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Tested and approved: After thorough testing and cracking countless walnuts, pecans, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and more, I’d recommend Hiware Nutcracker Tool which offers best-in-class nutcracking performance. However, if you need a simple portable solution, you can go for Chef Craft 21629-2PK.
Nuts are full of nutrients with amazing health benefits. From No-bake cookies to easy and nutritious desserts, majority of the sweet and savory recipes require nuts. An old saying, “It’s a hard nut to crack,” goes well if you don’t have proper tools. That’s why, we’ve created a list of the best nutcrackers after testing their quality, material, ease of use, and durability. Let’s have a look at these nut openers.
9 Best Nutcrackers We’ve Tested – TopPicks
Hiware Good Pecan Nutcracker Tool
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
Hiware Good Pecan Nutcracker is a heavy-duty nut opener thanks to its premium build quality making it perfect for almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts. In my experience, it shortened the time and effort by half with no sore hands, which I often experienced using a handheld nutcracker. The design makes it an ideal option for carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis sufferers.
This tool features a stainless steel construction sturdy enough to crack the hardest hickory nuts. Its sturdy wooden base sits safely on the kitchen top and stays in place while using it. Moreover, the smooth wooden handle makes it easy to grip. Thanks to its replaceable parts I was able to adjust its threaded cone of different sizes.
My major concern is its large size, making it unsuitable for outdoor parties, picnics, and camping. For this purpose, I usually recommend the Froiny Mini Nutcracker. Overall, it is a great nutcracking tool and a reliable addition to your kitchen gadgets due to its premium build quality and dynamic sizing options.
Chef Craft 21629-2PK Stainless Steel Set
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
An ideal choice if you are looking for a straightforward nut opener for regular use. Thanks to its stainless steel body, I use them for cracking pecans, and walnuts. Using their straight sides you can even crack lobster shells of different diameters.
Although these are durable nutcrackers with sturdy stainless steel material, these aren’t recommended for dishwashing to prevent the chances of rust and to keep their shine and smoothness. The grooved walls with machine teeth on the inner side keep nuts in place without slipping. It also comes with four picks with flat and pointed tips to help you release and scrape the nut from the shell.
Overall, these are a great option for cracking up fresh pecans right from the tree. Like any nutcracker, you do have to get the hang of it. Just enough pressure (but not so much) to crack the nuts.
You can also buy it at: Kmart – eBay
Other kitchen products we’ve reviewed:
RSVP International Nuts Nutty Squirrel Nutcracker
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
RSVP International Squirrel Nutcracker is a unique nutcracker for large nuts. The squirrel shape makes it an innovative addition to place it anywhere to improve your kitchen decor.
Material-wise, it features a stainless steel hopper and a manual hand crank with a 1-1/4 cup clear jar. It is easy to clean this nutcracker due to its sliding door and being dishwasher safe.
Although you can use this model to crack every type of nuts, I recommend using it for larger nuts because it may turn small nuts into chunks. Overall, it is a great choice if you want a decorative addition to your kitchen to crack larger nuts.
You can also buy it at: Wayfair, eBay, Walmart
Froiny Mini Nut Crackers
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
Froiny Mini Nut Cracker is one of the best nutcrackers for camping due to its simple yet purposeful design. I like this nutcracker tool due to its compact size that fits into my pocket and I carry it during picnic or outdoor activities.
It is easy to insert the key opener into the nut and open it by putting a little pressure to open the nut. The build quality is appreciable due to the durable stainless steel, making it perfect for almonds, walnuts, pecans, filberts, and other soft nutshells.
Although the design is pretty simple, its small size may slip from your hands if you don’t hold it properly. Besides, it takes a lot of effort to open even soft nuts. So make sure you have enough strength to open nuts with this tiny companion.
Rösle Stainless Steel Nut Cracker
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
Rose Stainless Steel is an ideal nutcracker that works like pliers and lets you open nuts of every type. Place the nuts between both edges and press the grippers. Make sure to apply appropriate force depending on the type of nut, or the shell as well as nuts will break and create a mess.
The grooved openings securely grip the nuts to prevent slipping. These strong meta teeth can even crush and split the hard nuts provided that you apply the desired force to those hard hickory nuts. The comfortable grips of this nutcracker distribute the pressure evenly while cracking the nuts. In addition, the minimalist design allows you to pack it in your backpack for camping.
However, due to the lack of a cover, it can be messy while cracking the nuts. Overall, the design and build quality of this nutcracker work great in your kitchen and outdoor parties.
You can also buy it at: Walmart, Rosle
Good Cook Touch Lobster Cracker / Nutcracker
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
Good Cook Touch is one of the best lobster crackers. I tried this tool for different nuts and it worked wonders cracking the nuts. It also reduces the prep time in the kitchen when dealing with the hard shelled lobsters.
