Cocau, Brazil

Any suggestions on how to get meat out of a Brazil nut?

I just bought a bag of unshelled raw brazil nuts and I'm having a terrible time getting the things shelled. It seems like the nuts are trying their very hardest to stay attached to the shell. I end up cracking them and flipping half the shell across my kitchen and then spend 10 minutes gouging the nut out. Somehow those people at Planter's manage to sell whole Brazil nuts, so I know it must be possible. Are there any tricks to unshelling Brazil nuts or am I really that uncoordinated?

Public Comments

1. kidnap the brazilian kid which you like to call a "nut" then cut him open, exposing you meat that you want.
2. i've heard this from several people, If you heat a tray of nuts in the oven at around 170 F for 15 minutes then they shell quite well. You could also try a small vertical hand press that works very well to put pressure in the end of the nut. The trick is to dry the nuts in a oven to reduce the moisture and make the shells brittle. good luck!
3. I think the nuts are too fresh. If you let them age the skin will pull away from the shell. I don't know how long. Try it again in a week or more. Brazil nuts should be the easiest to shell. The nuts are large and solid. I can't stand shelling walnuts. If You see me around a can of nuts, Trust me you won't see any brazil nuts. here's something I pulled from the internet Shelling Brazil Nuts -- When you are faced with tough nuts to crack, like Brazil nuts, keep them in the freezer and you will have an easier time.
4. place them in the freezer for an hour or two, take them out and voila... you can crack with a nut cracker easily and it will come out whole...happy cracking!!!