An improved nutcracker and shelling process use centrifugal force to accelerate nuts so that their shells shatter upon impacting a target surface. The nutcracker includes an impeller having an intake for receiving nuts and an outlet for discharging the nuts. During operation, the impeller is spun so that the nuts received at the intake are accelerated as they pass through the impeller. The nuts reach a sufficiently fast speed so that their shells fracture upon hitting the target surface after being thrown from the impeller.