@#%$^* Macadamia Nuts!
Posted by Wabbit on Mar 18, 2009 · Member since Oct 2008 · 20 posts
So, I'm in China, and surprisingly, macadamia nuts are cheaper than almost any other nut. I love macadamia nuts, and I can finally afford to nosh on said nut to my heart's content. There's just one caveat: they're in the friggin' shell (which is really, really hard!) The shell comes with a tiny crack in which you are supposed to insert a "key" and twist it open. I don't have this key, I have a butter knife, and the crack isn't always that big. ARRRGHHH! It's like a form of torture and I just cut myself with a butter knife!
Thank you for letting me vent (and any suggestions from those of you who are macadamia-savy would be appreciated...)
Would a key set you back a lot?
I would research how to crack open a macadamia nut on google. One suggestion I found was to use a vice grip. That might be easier. Just crank the handle?
you brought your vice grip along with you, right?
;)
you brought your vice grip along with you, right?
;)
:-D
Ach, that's no good. Nuts driving you nuts. I hope you can find some way to get into them... maybe a hammer? good times for stress relief?
you brought your vice grip along with you, right?
;)
Ohhh I thought she lived in China. Surely there is somewhere to buy hardware in China? The only three methods I found were the vice, a specific hammer, and a commercial press, so I chose the former.
That's why they're so cheap. I guess the entire expense is mostly cracking. :o
yeah, macadamia nuts require a special cracker... from the tree they require a LOT of work, but just cracking them isn't too bad if you have the cracker. it looks like this:
http://www.kitchenfantasy.com/shopping_cart/thumnails/5788thumb.jpg
i would just try to find one online or i the stores over there if i were you. if you try with a hammer you will smash the nut, believe me. plus, it doesn't work very well.
Thank you all. I was just truly frustrated when I posted. There still sits a small pile of uncrackable nuts on my desk. If I could figure out where to buy that key that I've seen the Chinese use, it would probably be safer than a butter knife. The nuts do all have a slight crack started in them. I think that I will try the "rock/hammer/large-heavy-object method" failing all else (and should I utterly destroy them, I can at least be satisfied that if I can't get them, no one else can either!)
I found a blog that has what I think your talking about when you say 'key'. Maybe if you showed the picture to someone in a store they can help you find one? Sounds like using the key isn't much easier though...
http://benardcometh.blogspot.com/2008/07/macadamia-nuts.html