Hard shell pecan enthusiasts know that these nuts have a discernibly sweeter taste than their shelled counterparts. These hard shell Stuart pecans make the perfect snack, punctuated with a satisfying “CRACK!” Plus, pecans are full of over 20 vitamins and minerals making them a healthy choice you can feel good about.

How to Shell Hard Pecans

First, sort the pecans: Sort and examine the pecans. If, by chance, any pecans are cracked or damaged, throw them away. You should also throw away any nut shells that rattle, as they have likely gone bad.

Choose your tools: A classic nutcracker, a specialized pecan cracker or a combination of side cutters and pliers are all good options for cracking and shelling pecans. Specialized pecan crackers allow you to crack and shell without cutting into any of the nut’s meat. No tools on hand? You could try gently squeezing two nuts against each other in order to crack the shell.

Boil the pecans: This is one option for prepping to shell pecans and some believe boiling the pecans before shelling makes the process much easier. If you decide to go with this option, boil the pecans in a large pot for 10-15 minutes. Allow the pecans to cool before starting the cracking process.

Get cracking: As cracking and shelling pecans can be a messy process, we suggest setting up a work area with newspaper or in an outdoor space.

Health Tips

1. A research study conducted at Loma Linda University and published in the September 2001 issue of the Journal of Nutrition has confirmed what many pecan lovers have known all along. Pecans not only taste good, but they are good for you - especially when it comes to lowering cholesterol levels. They found that adding just a handful of pecans to a traditional low-fat, cholesterol-lowering diet can have a dramatic impact on the diet’s effectiveness. When the Loma Linda study participants were on the pecan-enriched diet, they lowered their total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol twice as much as they did when they ate the American Heart Association (AHA) Step I diet. Just as importantly, the pecan-enriched diet lowered blood triglyceride levels and helped maintain desirable levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol compared to the Step I diet, which often unfavorably raises triglycerides and usually lowers HDL levels.

2. Pecans can’t mend your broken heart, but they can help protect it. The plant sterols in pecans help battle heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels, and according to research performed at New Mexico State University, a 3/4 cup portion of pecans daily can significantly lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, helping to clear the arteries. The nutrients in pecans ain’t so bad for you either – zinc helps guard against infections, vitamin E protects against cancer, and vitamin A helps keep your complexion clear.