Skin Hazelnuts

Recipes will often call for peeled hazelnuts.There are two different methods used for removing the skins from hazelnuts. One is to roast the nuts, which helps to loosen their skin, then rub the skins off using a towel. This method leaves many of the hazelnuts flecked with pieces of brown skin that just won’t come off. The other is to boil the hazelnuts in water with some baking soda added, then rub the skins off. The hot alkaline water quickly breaks down the pectin, the primary component in the skins, allowing them to peel off not only more easily but also more completely than roasting.

Which method is better depends on what you are using the hazelnuts for and the level of perfection called for. Toasting is 2-step - toast and rub the skins off. It takes less time than boiling, but is not completely effective. And the nuts are toasted once you rub the skins off.

Boiling is 100% effective and the skins slip off easily. However, you have to work on each hazelnut individually. With boiling, the process is at least 3 steps (boil, ice water bath, peel and dry) and 4 if you want to toast the nuts afterward. But you can control the toasting process better once the skins are off, which matters if you want lightly toasted nuts. It’s also the method of choice if you want the nuts to be raw when you use them. Boiled hazelnuts may be slightly less crunchy (after drying) than if they were only toasted and rubbed.

Toasting Method:

  1. Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Toast the hazelnuts until they are fragrant but not burned, generally 8-12 minutes.
  3. Rub the toasted hazelnuts vigorously in a dish towel. The skin comes off in scraps and the process takes 1-2 minutes. (A paper towel won’t work well, although you can use one to remove additional skin after you’re done with the vigorous rubbing phase.)

Boiling Method:

  1. In a medium saucepan with high sides, bring 2 cups of water to a boil (twice the amount of nuts to peel). Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda to the water – the water will foam up.
  2. Add the 1 cup of nuts to the boiling water and boil for about 3 minutes. The water will turn black – don’t be alarmed. While the hazelnuts are boiling, prepare a medium bowl of ice cold water. After three minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove one test nut, placing the nut into the prepared bowl of ice water. Use your fingers to remove the skin, if the skin doesn’t come off easily, boil the nuts 1-2 minutes longer and try another test nut.
  3. When a test skin rubs right off, add the rest of the nuts to the ice water and peel them with ease.
  4. Place peeled nuts into a kitchen towel or paper towels and dry them thoroughly.
  5. If desired, toast the peeled and dried hazelnuts at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes