How to Buy a Nutcracker

Buying a nutcracker that's right for you depends on your purpose. Whether you're looking for a utilitarian tool to crack a bushel or just a few walnuts for a snack or if you're longing for a whimsical Steinbach nutcracker made famous by Tchaikovsky's classic Nutcracker Suite, here's the way to find what you need.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Determine the type and the quantity of nuts you intend to crack. Hard shell nuts like hickory nuts, black walnuts and macadamia nuts require a durable nutcracker with enough leverage to break the tough shells without crushing the tender nutmeats inside. Soft nuts like English walnuts, filberts or pecans take a gentler touch and less leverage.
2. Get a fast and efficient nutcracker for cracking a large number of hard nuts. This task requires either a heavy duty hopper feed commercial electric cracker like the MoHaBi-I or a specially designed long handled lever type hand cracker. Both types of crackers split the shell outward, leaving the nutmeat largely intact.
3. Pick any of a variety of nutcrackers to remove the shells from soft shelled nuts. For large quantities, an electric piston driven nutcracker is the fastest and easiest to use. They aren't strong enough to use on hard shelled nuts, but they will crack up to 600 soft shelled nuts in an hour.
4. Consider the less expensive long handled lever type cracker with a cradle to hold the nut and two metal pistons that squeeze the nut between them until it cracks open. Some are equipped with shields to keep the broken shells from flying out at you.
5. Buy a cheaper hand held nutcracker if you're cracking just a few nuts at a time. The standard hand held plier type cracker is simple to use. Place the nut between the serrated jaws and squeeze until the shell breaks.
6. Choose a whimsical nutcracker if you're more interested in style and form than in function. The German wooden nutcrackers like those the Steinbach family has been making for hundreds of years are good examples of this type. These hand carved collectables are colorful statues of kings, soldiers, Santas and a variety of other costumed characters.
7. Go for a novelty nutcracker just for the fun of it. Many are designed to look like cartoon or movie characters, and others resemble animals or people. While some of these may actually crack nuts, their value lies in their decorative design and imaginative style. Check out an interesting assortment of these nutcrackers at websites such as Entertainment Earth (See link in Resources.)

Tips & Warnings

• A few of the larger hand held nutcrackers can crack hard nuts, but it takes a very strong hand.
• Legend has it that keeping a German nutcracker like one of the Steinbach creations in your home brings good luck. These hand made wooden figures were the inspiration for the German folktales that became the basis for Tchaikovsky's famous ballet.