Semi industrial scale nut cracking ideas sought please!

[fourdrop]

Dear All,

I have a large quantity of hazel nuts. I want to make macaroons from them.

I spent a couple of hours breaking them last night with a nut cracker which I didn't enjoy really and only produced a pitiful quantity of nuts.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to crack them with minimal effort on a semi industrial scale?

I thought of putting them in a sack and running over them with the van then separating the shells from the nut by putting in water so that the shell floats and the nut doesn't but tried submerging in water and it seems quite random as to which part of the nut floats and which sinks!

Perhaps putting in a jig and band sawing??

Mole grips seem to work quite well but is still time consuming.

Does anyone have any more ideas please?

Thanks!

[David WE Roberts]

Place in a sack and beat with a club hammer?

[Paul - xxx]

'it 'em wiv' a 'ammer - a thumpin' gurt big 'ammer!

Sister had to do similar for something for the local Pony Club and used a lump hammer, not raised too high or hit too hard, which (so she says) worked fastest, easiest and best. YMMV .. ;)

[Tim Downie]

I think you'll just end up with mashed nuts.

A better nut cracker maybe? These are really good for most sizes of nuts.

[Tim Lamb]

How about the 'ammer but with the nuts laid between two parallel strips of wood so you don't over crush?

regards

>

[Nightjar]

Bignell

[damduck-egg]

Would have thought you need something without rubber tyres, Don't have access to an old garden roller to experiment with?

Mother occasionally stopped me when I was driving a tractor and heavy granite field roller by on a concrete bit of yard. Dried bread in a clean tea towel gave instant bread crumbs. She was less amused when she left an aluminium teapot in the way and I flattened it . Side on it still looked reasonable.

G.Harman

[MuddyMike]

Angle grinder! Sorry had to get in first :-)

Seriously now. A screw type nutcracker might be faster and give better control over crushed nuts. Before buying one try the workshop vice.

Mike

[John Rumm]

Mangle?

Something with counter rotating rollers with a nut sized gap between them.

e.g:

[Halmyre]

All this talk of nut-crushing is making me feel quite uncomfortable. Particularly coming hot on the heels of the 'todger caught in pipe' story.

-- Halmyre

[Dave Liquorice]

That's what I thought as well, saves hitting your fingers with the hammer if a nut won't stay still. How effective this slot method would be highly dependant on how consistent the nut size is. To small relative to the spacers the nut won't crack, to big and you mash the kernal. I guess one could riddle the nuts through suitably sized mesh(s) to sort them.

IIRC hazel nuts will just split into two bits if you crack 'em right. This how you tell if one has been eaten by a mouse (gnawed hole) or red squirrel, split.

[Ian]

When we were kids we used to to the same with a penny on the tram lines in Edinburgh.

Maybe one day our great-great grandchildren will be able to flatten £20 coins on the tram lines in Edinburgh, too......

[robgraham]

Memories from childhood of being able to visit cousins on the other side of the city by cycling into Corstorphine and getting all the way to Cameron toll for 1 1/2 d (old pennies) on the tram including the bike. Can't see that happening - the bike bit - with these new fangled trams when they do arrive.

Another memory - my parents had a Mini-Bond car; my mother got the wheels caught in the tramlines once and it turned on its side - "You all right, dearie?" said the points duty bobby as her pushed her back onot all three wheels again !

Rob

[Andrew Gabriel]

Are you sure? I make macaroons from almonds (or if you're american, from coconut).

[Paul - xxx]

Auntie Edna?

[fourdrop]

Yes macaroons, I've made them before...perhaps technically not macaroons but still tasty!

I expected to get at least one angle grinder suggestion! :-)

Mole grips work very well it turns out as you can set them to a width so as to not over crush.

Strips of wood and hammer or roller sound good too.

It occurred to me that a drill press with a pin and depth stop could work too...if only I hadn't sold my Meddings Drill Tru ;-)

Great ideas though...plenty to choose from. Thanks all for the replies!