chestnuts.
I used to buy them still warm in a square paper bag.
Walking up and down the open air market doing my Christmas shopping with the scent of the fire and the nutty smell of the chestnuts being toasted is a favorite memory of my time there.
358 Jack Sampson November 24, 2011 at 10:32 am: Thanks for the great article. Foraging and storing of chestnuts is an important survival skill. This is the third piece of the puzzle; how to eat them. Great tip on the vitamin C, too. Thanks.
359 Mary Savoy November 24, 2011 at 12:38 pm: Since I was a child my mother always had chestnuts roasting on the weekends whenever she could get them from the grocery store from Halloween through the Presidents’ Day. During the week she’d announce that we’d be having chestnuts on the weekend. Roasting chestnuts was an event that got us all together around the kitchen table, chatting and laughing.

Now that I have my own home, I’ve tried to re-kindle that tradition. What I thought was a simple tradition, has actually become challenge due to everyone’s fast-paced schedule! I’ve been able to roast chestnuts a few times only between Thanksgiving and Christmas! Years ago, I read on the internet and printed it out too, that after washing and scoring the chestnuts, the advice to par-boil them before roasting them. With our recent move, this print-out was somehow lost!

With this year’s Thanksgiving holiday, I was searching to find out how long one should par-boil the chestnuts before roasting when I came across your splendid website! If you have heard about this intermediate step of par-boiling the chestnuts before roasting, I’d appreciate hearing from you (as well as winning one of your chestnut roasters). Many thanks and happy holidays!

Kindest regards.
Mary Jane Savoy
360 Alexander Lohn November 24, 2011 at 12:39 pm: I have never had roasted chestnuts. One holiday snack I enjoy is something my mother makes with corn syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla that gets cooked and drizzled over a snack mix and backed…absolutely delicious.
361 George Morris November 24, 2011 at 1:13 pm: One of my favorite traditions has always been to make a pheasant stuffed with roasted chestnuts. My uncle has a fireplace (my house has one too but previous owners have walled it up so we don’t have access to it… yet) and we would always roast a batch at his house and then bring them home to make the stuffing with celery, carrots, a little sherry and mashed roasted chestnuts and some corn bread crumbs to hold it all together. Few things are as good on a cold winter night as a a pheasant you’ve hunted yourself with homemade chestnut stuffing. We’ve always used the old cast iron skillet method which I would agree – gets the job done but it’s definitely not the easiest way to go about it. Thanks again for another great post. Looking forward to hearing any other fireplace recipes readers might have.
362 Matthew November 24, 2011 at 1:23 pm: Great article. After reading this our family will be trying it out this Thanksgiving. Thanks for the idea.
363 Ken F. November 24, 2011 at 2:32 pm: Hey this sounds like a great idea for a new family tradition at my house. I’ve never had roasted chestnuts before and would love to try some.
364 Jason November 24, 2011 at 3:15 pm: I’ve limited my roasted chestnut enjoyment to the fare on many street corners in New York City, but I think I’m ready to try this excuse to have a drink by the fire instead.
365 Sumeet Gill November 24, 2011 at 3:23 pm: I roasted chestnuts for the first time with my roommates last week. We didn’t have a roaster so improvised and poked holes in pie trays and used a set of tongs to hold the tray over the fire. The chestnuts turned out great but the pie tray didn’t make it out in one piece. Needless to say, we will definitely be having some more in the near future.
366 Dave November 24, 2011 at 3:25 pm: Never did this growing up as a kid- feel like it would be a great tradition to start. Thanks for the post!
367 Anthony November 24, 2011 at 4:16 pm: When I was stationed in Germany with the Air Force I met my wife. When we were dating we went to a Christmas market in a small town and we stopped off at a street vendor. He was roasting them over a burn barrel. I always loved chestnuts since I was really little so I bought some. We spent the night walking around drinking gluehwein (a warm wine), some local made schnapps, and ate some chestnuts. That was a night that sealed the deal and made me realize I had to keep that woman.
368 Alli November 24, 2011 at 5:31 pm: I’ve always roasted them in the oven- I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a chestnut roaster! That’ll be fun for the kiddos to do!!
369 Michael Ponzani November 24, 2011 at 6:13 pm: We always boiled ours. I sae the chest nut roaster looks suspiciously like my old popcorn popper. the round one in the ad on Lew Rockwell was called a potato roaster by my mother.
370 David November 24, 2011 at 7:56 pm: I’ve never had roasted chestnuts before…
371 Mark Purcel November 24, 2011 at 8:24 pm: I think I’ll try this as a new family tradition. Here’s hoping all goes well.
372 Cameron T. November 24, 2011 at 8:53 pm: Never roasted chestnuts before! Sounds like it might be good.
373 Rochelle November 24, 2011 at 9:07 pm: Ahhh, the lovely Chestnut! Que Fantastiche..My husband and i started oven roasting(now tradition) this potatoey nut about two years ago and would love to try it over our fire pit..he is allways chomping at the bit to make a fire!
374 Matthew November 24, 2011 at 9:24 pm: I’m going to have to try this during the coming weeks.

