Owning the best nutcracker may seem like sort of a waste of money and space. How often do you really crack nuts? A nutcracker should be used about as often as an apple corer. But all gadgets in the kitchen always come in handy. Well if you are the kind of person that does eat a lot of nuts then you would know why.
Even if you don’t eat a lot of nuts there may come a time when you do need to crack some shells and you either don’t have a nutcracker or you have a cheap one and it doesn’t work very well. Owning a great nutcracker will give you the ability to open most all nuts with ease and little to no effort at all.
In this article, we will go over what to look for when purchasing the best nutcracker as well as some of the different types around. We will also cover some of the best nutcrackers out on the market today that are available for purchase and which one may be the best fit for you and your kitchen.
How to Choose the Best Nutcracker
There is not a whole lot to a nutcracker so there really is not a lot to look for. But just like a lemon squeezer, there are only a few features to make sure come equipped with the kitchen tool. But no matter what you want to make sure that it is easy to use and easy to clean. There won’t be a lot of cleaning to be done that can’t get done with a rag or shakedown but you never know.
A nutcracker that is dishwasher safe is not necessary but can be a plus. Make sure that the nutcracker has been constructed with quality materials otherwise you run the chance of breaking it quite early on. A quality constructed kitchen tool will ensure you are able to open any nuts with ease and owning one that doesn’t have the force power or solid construction could prove very difficult.
Also, if you buy a quality nutcracker then you want to make sure it comes with some kind of manufacturers guarantee or at least a warranty to protect it from damages or defects that may occur while in use or during the shipping process.
Construction and Design
The nutcracker has been around for a very long time and there have been major advancements from the hammer since then. There are several different kinds of nutcrackers and each has their own special purpose to each kind of nut. Of course, you may be able to crack all nuts with each of them but some are better than others for specific nuts.
The single lever will crack nuts by applying pressure to the nut in place with a single lever. The v shaped style is like a pair of reverse pliers and works like a garlic press does. The screw style is a cylinder that shapes your hand and as the screw tightens it cracks the nuts in your hand. The last is called percussion and it’s basically a hammer-like device to crush the shells.
They can come in all types of materials so make sure which ever you decide to go with that it is very strong and preferably metal. They do make ornamental nutcrackers that you may see around Christmas which are modeled after old school style nutcrackers and are meant to be for show only, but sometimes they can crack a cut or two before breaking. Either style you decide to go with make sure it is big enough for you to crack large or small nuts of your preference.
Above all else, make sure it is safe to use and that safety for your hands and fingers have been taken into consideration when construction of the kitchen tool took place. Getting your fingers caught in one of these may cause you to crack more than a nuts shell let alone hurt a lot.
Best Nutcrackers
OXO Good Grips Slim Nut and Seafood Cracker
The Best Nutcracker
The first type of nutcracker on the list is just the trusty type of nutcracker. It is the v-shaped or reverse plier type. It is kind of pricey for being a nutcracker and it does not come with a warranty to protect it. The nutcracker is constructed of zinc and has a loose lever that makes it easier to press to crack nuts.
The handles have soft and comfortable grips that are slip resistant and help to apply extra pressure. This nutcracker is easy to use and easy to clean as it is also dishwasher safe. It is so strong it can even double as a seafood cracker for crabs, oysters, clams and other shellfish.
- The nutcracker can double as a shellfish and seafood cracker like crab legs and clam shells.
- The handles have a softy and comfortable grip that is slip resistant.
- The nutcracker is constructed of zinc.
- The nutcracker is kind of expensive and does not come with a warranty to protect it.
Drosselmeyer Nutcracker
The Best Hand Cracker
This next nutcracker is the hand squeezer type and it is pretty slick looking. It however is extremely expensive when compared to other nutcrackers and does not come with any kind of warranty to protect it.
This Swedish-designed nutcracker is acclaimed to be the best and strongest nutcracker in the world. The design allows you to crack the nuts and collect the shells all at once with one easy motion. The nutcracker is easy to clean and easy to use.
- The Swedish nutcracker allows you to crack nuts and collect shells at once.
- One motion to crack nuts with little to no effort.
- The nutcracker is easy to use and easy to clean because it is detachable.
- The nutcracker is quite expensive and does not come with a warranty to protect it.
Texan Nut Sheller
The Pliers
This next nutcracker is literally a pair of pliers with a few adjustments at the end. The end of the plier has a few sides to keep the shells and nuts intact after being cracked. The pliers are a little expensive for just pliers and they do not come with a warranty to protect them.
There are a soft and comfortable grip on the handles that is slip resistant. The body is constructed of stainless tempered steel so it is very strong and needs hardly any applied pressure at all to crack most nuts.
- The nutcracker is in the style of a heavy duty set of pliers that make it easy to crack any nuts.
- The body is constructed of tempered steel and the front end is enclosed to catch all nuts and shells.
- The handles have soft and comfortable grips that are slip resistant.
- The pliers are quite expensive and do not come with a warranty to protect them.
Hiware B01MRWZ0EI Nut Cracker
The Best Single Lever Nutcracker
This next nutcracker is a little old fashioned but still looks great in the kitchen. The nutcracker works like a can crusher would look like and functions. It is fairly cheap for what it is but it does not come with a warranty to protect it.
It is constructed of stainless steel with a nickel plating and a beautiful hardwood base that can be stationary or mounted on the wall or table. It is heavy, strong and sure to last a lifetime if taken care of properly. It is suitable for all types of nuts except for macadamia nuts and Black Walnuts.
- The nutcracker is constructed of stainless steel and nickel plating with a hardwood base.
- The nutcracker is strong and heavy duty which can be mounted on the wall or stationery.
- It can crack almost all types of nuts.
- Cannot crack macadamia nuts or black walnuts.
- While it may be inexpensive, it does not come with a warranty to protect it.
- The machine is a little dated and may take more effort.
Anwenk Heavy Duty Nutcracker
The Last Guy
This nutcracker is a little innovative with a mix of the plier type and the hand cracker type. It has horizontal pliers instead of vertical plier like the hand cracker which may give it more leverage but less room and more effort.
It can crack all nuts but macadamia nuts, black walnuts and other hard-shell nuts. It is one of the cheaper models out there but does not come with a warranty to protect it. It is constructed of die cast aluminum with high quality wooden handles that are optimal for extra leverage when cracking nuts.
- The nutcracker has wooden handles and a die cast aluminum body.
- They are able to crack all types of nuts except for macadamia nuts, black walnuts and other hard-shelled nuts.
- They are a mix of the pliers and hand crackers.
- They may be cheap to purchase but do not come with a warranty to protect them.
Conclusion
No matter the type of nutcracker you go with doesn’t really matter. As long as it cracks your nuts and you are comfortable using it then everything should be fine. So, stop sitting around and get out there and start cracking some nuts!
