The ideal way is to have a special chestnut roasting pan with a perforated bowl and long handle which you can hold over an open fire or stove, but you can place them on the bars of a fire grate or even in the embers of a campfire. If you want to cook them in the kitchen shake them in a pan over the stove as if they were popcorn. For a slightly softer nut put them in a heat-proof dish with a little warm water and roast them in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Whatever method you choose, you must prepare the nuts first or they may explode and whizz around like bullets. That may sound like fun but it leaves you with the contents all over the place and empty skins.
Many people puncture the skin of the nut with a fork but a better way to make sure they do not explode is to cut a ring around the domed surface of each nut.
And don't forget to salt them before you eat them!!!!
