How To Shell Sunflower Seeds For The Uninitiated

Healthy snacks don't get much better than a bag of sunflower seeds. They're high in protein, rich in antioxidants, and fiddly enough to stop you from eating too many too quickly. Not everyone sees this last point as a positive though, so if you've let the need to shell each one put you off, here's how to get to your sunflower seeds without making a fool of yourself. 

The best way to shell sunflower seeds designed for snacking is with your mouth. This runs true in particular for flavored options, like Bigs Dill Pickle, because all the seasoning is on the outside. Simply place a sunflower seed between your molars, then bite down just enough until the shell cracks. Too hard and you will crush the seed, making it hard to separate. Once the shell has been split open, use your tongue to flick out the seed from inside. You can now (responsibly) spit out the shell and eat the seed.

Although this sunflower seed spitting is a common sight at a baseball game, if you don't like the idea of doing it in public, you can also pry open the sunflower seeds with your fingers. However, this is considerably more difficult and will mean missing out on any flavoring or salt.

If you're using sunflower seeds for cooking, your guests are not going to appreciate you shelling them with your mouth, not to mention how time-consuming it would be to get a decent amount done. The easiest way would really be to buy them without their shells, but if you happen to have a lot of intact sunflower seeds, there are a few ways to shell them in bulk.

The most efficient method is to use a rolling pin. Take around ½ cup of the seeds at a time and add to a plastic bag or between two layers of paper towel, then gently roll with the rolling pin to crack open the seeds. Transfer the cracked seeds into a bowl of water, and the shells should float to the surface where they can be scooped out.

The rolling pin technique does risk cracking the seeds, however, so there's a safer method if you need your sunflower seeds to come out whole. Soak them in water for one to two hours, after which the shells should pop off when squeezed. It still requires shelling each one individually, but it's much easier after the soaking. For a recipe that requires toasted seeds, like a sunflower seed pesto, roasting them in the shell will make them easier to peel by hand.