Commercial plants "cook" raw cashew nuts by steaming them 20–25 minutes before shelling — softening the shell and conditioning the caustic shell liquid so kernels cut cleanly.
In commercial cashew processing, "cooking" almost always means steaming: raw nuts are pressure-steamed for about 20–25 minutes before shelling. Steaming softens and loosens the hard shell so cutting blades split it cleanly, and it conditions the caustic cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) so it is easier and safer to handle. The result is lower kernel breakage and higher whole-kernel yield. Steam is usually raised from the plant’s own shell-fired burner or a biomass boiler.
The steaming machine runs timed pressure cycles; heat typically comes from the shell burner.
Some older methods roast or drum-roast raw nuts in shell instead of steaming; steaming is the standard for modern, high-yield lines.
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