kolling@decwrl.UUCP (Karen Kolling) (08/17/85)
I bought two cans of water chestnuts recently, (the first time I ever bought water chestnuts except as part of something in a restaurant). They smelled a bit peculiar, so peculiar that I decided not to even taste them. Does everybody know something I don't know about buying water chestnuts, like I'm supposed to hop off to a Chinese grocery and buy them fresh (then what?), or the canned ones need to be washed a million times, or? Karen
redbob@mips.UUCP (Robert Knox) (08/19/85)
> > I bought two cans of water chestnuts recently, (the first time I ever > . . . > chestnuts, like I'm supposed to hop off to a Chinese grocery and buy > them fresh (then what?). . . > > Karen *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH WHAT MESSAGE? *** I haven't been able to stomach canned water chestnuts since I had fresh ones a few years ago in Washington, DC. They taste totally different when fresh: sorta like a cross between jicama and coconut. They look like little gladiolus bulbs (but don't eat the gladiolus bulbs (they are probably poisonous (I like parenthesis (this is almost like lisp)))). I have eaten in *many* Chinese restaurants, and have never been served fresh ones, so if you don't prepare them yourself, you will probably never know the joys of Fresh Water Chestnuts (of FWC). They can be hard to locate, but Chinese markets sometimes carry them. Normally, however, San Francisco's Chinatown is the only place to find them consistently (in the Bay area, at least). I suggest getting to the markets up on Stockton Street before noon to get the best selection. Sometimes you have to go to two or three stores before you find one that has a decent selection. Once, I couldn't find a single shop that had any good ones, but I forget what season it was. They are usually stored in wooden boxes about a foot square. When selecting the chestnuts, it is best to squeeze each one. You are looking for firm ones that are rather smooth on the surface. The fewer the nooks and crannies, the easier they will be to peel. If it has tubers starting to grow, don't take it, as these tend to have a less-delicate flavor. (When you squeeze them, start out gently. There few things more disgusting than having your thumb completely covered with rotten tuber.) The SOP in Chinatown (having watched many Chinese ladies sort through them) is to start picking through them, tossing the rejected chestnuts into the far corner of the box. When you have found all you want, relevel the box for the next person to pick through. The biggest problem with fresh water chestnuts (once you locate them) is peeling them. The best way I've found is to use a sharp paring knife or a potato peeler. (The potato peeler is faster but causes more waste.) Rinse the chestnut thoroughly in cold running water and rip the "crown" off the top of it. This is just some dried leaf-like material, similar to the top of an onion. Hold onto it tightly while peeling, as they have a tendency to split into pieces if too much pressure is applied unevenly. Enjoy, ^G^G Red Bob
marc@hpltca.UUCP (marc) (08/21/85)
If you have never had the pleasure of eating fresh water chestnuts, as opposed to the canned type, you have not lived. The down side is that the fresh kind take *forever* to peel, even using a super-sharp paring knife. I too have opened a can of water chestnuts and found a bad smell. I then checked the sealed lip of the can for corrosion, and yes, there was some blue-green powdery crud. I assumed that the seal of the can had been breached, either by the corrosion or by impact which then gave the corrosion a path into the contents, and threw the can away. It seems that some of the oriental canning plants still use three piece cans (top, bottom, and side) sealed with a solder. The rims of this type of can are prone to damage either from impact, moisture, or a combination of the two. Get fresh water chestnuts at your local oriental food market and enjoy! Be prepared to spend at least 1/2 hour peeling enough for one good wok-full of food, however. Marc Clarke Loveland Technology Center Hewlett-Packard Company
judith@proper.UUCP (Judith Abrahms) (08/21/85)
In article <> kolling@decwrl.UUCP (Karen Kolling) writes: >I bought two cans of water chestnuts recently, (the first time I ever >bought water chestnuts except as part of something in a restaurant). >They smelled a bit peculiar, so peculiar that I decided not to even taste >them. Does everybody know something I don't know about buying water >chestnuts, like I'm supposed to hop off to a Chinese grocery and buy >them fresh (then what?), or the canned ones need to be washed a million >times, or? I buy and use canned water chestnuts all the time. I have a defective sense of smell, so I don't know whether they all smell funny or you got bad ones. All those that I buy look a bit ragged around the edges (if they're not presliced) and feel a bit slimy, but they taste just like the ones in Chinese restaurants. (I wouldn't be surprised if most restaurants bought them in cans too, for that matter!) Aha, SO just woke up and informed me that our canned water chestnuts do NOT smell funny, so you may have bought a bad batch -- try again. Judith Abrahms {ucbvax,ihnp4}!dual!proper!judith