Marcus Samuelsson's Pro Technique For Painlessly Peeling Walnuts

Walnuts are nutrient-rich tree nuts, packed with healthy fats, antioxidants, and other beneficial, health-supporting compounds. They are great as a roasted snack, and can boost the nutrition of a number of delicious foods, whether baked into a decadent brownie or featured as a caramelized topping on carrot cake cupcakes. While the buttery notes of walnuts are worth savoring in a variety of ways, their skins impart a distinct bitterness from tannins, the same compounds that impact the experience of drinking different wines. Although this bitterness can offer a contrast to balance out the sweetness in some recipes, some may prefer to leave that astringent flavor out altogether. This means needing to remove the skins that harbor tannins, which can be an arduous task. For helpful tips to easily remove walnut skins, Chowhound had an exclusive chat with chef Marcus Samuelsson during the New York City Wine & Food Fest at the Seaport.

According to chef Samuelsson, the trick is to roast the walnuts a little bit first. "You want to get that heat on them because then, it's easier just for it [the skin] to come off, whether you do it with towels or by hand," he informs. The key is to keep the nuts warm to get the skins to come off, but not heat them up to the point where you end up burning yourself. If the roasted walnuts get too hot to touch, he recommends placing them in a towel and rubbing them to get the skins off, and once they have cooled a bit, your hands can take over. And while chef Samuelsson acknowledges the collective desire for cooking hacks, when it comes to removing walnut skins, he says, "There's no shortcut."

If roasting isn't quite your style, there are multiple ways to toast walnuts like a professional, remove their skins, and serve them in a variety of recipes. For the "set and forget" home cooks, the air fryer is a great appliance for perfectly toasted walnuts. Once toasted, an alternative to the rubbing method to remove the peels is to place the warm walnuts in a colander, strainer, or any perforated bowl for the skins to fall through. Place a plate over the bowl and hold on to it firmly while vigorously shaking the vessel, allowing the flakes of walnut skin to fall through the holes of the container. As an added benefit, this walnut-peeling trick is a great way to release any pent-up energy. If you still choose to rub the toasted nuts in a dish towel to remove the skins, you can still toss the walnuts in a strainer and give them a good shake to eliminate any tiny bits of skin left behind.

In case your recipe calls for untoasted walnuts, or you want to avoid the distinct "toasted" flavor from coming through, there are alternative methods you can use to get rid of the finicky skins. One option is to soak the walnuts in warm or hot water so that the heat from the water helps separate the skin from the kernel. Once the water has cooled, you can drain it and peel off the walnut skin using a similar rubbing technique. Alternatively, a quicker approach is to boil the walnuts and blanch them for about a minute. The heat should work its magic to help lift off the skin for easier peeling once the nuts have cooled.