How to open coconut at home. How to open a coconut at home

Of course, coconut is rich in vitamins and minerals, and its pulp and milk are used in many places. But what if you bought a whole coconut but don’t know how to open it? Don't worry, here are the simple steps to open a coconut safely at home.

How to open a coconut at home?

Coconut is a very strong fruit, and to open it you will need:

• good strong knife;
• drill;
• a glass to drain the milk;
• a tablecloth to cover the table, as well as a dull knife or cleaver;
• gloves to avoid cutting your hands.

If you have all this at hand, then proceed to opening the coconut.

How to open:

First, cover the table with a tablecloth so as not to scratch the table itself, and this will make it easier to remove the coconut shell. After you have laid the table, rinse the purchased coconut, first under hot running water to remove all dirt and germs, and later with cold water to stabilize the heat from the hot water. Before putting the coconut on the table after washing, wipe it well so that it is dry, this will make it easier for you to open it. Hot water will slightly reduce the strength of the coconut shell, which will help in opening this exotic fruit.

At this point, it is recommended to wear gloves. Place the dry and washed coconut on the table so that its two dark depressions are facing you. These are the “eyes” of the coconut, the weak point of the fruit, only because the veins of the coconut pass through these eyes. Using a strong knife, carefully pierce each eye, but it is better to make larger holes. Using the holes in the eyes, pour all the milk into a glass, it is very sweet and healthy, it can be used in baked goods, or just drunk to get vitamins.

When you have poured all the milk out of the fruit, take a second knife and mark small cracks near the same eyes of the coconut, because this is its Achilles heel, and the coconut will crack if you press hard on these points. Insert a knife into any crack that appears and open it like a box with a crowbar, with gentle pressure. Be careful, the edges of the coconut are very sharp, so be careful with your hand movements.

• Article on the topic -

Here in front of you are two halves of a coconut, and the mission of opening the coconut is completed. All that remains is to break the shell and pulp into small fragments, and you have an open coconut. The ground pulp can be used for cooking, in particular salad dressings. As practice shows, it is easy to open a coconut if you only have the right tools at hand, a little strength and dexterity. Anyone who follows these tips can open a coconut, as they are easy and useful, and understandable for every person.

How to open a coconut quickly and easily at home - video

The delicate, slightly sweet coconut taste is very appreciated, refreshing, and has a tropical aroma. And sometimes you want to enjoy the true taste of coconut or transform the festive table with an exotic serving. However, the tropical fruit is extremely strong and difficult to open. Of course, you don’t need to take a drill or circular saw. But you will have to make some effort, especially if you want to save the nut for an elegant serving.

Cracking a coconut using an oven

This is the classic and most famous method. It will allow you to preserve the good appearance of the shell for subsequent serving as a decoration or decoration. The method is quite simple, it requires an oven and a sharp knife or housekeeper.

Initially, you need to drain the juice from the fruit. If this is not done, it will boil inside the coconut and literally explode the fruit. A lot of pulp and shells will be lost, and the oven will have to be washed thoroughly. Draining coconut juice is very easy. It is necessary to turn the fruit to the side where there are several small indentations, usually the top. It was through them that the coconut fed from the palm tree. Now you should carefully determine the softest place with a sharp knife. It is into this that you need to resolutely go deeper, turning the knife to a depth of 1.5 cm. You can make the task somewhat easier by using a clean screwdriver.

Now you need to quickly turn the coconut over a glass or cup and observe whether the liquid comes out. If the juice begins to drip, then the depression is sufficient and you just have to wait a little. Depending on the fetus, it may take from a few to ten minutes. The volume of juice from one coconut is 120–160 ml. By the way, here you can determine how fresh and suitable the fruit is. If the juice is clear and sweet, then it is the highest grade. A slight cloudiness is still acceptable. If the juice has an oily consistency, it means that the coconut is already spoiled and is not recommended for consumption.

It is better to open the coconut at maximum temperature. The higher it is, the better and faster the fruit will crack. The nut must be placed on the grill, so it will not bake and burn, but will heat up evenly over its entire circumference. Usually 10 minutes is enough. Then you need to pull it out and closely inspect it. You need to find a large crack or several small ones in the shell. If there are none, then heating should continue.

Wrap the cracked coconut in a thin towel or plastic bag and hit the already damaged side on the table several times. The initial crack will be a weak point, causing the shell to crack. Now it is enough to pry it with a knife and open the fruit with swinging movements. The pulp should be peeled until white using a sharp knife or a housekeeper. A whole, undamaged nut is ready to serve. Also, usually the shell splits into 2-3 parts, and it can be used to decorate a dish or table.

Cleaning coconut using the microwave

The technique is as similar as possible to the oven method, but there are certain differences. The main thing is the quality of coconut juice removal itself. It is necessary to drain off as much moisture as possible, and it is recommended to shake the nut several times. This will take about 10 minutes.

Even with proper desiccation, coconut can still explode in the microwave. Therefore, you should put the fruit inside for 2 minutes at maximum power, quickly pull it out and look. If there are no large cracks, then leave for another 40 seconds. And so continue until sufficient damage appears on the shell.

