Roughly chopping large batches of hard nuts
For my breakfast oatmeal, I use a variety of nuts. I tend to make large batches beforehand. My biggest issue with the way I do it now, is how to prepare large batches of hard nuts that I'd like to chop roughly.
I have tried several methods:
- A blender, or food processor, which grinds the nuts into a paste
- Smashing them (covered with a cloth or in a bag) with a rolling pin, which completely pulverizes some and tends to skip a bunch as well
- Chopping them with a chef's knife
Chopping them with a knife gives the best results, but it's very laborious and I can only do a handful or two at a time.
I've been trying to search online for suitable methods, but they all seem to use nuts like pecans or walnuts, which really aren't an issue at all. My problems are with Brazil nuts, macadamia nut or even peanuts, for example.
Is there any other tool or technique I can use to get roughly chopped nuts (they don't need to be perfectly even) suitable for an oatmeal mix?
Best Answer
A chopping jar:
should be exactly what you need.
(You may also want to look at multi-blade mezzalunas, but they're really meant for mincing herbs.)
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How do you roughly chop nuts?
To keep chopped nuts from flying all over the counter, don't use a knife to chop them, and don't place them on a flat surface. Place nuts in a bowl, then use a handheld pastry cutter/blender to softly press down, reducing the nuts to smaller pieces. This works best with softer nuts like walnuts and pecans.What does roughly chopped walnuts mean?
Coarsely chopped nuts are cut into 1/4-inch or larger pieces. Chopped or medium-chopped nuts are cut into 1/16- to 3/8-inch pieces. Finely chopped nuts are cut until they're just a bit bigger than grains of salt.Can I use a food processor to chop nuts?
For the best texture, chop nuts by hand with a large, sharp knife. A food processor can crush and extract too much oil from nuts, quickly reducing them to a paste. However, if you are in a hurry or have a lot of nuts to chop, the food processor is the easiest way to do it.More answers regarding roughly chopping large batches of hard nuts
Answer 2
I find different results using a blender vs a full size food processor (the latter tends to leave some whole while chopping the others rather too finely, while the former tends to make a paste with lumps in). On that basis the food processor is better. It's much more successful if run in brief pulses.
My food processor and stand mixer share a mill attachment that does a much better job of nuts. That's one of the things it's designed for, it's also a stopgap coffee grinder. Again it's better pulsed. If you were dedicating it to nuts, bending the lower blades slightly upwards would probably improve it further.
Mini-choppers/mini food processors are also possible - in general a food processor gives more even results if not too empty. With all mechanised approaches, you'll need a little sorting -- tip everything out and put the biggest bits back in for another few seconds.
Some nuts are also more brittle toasted and chop better, forming less of a paste
Answer 3
Chef's trick: bag them, or double bag, them in a sturdy gallon ziploc bag. Squeeze the air out. Tap the nuts with a rolling pin or sledgehammer (seriously) to break them up. Be careful not to hit too hard or the bag will split.
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