[ndcube]

'Tis the season for mixed nuts in the shells for me.  Anyone else have a love-hate relationship with Brazil nuts?

What's the best way to get them out w/o shattering them into pieces?

[hamiltont]

I've had the best luck using a vise...

[boulderbrewer]

Try a hammer and a towel.

[beerocd]

dremel  
No seriously, I rarely get more than Half-sized pieces.
C-clamp might be good, I think the problem is that with a nut cracker you carry through so much force from cracking the shell all the way through the nut meat. The C-clamp wouldn't have any follow through.

[ndcube]

My wife would love a c-clamp as an accessory to our kitchen drawer.  Or I could mount a vice to the kitchen counter. 

I wonder how the commercial guys do it.

[bluesman]

Put them in the freezer overnight and they will crack open easily.

[karlh]

freezer plus vise is a good route.  this works great for hickory nuts as well

[beerocd]

I wonder how the commercial guys do it.

Oompa Loompas!

[ndcube]

I wonder how the commercial guys do it.

Oompa Loompas!

That was my first guess.

[santanas95]

Over the years I have developed an allergy to Brazil nuts.  Ugly stuff, my throat closes up, and I can't drink beer to wash down the mixed nuts at hand.  Word to the wise, if your tongue starts itching and you have difficulty swallowing, don't eat more, bad things are about to happen to you.  Anaphylaxis sucks.

Prior to those days, though, I would use a standard ol' vise type nutcracker.  Always seemed to do the trick

[beerocd]

Anaphylaxis sucks.

Never put that kind of info on the internet. Now we all know how to get rid of you.
Brazilian Nut Brown or Porter type beer and you're a goner.

[capozzoli]

I just chew them up and then spit out the shells. Kinda like sunflower seeds.

Man,  what some old timers called Brazil nuts. Cant post it though, its bad. 

[hamiltont]

I just chew them up and then spit out the shells. Kinda like sunflower seeds.

Man,  what some old timers called Brazil nuts. Cant post it though, its bad. 

No kidding!!!  I'm glad it's not acceptable anymore!!!