A Discovery

[firstfrost]

I have an arch-nemesis, and it is Chestnuts! (Well, maybe it's just a nemesis. I probably don't cook with them often enough for them to be at the top of the pyramid.)

Happily, I also have tried-and-true stop-being-cranky music.

Comments

[merastra.livejournal.com]

Do the thin tough shells get under your fingernails and make them bleed?

Trader Joes has pre-shelled ones I think. Though they're usually closed on Thanksgiving day.

Yay for "tried-and-true stop-being-cranky music"! What song(s) is that?

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

The shells poke me under my fingernails, trying to peel them hot results in singed fingertips, I tried switching from roasting to boiling when roasting wasn't working very well, and that led to singed pruny fingertips... somehow, I think the first time I roasted chestnuts, the shells just came off, but I've never repeated the process nearly as satisfactorily since.

The anti-cranky music is Edgar Meyer on double bass playing Bach's unaccompanied cello sonatas; I discovered it a few years ago (http://firstfrost.livejournal.com/53616.html) on a stressful day, bought it nigh-instantly later from Amazon, and for me it Just works. :)

I had it on a month or so ago, and really confused mjperson, who is pretty good at identifying cello players, because he couldn't recognize this one.