The Tricky Pistachio Trick

I received a Costco-sized bag of pistachios for Christmas.  My in-laws know me so well.  I mean, I hit up their gumball-machine-filled-with-pistachios almost every time I come over.  Oddly enough, I got an identical bag from my beloved O'Malley sisters for my birthday last year.  What can I say?  These people get me!  

I polished off the final serving of my Christmas pistachios last week.  It certainly was great while it lasted.  

As we were munching through the bag, Matt taught me a pistachio-related trick or hack.  

I broke my thumbnail trying to pry open a shell that hadn't split very well.  Most of the shells are easy-peasy to open by hand or tooth, but sometimes the crack is so tight and tiny that it can't be done.  I used to just toss these...or break my thumbnails trying…or crush the shell with something heavy, trying my best not to shatter the nut into a thousand pieces along with it.

Matt took half of a shell from the discard pile and used that as a pry bar for breaking into those under-split shells.

It's the little things, but I thought this was pretty dang clever.  I can't believe he hadn't mentioned it before.

Sidenote:  Pistachios are one of the bajillion foods that I love now but wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole in my youth (alongside legumes, almonds, mushrooms, cabbage, and, well, pretty much all vegetables except green beans with Velveeta).  I remember trying pistachios as a kid and thinking it was certainly no peanut.  Plus it was green!  I wasn't sold.  Oh, how my tastes have changed!