How to Crack Nuts
- 1). Freeze nuts, especially Brazil nuts, or soak them in water for several hours before cracking.
- 2). Stand frozen nuts with the point facing up and hit with a hard object, such as a hammer, to crack.
- 3). Crack soaked nuts with a nutcracker. Place the nut in the grip of the nutcracker so that the seam of the shell is subjected to the direct force.
- 4). Use minimum force necessary to split the shell when squeezing, in order to avoid crushing the nut kernel inside. Rotate the nut while squeezing so the shell cracks slowly.
- 5). Extract the kernel from the shell.
- 6). Allow the kernels of soaked nuts to dry for a few hours after cracking.