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I tried various means of cracking walnuts, i.e., traditional walnut crackers, but I was unable to reliably obtain two perfect walnut halves. The problem lies in that the boundary on the kernel that splits into the two halves is perpendicular to the seam in the walnut shell. If you split the shell perfectly, each kernel half is then split into two halves for a total of four pieces. The following method is the one I worked out to consistently produce two perfect kernel halves from one unshelled walnut. I’m sure there are probably other, quicker methods. |
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Using a pair of long-nose pliers, the tip of one jaw is carefully inserted into the gap in the “hinge” of the shell. |
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A small piece of shell is then broken away with the pliers’ tips to produce a hole in the shell. |
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The hole is extended all the way around the shell along the seam that joins the two halves. |
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One half of the shell is carefully lifted off the other exposing the kernel and the woody partition that suspends the kernel in the shell. The kernel is then carefully removed from the remaining half shell. |
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The woody partition is removed from the kernel sufficiently to expose the bridge joining the two halves of the kernel. |
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With a small, sharp knife, the two halves of the kernel are very carefully split apart. |
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The result is two perfect walnut halves. |
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 ©2000 Peter Hertzmann, Inc. All rights reserved. |