Pistachios look very hard to break. Each fruit is in fact enclosed within a solid and resistant shell. If there is a crack along one of the edges of the shell, remove the fruit completely from the crack with your fingers or the half shell of another pistachio. If the shell has no visible crack, then it may be necessary to break it with a hammer or nutcracker.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Shell the Pistachios
Step 1. Open a pistachio from the slot
If the shell already has a crack, then the job will be much easier. To start, press the two half shells to widen the crack as much as possible. Then, remove the pistachio by pulling it out of the crack. Apply good pressure to the crack with your thumbs, pushing them in opposite directions. Support the fruit with your index fingers, so that you can exert more force on the shell.
Try using the half shell of an already open fruit to pry up a pistachio to be shelled. The shells are so strong that they can be used to open other pistachios as well
Step 2. Break the closed pistachios
A pistachio is much more difficult to open if the crack is tiny or absent. Place it on a clean, sturdy surface such as a plate, kitchen worktop, or cutting board. Then, tap it gently with a hammer or other heavy object until a crack forms in the shell. Finally, finish peeling it with the help of your thumbs.
If possible, use a nutcracker. It is a tool specifically designed to open thicker shells. Insert the pistachio between the nutcracker rods, then press them until they close and break the shell
Step 3. Try to buy pre-shelled pistachios
If you want, you can buy open pistachios, which are easier to eat. However, keep in mind that those sold in their shells are generally less expensive and are often more likely to be organic as well.
According to some studies, shelling pistachios slows down their ingestion, reducing overall consumption. Each individual pistachio contains three or four calories, less than other types of nuts. However, if you eat pistachios that are already peeled, you run a greater risk of overdoing the portions. To avoid binging and slowing down the eating process, buy the ones with shells and peel them before eating them
Method 2 of 3: Eat Pistachios
Step 1. Suck the pistachio shell
This step is optional, but many pistachio lovers love to ingest the outer coating (which is salty) before breaking it up and eating the actual fruit. Place the whole pistachio in your mouth and let your taste buds taste the salt. Remove it once the flavor is gone.
You can suck the shell even after you have separated it from the fruit. This way you can simply throw it in the trash once you're done
Step 2. Eat the fruit
Once the shell is removed, the pistachios will be ready to be swallowed. You can eat them alone or integrate them into a dish.
Pistachios have an oblong shape and are relatively soft. The color is a combination of green, brown and purple. Don't worry if the fruit's skin is patchy - this is perfectly normal
Step 3. Put the shells in a separate bowl
After shelling the pistachio, eat the fruit and place the peel in a separate container. You can use a cup holder, a bowl or your own hand. If you put the shells back in the pistachio bag, they will get in your way from consuming the others.
Method 3 of 3: Serve the Pistachios
Step 1. Serve the pistachios in a large bowl
Also prepare a separate container for the shells. Place the hardest pistachios on a solid plate to break them up.
Step 2. Add pistachios to a dried fruit mix
Despite being small and low in calories, pistachios are very tasty and nutritious. A handful helps calm hunger pangs, which can come in handy when engaging in prolonged activity. Plus, they're high in fiber and protein.
Step 3. Use them to replace fatty nuts
Pistachios are very nutritionally rich, but contain fewer calories than particularly fatty nuts, such as walnuts and macadamia nuts. If you are looking to lose weight or to manage nuts more consciously, try incorporating more pistachios into your diet.
One pistachio contains three to four calories on average. Some dieters suggest eating a daily serving of 30g, about 49 pistachios, which translates to approximately 160 calories. For comparison, an equivalent serving of walnuts contains 190 calories, while the same serving of macadamia nuts contains 200 calories
Step 4. Chop the pistachios to make a dried fruit meal
Use a blender, mortar and pestle or any food grade grinder. The powder can be added to smoothies, sprinkled on cereals or used to cook various dishes. However, if you use pistachios to make a smoothie, you can leave them whole and add them directly to the other ingredients.
Advice
- To prepare a tasty dessert, blend the pistachios and vanilla yogurt at maximum power for 10 seconds.
- Eat pistachios for stress relief. They contain more potassium than any other type of dried fruit. This mineral is effective in lowering the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body.
