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I got a bunch of (dried) almonds in their shell today. I wasn't aware of how hard their shells were and I have no nutcracker. Is there any way to open them without one?

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citizen
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  • Use pliers--preferably flatnose--as a nutcracker, if you have a pair. – SAJ14SAJ Jan 05 '13 at 02:16
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    Do you have pliers? Clamps? Vice grips? A hammer with a hard surface? – Jacob G Jan 05 '13 at 02:16
  • Actually none of the above at the moment. Not even a heavy cast iron pan. I tried to crack them between two cutting boards, but I couldn't keep the nut whole. – citizen Jan 05 '13 at 02:23
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    Rocks are hammers and anvils if you look at them right. Wash carefully before use. Smashed nutmeat may be a risk. Also, avoid squirrels. – SAJ14SAJ Jan 05 '13 at 02:59
  • I've spent countless afternoons cracking almonds with rocks (or a hammer, when one was around). We use to do almond milk with them, yummy! – nico Jan 05 '13 at 15:42
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    If the goal is to keep the nut meat whole, then you'll probably need to bite the bullet and get the right tool - either a nutcracker or pliers. Borrow from a neighbor, friend or colleague? – Kristina Lopez Jan 05 '13 at 15:52
  • also try squeezing the nuts against each other. Often one will crack. – Kate Gregory Jan 05 '13 at 18:15
  • If you have kitchen shears with the bottle opening indents behing the bladethat may work – Emily Anne Jan 06 '13 at 19:44

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To summarize the comments:

  • Use common household tools (such as pliers) as improvised nutcrackers
  • Try using the bottle gripper/opener on kitchen shears as an improvised nutcracker
  • Use impact tools, such as a hammer, a heavy pan, or even cleaned rocks as nut smashers, but you may not get whole nutmeats with this method
  • Bite the bullet and buy or borrow a nutcracker

(This is part of my little quest to get answers to some of the non-answered questions....)

SAJ14SAJ
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  • Note another drawback of impact tools - the shell will fly in small pieces all around you at high speeds. Difficult to clean, and can scratch sensitive surfaces (shouldn't have enough power to hurt a person even with a very unlucky hit). – rumtscho Jan 21 '13 at 20:24
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Easy you just chuck it on any floor i just did 5 now

Noor Britton
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    Presumably not _any_ floor will do. Possibly a tiled, stone or concrete floor. I also wonder how much time you spent looking for the freed nut and cleaning the floor post-shelling. – Chris Steinbach Jan 11 '15 at 19:36