How to open a coconut?

Coconuts have made a comeback as a versatile food with immense nutritional value. Nature loads coconut meat with fiber, fats (a good one), carbohydrates, and proteins, along with essential minerals like manganese, copper, iron, and selenium. At the same time, coconut water comprises 95% water, with trace amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, oils, vitamins, and minerals. Yet, it’s high in calories and saturated fat, so you should eat it in moderation. You can open this delicious drupe with items you likely have already in your home. It’s as easy as a breeze if done in the right way. Let’s learn with me how to open a coconut. Take start by draining the coconut water.

How to drain the coconut water?

Dig a hole at the top of the coconut. 

Opposite the stem side of the coconut, there are three eyes-like structures. One of them is the weakest and can easily poke using a screwdriver or a sharp knife. 

Collect the water in a jar 

Place the poked coconut upside down over a glass or a jar and allow the water to collect in it. Leave it for several minutes until all the liquid drains out.  

It’s good to do this through a sieve, so there are no pieces in the water. You can drink this or add it to smoothies and other recipes. 

Why draining the coconut water is necessary before opening it? 

• A coconut that hasn’t been drained may explode in the oven if heated too long.  
• It’s best to drain water from the coconut before opening it using a hammer or mallet to avoid a mess in the kitchen. 

How much water can you get from a fresh coconut?  

You can get more than half a cup of sweet water from the fresh coconut. Now, it’s time to crack open your coconut to get white flesh for your cuisine. 

How to open a coconut in five simple and accessible ways at home?

1) How to open a coconut using the oven? 

Heat the coconut in the oven. 

Preheat the oven to 190°C and place the drained coconut on a pan to bake for 10 minutes. Heating the coconut in your oven helps soften it enough that you can just hit it against a hard surface to split it open. 

Wrap the coconut in a towel when cooling off 

When the coconut has started to crack, remove the coconut from the oven. Ensure you are wearing oven mitts. Allow it to cool for two to three minutes, and wrap the coconut in a small kitchen towel. 

Hit it against a hard surface until it breaks 

With the coconut still covered in the towel, put it inside a large plastic garbage bag and hit the wrapped coconut against a hard surface several times until it breaks into pieces. 

Separate the meat using a butter knife 

When the coconut is broken into pieces, wedge a butter knife between the shell and the white flesh of the coconut to carefully separate them. 

Remove the brown lines using a peeler.

After separating the coconut, some light brown thread may still cover the white meat. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the brown line from the white flesh. Your yum-yum coconut meat is ready to eat.  

2) How to open a coconut using a microwave oven?  

Put the drained coconut on a microwave-safe plate, set the medium-high power, and heat for 3 minutes. It will soften the coconut. Open the coconut and remove the meat by applying the same method mentioned above for the oven. 

3) How to open a coconut using a mallet? 

Suppose you don’t have access to an oven or microwave oven; using tools to open a coconut is a fantastic idea. To do so, follow these simple steps one by one. 

Cover the coconut in a towel 

Wrap the coconut in a towel and hold it in your non-dominant hand. 

Dab the coconut using a mallet 

Holding the coconut with the towel, use a metal mallet to dab it firmly. Rotate the coconut as you go so you can tap against the entire exterior until it breaks in half. 

Split the coconut to open 

 When the coconut has cracked around the entire exterior, use your fingers to split it. 

Use a mallet to loosen the meat. 

With the coconut halves facing down, use the mallet to tap against each piece. That will help loosen the meat from the shell so you can separate them easily. 

Remove the white meat using a butter knife. 

Use the butter knife to carefully remove the meat away from the shell until it’s completely separated. Repeat with all of the coconut pieces. 

Remove the brown skin using a peeler. 

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin carefully, so just the meat of the coconut is left. After the meat of the coconut is separated from the skin, you’re ready to eat or cook with it. 

4) How to open a coconut using a hand saw? 

Use a hand saw to open a coconut if you want coconut bowls to place food in it. For this method, you need a small handheld saw. 

• With a pencil, draw a line across the drained coconut, indicating how and where you will cut it. 
• Place a towel in a shallow dish. 
• Set the coconut on the towel to stop it from rolling. 
• Carefully hold the coconut from your non-dominant hand and cut it in two halves using a hand saw. 
• That’s it. 

5) How to open a coconut using a freezer and a mallet? 

• This method is used to remove the coconut meat easily. 
• Place your coconut in the freezer overnight, and then use the mallet to crack it open. 
• You can see the coconut meat easily detach from the coconut shell, sometimes as a single whole piece. 

Did you find this article helpful, and which method do you like the most? Please share with me in the comment section. 

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