“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” If this line from the beloved holiday tune “The Christmas Song” has inspired you to try this tradition in your 
own home, Ace Chimney Sweeps would like to help. Using your fireplace to infuse your home with the scent of roasting chestnuts is easier than you may think, and you could be starting an important holiday tradition with your family. We would like to tell you how to properly and safely roast chestnuts on your fireplace this holiday season.
Gather what you need.
While you can use a fire pit, a campfire, or an outdoor fireplace, any type of open fire, including your indoor fireplace, will work. You can easily find chestnuts in the grocery store during this time of year, and you should look for chestnuts that are not cracked or have any signs of mold. The chestnuts should not rattle when you shake them. You will also need water, butter, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and any other of your favorite spices to roast the chestnuts. The utensils you will need include a knife and cutting board for scoring the chestnuts, a heavy pan, tongs, and oven mitts for the roasting.
Score the chestnuts while your fire begins to burn.
You will need hot coals for roasting, so allow the fire to go long enough to burn down the wood. While you are waiting for the fire to be ready, you can prep the chestnuts by scoring them so that they will not burst while roasting. Food 52 recommends that you score these chestnuts by cutting an X into the shell on the round side of the nut. This recommendation is for safety reasons as cutting the flat side can be dangerous for your fingers.
Roast the chestnuts.
Make a bed of coals to one side of the fire as roasting chestnuts in the flame will likely char the nuts. Prepare your pan by covering the bottom with water. Place the chestnuts inside and cover the pan. You will set the pan carefully on the bed of coals. Toss the chestnuts with the tongs every four to five minutes and make sure the pan is not getting dry. You can add more water if needed. Once the outsides have darkened, after about 15 to 20 minutes, you should remove the pan from the fire. After you allow the chestnuts to cool down, you can then peel away the shells and toss the nuts with melted butter and herbs.
Start a new holiday tradition this year by roasting chestnuts in your fireplace. Contact us at Ace Chimney Sweeps for all of your fireplace maintenance, repair, and installation needs.