Conkers are a familiar sight in autumn, but it’s well known that they’re not fit for consumption as they’re toxic to both humans and animals. Therefore, TikTok users were shocked when a food influencer shared an “easy” method to prepare a delicious snack using an air fryer – which seemed to involve cooking conkers.
The video, posted by @ThinkFood with the caption “Wait till you see how easy this is”, shows the user pouring the round snacks into a wooden bowl, then individually scoring a cross on top of each one with a sharp knife, similar to preparing brussels sprouts. They then return them to the bowl, cover them with water, and let them soak, before pouring everything, including the water, directly into the air fryer tray. The video then shows the tray being removed, with the section where the cross was scored having opened up, akin to a jacket potato.
Finally, the user is seen effortlessly peeling the skin off one of the items, revealing the soft, edible flesh inside, which is a dark yellow colour, reports the Mirror.
Users were astounded – but many had the same reaction. One commented: “Isn’t that a conker??”
Another wrote: “My husband is adamant you are eating a conker.” And a third said: “I can’t cope with the amount of people thinking you’re eating conkers.”
Someone else wrote: “People EAT THESE?!???,” and when they were told what they really are, added: “I definitely thought they were conkers.”
One user clarified: “So these are chestnuts. DO NOT EAT CONKERS, they’re poisonous. they look very similar.”
Another user queried: “What is the difference between a conker and a chestnut? How do you find these lol.”
ThinkFood responded: “Great question! Conkers come from horse chestnut trees and are not edible – they’re toxic.
“Sweet chestnuts come from a different tree and are safe to eat once roasted. The trick? Chestnuts have sharp, spiky shells and a pointed tip. Conkers have smooth, thick shells and are perfectly round.”
ThinkFood also shared why they put the chestnuts in a bowl of water. Responding to a user who commented: “Had so many bad batches last year, rotten and bitter”, they wrote: “Yeah, some were really bad last year – a good trick is to pop them in a bowl of water before roasting. The good chestnuts sink and the bad ones float, so you can spot the rotten ones straight away.”
A further user asked about whether they should pour the water into the air fryer along with the chestnuts, as shown in the video. They said: “I wanna try this but I don’t wanna do it wrong.”
ThinkFood answered: “Yes. I put water in the air fryer – it keeps the chestnuts soft and stops them from drying out.”
In the comments, ThinkFood explained they cooked them at 180 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes after soaking, adding: “They come out perfect every time!” They also clarified in another comment they had soaked them for about 20 minutes.