My favorite holiday tradition is the hunting of the Christmas Tree. Going out with kids and a dog to cut down our own tree is the highlight of the season. When there’s an early snow it makes it that much better!
375 Steve November 24, 2011 at 10:12 pm: I think this will be our new holiday tradition. Thanks for the article!
376 almost there November 24, 2011 at 10:46 pm: I haven’t had roasted chestnuts in years. Last time was over 30 years ago in Japan.
The street vendors would be out this time of year selling them and I can still remember the smell of the roasted chestnuts.Nice article.
377 Jessica November 24, 2011 at 10:49 pm: I’ve never tried a roasted chestnut. The other day I encountered a little old lady from Switzerland who told me that she used to buy roasted chestnuts from street vendors on cold winter nights. The paper funnels filled with hot chestnuts warmed her hands. I was intrigued and now I want to try them!
378 Pete November 25, 2011 at 1:05 am: I plan on going camping sometime in the next month……..it would be awesome to roast chestnuts over a campfire!
379 Nathan Zeigler November 25, 2011 at 1:47 am: I am a firefighter and I have a four year old son. I miss time with him for the 24 hours I’m away. On my days off lately I have been taking activities from The Art of Manliness emails and other online posts and have been enjoying the time with my son. Shaving with a wet shaving kit (his without a blade of course), packing up and heading out into our densely forested 5 acre lot for a weekend in a tent with a fishing pole and an axe for fire wood, I put a fire pit in the back yard so I could sit with him out back and listen to him talk about whatever it is four year olds talk about; it would be fantastic to do that this Holiday Season with him, since I will be at the fire station this Christmas, and have a brand new Jacob Bromwell Chestnut Roaster. Thank you Art of Manliness for giving me something good to pass on to my son.
380 Brian November 25, 2011 at 2:03 am: My favorite Christmas song. I remember smelling them roasting on the streets of New York When I was a kid, and buying them from the vendors when we would go there during the Christmas Season.
381 Jeremy Foster November 25, 2011 at 2:28 am: Just roasted some tonight! Why are they so dang good?!
382 amiRo November 25, 2011 at 4:42 am: I’m Amiro, from Iran. My mom bought some chestnuts recently an I really like it’s taste. I tried roasted chestnuts in Istanbul (Turkey) and I loved that too. And today I found your great article about it and enjoyed that. Thank you:)
383 Danny November 25, 2011 at 7:50 am: Personally, I love chestnuts dipped in maple syrup.
384 Daniel H November 25, 2011 at 7:52 am: Chestnuts are best when they’re slightly charred!
385 Andrew R November 25, 2011 at 8:36 am: Scoring the chestnuts is very important!! the first time my girlfriend (now wife) and I tried roasting we didn”t know this important step. Nuts exploded all over our little toaster oven.
386 Rick November 25, 2011 at 11:46 am: Great article, the more charred the better!
387 Kenny Parnell November 25, 2011 at 12:30 pm: I’ve always wondered about roasting chestnuts. They sound awesome from your description. My wife has been wanting a fire pit for the back yard, and this sounds like the perfect thing to do with it.
388 Scott Hedrick November 25, 2011 at 12:48 pm: I can’t remember the last time I ate chestnuts. Reading this article makes me think it might be nice to build a fire pit and occasionally have some family time around it. Also, on a purely manly note, how big does the scoring have to be? Couldn’t I use a phillips screwdriver and a trim hammer?

I’m thinking that a roaster like this would be nice for vegetables or other things as a weekly family backyard outing. Whether I win or not, this has given me some ideas. Thanks!
389 dave November 25, 2011 at 1:42 pm: Chestnuts fall in my yard all the time and I always thought they were a pain in the butt, but now im going to collect them and eat them!
390 AdamP November 25, 2011 at 1:44 pm: This is awesome! I will definately be doing this in the next month!
391 rowen November 25, 2011 at 3:14 pm: this looks like loads of fun! dipping them in cinnamon butter sounds dangerously good! i would brave making a fire in the snow for this. i miss my fireplace.
392 Dawn Baby November 25, 2011 at 5:19 pm: We open gifts the night before Christmas.
393 Theresa November 25, 2011 at 6:55 pm: Went to a campfire and tried this technique. Wow! did not know what I was missing.
394 Aaron November 25, 2011 at 7:31 pm: My In-laws are missionaries to France, and the Christmas before my wife and I married we spent the holiday with them just outside Paris. Having roasted chestnuts off the street in the Latin Quarter was spectacular, and I know it is one of her favorite memories. We would love to rekindle some of that again now that we can no longer afford to travel back to France.
395 Jason Franklin Walker November 25, 2011 at 9:20 pm: I would very much like to win one of these so that I can try out this tradition. I’ve never tried roasted chestnuts before.
396 Brian Walker November 25, 2011 at 9:28 pm: I’ve never had the chance to try out this tradition and I would love to win one for myself and my family.
397 Maxwell Neale November 25, 2011 at 9:36 pm: Thanks for the post, this would be a fun tradition to start with my future family.
398 AJ November 25, 2011 at 9:38 pm: My favorite tradition is eating my Ma’s homemade caramels. She only makes them for Christmas, and that’s probably a good thing since I can down a pan in about an hour.
399 Larry November 25, 2011 at 10:34 pm: My family used to roast chestnuts in our fireplace when I was growing up. Now that I’ve moved out and started a career far away from home, I’m hoping to revive this tradition with children of my own. Thank you for the post!
400 Liz November 26, 2011 at 12:19 am: This is not only a great at-home date idea, but very romantic as well. Any man who is willing to do something like this is definitely a keeper.