Coconut is a delicious and versatile food, especially good when eaten fresh. However, you may be undecided whether to buy a whole one if you are afraid of having to use a drill, a hacksaw or other specific tools to open it. Thankfully, you can instead access the sweet pulp of this fruit with tools you already have around the house. By heating the coconut in the oven, you can soften it enough to break it by beating it on a hard surface. If you do not have an oven available, a simple sledgehammer or hammer is enough to break the shell; once the walnut is opened, you only need a knife and a potato peeler to remove the pulp and enjoy it. Finally, if you do not want to risk getting hurt, you prefer not to use utensils that you keep in your toolbox for a product that you are going to eat, and you want to open the coconut easily, I point out a set designed for you.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Remove the water from the fruit
Step 1. Drill a hole in the top of the nut
In this area there are three notches, or "eyes", one of which is typically more fragile and you can penetrate it with a sharp knife. Once you have identified the point that yields more easily to pressure, insert the blade to create a hole a little larger than 1 cm.
You can also use a screwdriver or metal skewer for this
Step 2. Flip the coconut over a glass
You need a container to collect the water contained in the fruit; hold the latter over the glass so that the hole is exactly aligned with the opening.
- You can also use a bowl, but if you choose a glass that you can place the walnut on firmly, you can avoid holding it with one hand while the water drips.
- Alternatively, use a measuring cup to catch the liquid.
Step 3. Wait for the coconut to empty completely
If you have placed the fruit upside down on the glass, leave it in this position for several minutes or until the flow of water has stopped. You can also shake it several times to get rid of the last drops.
- If you are considering putting the walnut in the oven to soften it, you must first discard the liquid; if you heat it too long it may even explode.
- If you plan to use a sledgehammer, it is not necessary to remove the water beforehand; however, if you don't, you risk making the kitchen very dirty. It is therefore always worth "draining" the fruit.
- You should get about 120-180ml of water from the coconut.
- The liquid from a fresh, young fruit should be sweet; if it has an oily texture, the fruit is likely not good and you should throw it away.
Method 2 of 3: Using the Oven
Step 1. Preheat the oven
To open the nut using the heat it is important that the appliance is hot enough; set it to a temperature of 190 ° C and wait for it to heat up completely.
Step 2. Place the fruit in a baking dish and "cook" for 10 minutes
You can use a baking sheet or pan to bake the walnut, wait about 10 minutes or until you see cracks forming in the shell.
- If there are no cracks after 10 minutes, continue "cooking" until the fruit begins to crack; check the progress every few minutes, to avoid heating the walnut more than necessary.
- If you are in a hurry, you can use the microwave. Place the walnut in a container safe for this appliance and heat it on medium-high power for 3 minutes.
Step 3. Remove the dish from the oven and wrap it in a tea towel
When the shell begins to crack, remove the coconut from the oven and let the fruit cool for two to three minutes; then wrap it in a small tea towel or rag.
Step 4. Transfer everything to a clean garbage bag and hit the nut against a hard surface
Do not remove the cloth from the fruit, but put the whole "bundle" in a large bag; twist the opening to seal the container and use it to repeatedly hit a sturdy surface, until you realize the nut has cracked.
The harder the surface, the easier the work; concrete, for example, is an excellent solution
Step 5. Insert a knife between the shell and the pulp to separate them
Once the walnut has been broken into several pieces, remove it from the bag and the cloth; take each piece and pry with the blade of the knife to carefully detach the pulp from the shell.
- You don't have to use a sharp knife; for this operation it is better to rely on the butter knife and switch to a sharp blade only if you encounter difficulties.
- Lay the pieces of the fruit on the table or kitchen counter to keep them in place while you try to peel the shells off.
Step 6. Remove the fibrous husk from the white pulp
After removing the shell, a light brown layer may remain covering the edible part; you can remove it with a peeler just like you would a vegetable. After this is done, you can taste the coconut or use it in some preparation.
If you don't have a peeler, use a sharp knife to remove the peel
Method 3 of 3: Using a Club
Step 1. Wrap the walnut with a tea towel and hold it steady
After you get the water out, take a folded kitchen towel and surround one side of the coconut. Use your non-dominant hand to hold the fruit so that the uncovered portion faces you.
If you prefer, you can stabilize the walnut by placing it on the table or kitchen counter; in this case, know that you have to change its position gradually in order to break the entire surface of the shell
Step 2. Turn the nut and hit it with the hammer until it breaks
Hold the fruit still with the cloth and use the tool to open the shell; gradually rotate the coconut to treat the entire outer surface until it begins to separate in half.
- For this operation it is best to use a metal club.
- Alternatively, you can opt for a hammer.
Step 3. Open the shell and place the fruit with the open side facing down
Once the outer layer is cracked, use your fingers to open it, then place the coconut on the table or kitchen counter with the shell side up.
If you find it difficult to open it, hit it repeatedly with the club; there may be spots where the nut has not broken off completely
Step 4. Hit the coconut to loosen the pulp
Once the two halves are on the table with the white side facing down, use the mallet to tap each piece; this way, you loosen the edible portion and you can peel it off more easily.
- Follow this technique all over the outer surface to make sure the pulp loosens everywhere.
- There is no problem if the two halves break further when you hit them with the club; in fact, this makes it even easier to extract the white part.
Step 5. Slide a blade between the shell and the pulp to detach the pulp
After having tapped both halves of the walnut, carefully pry with a butter knife to divide the two portions; repeat the procedure for all pieces of the fruit.
Use a butter knife to avoid the risk of cutting yourself
Step 6. Remove the fibrous peel
Once the edible part has been detached from the shell, you should notice that the latter is covered with a thin fibrous and brown film; use a potato peeler to remove it carefully and thus obtain the white pulp.
At this point you can eat the coconut or use it in cooking
Advice
The juice inside the fruit is not coconut milk but fresh water. It forms naturally inside the walnut during its development, changing color and flavor according to the level of ripeness. Milk is a by-product of extracting coconut oil from ground white pulp, typically using boiling water, but you can also make it yourself
Warnings
- Never try to open a nut by biting it, the only result you get is breaking your teeth.
- Be very careful when hitting the coconut with a club. You should deliver a firm blow, but not so hard that you lose control of the tool and risk accidentally injuring your hand.
- Do not put the coconut in the oven without first extracting the liquid. If you overcook it and the water begins to turn into steam, the internal pressure rises to dangerous levels and the nut could explode.