Its ergonomic grips help me hold the nuts in place. Moreover, you can apply optimum pressure to avoid damaging the nuts. However, the downside is that the rubber padding on the handles may slip from its place with time, and the nutcracker will not return to its position until you close it.
You can also buy it at: Walmart
Nantucket Seafood Cracker
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
Nantucket is a must-have tool for seafood lovers. It comes with an eight-piece utensil set that contains everything you can expect from an ideal nutcracker set for seafood. The set has 6 picks or scoops and two shellfish crackers, offering two crushing areas.
The Nantucket seafood cracker features two tined forks with one end to fit into a small part of the crab and a spoon on the other side to scrape, scoop, or pull the meat. It is one of the best options if you are looking for a nutcracker for multitasking. Although you can also use it for cracking soft nuts, it is most recommended set for shellfish, crab legs, and other seafood. The grippers, however, may become slippery due to their extra smooth surface while using it for your crab salad.
The stainless steel body makes it easy to use and durable enough to last for years. Otherwise, it is a great pick for your kitchen to enjoy the meal as it has more options than the Tablecraft nutcracker.
You Can also buy it at: Walmart – Bell&Brass
VTOSEN Premium Aluminum Nutcracker
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
The VTOSEN Premium Nutcracker tool has a strong aluminum build with a polished finish. One of my colleagues used it for cracking different nuts, and she was quite happy with this gadget due to its strong reinforcement and long grips that require slight force to crack hard nuts. Its sturdy design will not deform even after several years.
This cup-shaped nut cracker tool holds nuts tightly and prevents breaking them into pieces. The best part, every cracked nut stays inside the cup without creating a mess, which was a real issue with almost all the above-reviewed nutcrackers. It keeps the nutshells inside that you can remove easily. The saw tooth design and lever provide excellent power for cracking nutshells.
One of the best things I experienced is that it has two cups to crack large and small nuts. Moreover, though it is not recommended for those suffering from carpel syndrome, the comfortable grip still provides easy handling and protects your palm from strain. It is more than a traditional nutcracker that provides you with options to crack different nuts.
Farberware Seafood Nutcracker
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
Farberware seafood nutcracker is the best choice for cracking lobsters and crabs. The inner grip of this sharp and ridge nutcracker gives you the ease of use with its premium stainless steel finish.
The cast metal provides enough weight to crack the hard nutshells easily. Its larger jaws can hold the large crab legs to come out of the meat from the shell. In addition, the long handles provide a comfortable grip to keep your hand safe from pinch or damage.
The only downside about this nutcracker is that it doesn’t have a lock for handles, making storage and portability difficult. Besides, the cast metal is not durable enough and prone to break if not handled properly. Overall, the material quality and other features are great and built to last.
You Can also buy it at: Walmart
How We Tested These Nutcrackers?
Our team researched the market and found the best kitchen gadgets so that you can get what you are looking for. After the market research and arranging a list of top trending nutcrackers, our team narrowed down the list of the nutcrackers based on their features, usage, and price.
Finally, these nutcrackers were thoroughly tested by cracking countless walnuts, pecans, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and more, to find the results based on the nut-cracking options. They also tested these gadgets based on durability, ease of use, variations of uses, and performance. All the results were compiled with detailed insight into this article so that you get the best nutcracker that you are looking for.
Why Trust AHealthyBowl?
Our priority is to provide the users with the right information about the different kitchen products that help you reduce your kitchen efforts while preparing dishes for your family. We review the products after research and testing so that we will deliver you the trusted things.
We held the testing process under the supervision of our experts. From research to testing, our professionals keep an eye on everything; nothing remains unturned from our analysts. After filtring the products, we finalize the list of 11 best nutcrackers so you can enjoy the nuts with your family during your quality time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best nutcracker to buy?
Various nutcrackers are available in the market, and the best nutcracker to buy depends on your preference. Whether you want to buy a nutcracker or a multipurpose tool to handle your seafood, it is all about your needs. But a heavy-duty nutcracker like a new mechanical walnut opener is a good choice.
What is the best German nutcracker brand?
The best German nutcracker brand is Steinbach. It is one of the oldest industries known for its best-quality nutcrackers. They provide the best products, maintaining tradition, creativity, and passion for details with the finest material.
What are some famous Nutcracker brands?
The list of famous Nutcracker brands is huge, but some well-known brands are:
- OXO
- KitchenAid
- OXO Good Grips
- RSVP International
- Swissmar
- Chef’n
What is the best nutcracker in the UK?
The best nutcrackers in the UK are:
- Hiware Nutcracker
- Pgirgyq Nutcracker
- YMHPRID Nutcracker
- Plastic Nutcracker
- NINVVS Nutcracker