Then wrap the fruit in a bag or thin cloth and apply several blows to the table with the exact side where the crack appeared. The crack is easily pryed with a knife, so the nut opens with the help of rocking movements. After this, all that remains is to clean the pulp. The method takes less time compared to the oven, but the special effect of the microwave slightly bakes the pulp, which slightly changes the taste and aroma of fresh coconut.

Break a coconut with a hammer

This is the most brutal, but quite effective method. There is no need to drain the coconut water; just wrap the fruit in a paper towel and rag. Wrapping should be done carefully; it is advisable to tighten everything so that the fruit is firmly fixed. The wrapped coconut should be placed horizontally on a table or hard surface.

With your left hand you need to firmly hold the end of the fruit, and with your right hand you need to apply sharp blows with a hammer. It's better to hit the center of the coconut. You can also carefully turn the fruit after each blow, this will create a circular crack and the shell will split into two beautiful parts. They can be used to decorate the table or serve a dish. If you hit one point, the nut can break without cracking.

When the fruit cracks or falls into two or three parts under the blows, you should unwrap the towels, move everything under the bowl and open the shell. About 150 ml of liquid will spill out. Now you need to free the pulp from the remnants of the shell. Small pieces can simply be pryed off with a sharp knife. If there are halves or ends, then you should put them on the edge and apply a few more blows with a hammer, but not very hard.

When splitting, you should hold the end of the coconut tightly with your hand, and strike with a hammer at one point, possibly at the pointed end. Then the pulp that has fallen into pieces can be easily removed with a knife.

When knocking out, it is necessary to apply many light blows over the entire area. The goal is for the pulp to peel off from the shell, after which it can be scooped out entirely with a knife or spoon. The pulp still has a thin outer skin and needs to be peeled with a housekeeper or a sharp knife. In general, the method is very fast; an experienced cook completes this procedure in just over a minute. However, it requires skill, experience and some physical strength.

Breaking a coconut with a kitchen mallet

In addition to a construction hammer, you can use a regular kitchen hammer for chops. Moreover, for some, this method is the easiest and fastest to learn. The entire technique is identical to conventional splitting. The only caveat is that it is better to drain the juice, as the pulp will break and the liquid will splash throughout the kitchen.

Draining coconut water is standard. Use a thin knife or screwdriver to pierce the softest of the three indentations, then turn it into a glass or bowl. Usually about 150 ml of sweet and aromatic water flows down.

Now you can break the fruit. To do this, you need to fix the coconut with one hand and hit it with a chop mallet, the side with large spikes. The most effective technique is to imagine your waist and draw a line from the top to the tip. Using sharp, moderately strong blows, tap this entire waist, moving and turning the coconut. Gradually it will crack exactly and exactly in this place. Another method is to hit one area hard. This can lead to cracking or breaking of the shell and pulp. Excess pieces should be removed and breaking continues, destroying adjacent areas.

Removing the pulp from the inner layer of the shell is done using a sharp knife; it is ideal to use a special one - a fillet knife. It is thin and bends well, so the coconut meat can be easily cut out even from large chips without further destruction.

Cracking a coconut with a screwdriver

This is a fairly simple method that will allow you to get a fairly presentable nutshell. A wide flat screwdriver or chisel is required. Even a knife or kitchen ax will do, as long as the product is bend-resistant. An ordinary kitchen knife can simply break, also injuring your hand.

It is necessary to drain the juice by punching a hole in the area of ​​three indentations and placing the fruit in a bowl or glass for 5 minutes to allow the water to drain. You can split directly from the same eye. Drive a screwdriver in there at a slight angle and loosen it, enlarging the hole. Next you need to drill a hole nearby, a crack should form. You can use it to split the entire fruit. If you don't rush, you can achieve almost perfect splitting into two parts.

Another way is to feel the seam in the area with three indentations and drive a screwdriver there, loosening the shell at the place where it grows together. The best option to collect the pulp from such pieces is to place the already split coconut in the microwave for 1 minute. Next, use a knife or a specially sharpened strong dessert spoon to pry out the pulp and turn it out. You can make the task somewhat easier if you use a knife to cut it into smaller pieces down to the shell (this will require much less effort).

Cutting – preserving shells for serving

Almost all of the above methods involve uncontrolled or conditionally controlled destruction of the shell. However, sometimes it is necessary to keep it intact for table decoration. In this case, different techniques for sawing the fruit are used.

Any hand saw will do. Circular saws and grinders are not recommended, as they are difficult to control when working with coconut, and they also heavily contaminate the pulp. The best solution would be to use a hand jigsaw or metal saw. Moreover, the smaller the teeth, the better and smoother the cut will be.

You can cut lengthwise or crosswise, the main thing is to fix the nut well. You can wrap the unaffected part with a rag for better fixation. There are several techniques:

1. Through cut. In this case, the fruit is completely sawn through.
2. Circular cutting of the shell. Only the shell is sawed around the entire circumference. After this, having fixed one part of the fruit, the sawn-off piece should simply be twisted with a twisting motion and separated from the pulp.

However, the most difficult thing is ahead, since if it is necessary to preserve the shell, then the pulp will not be easy to obtain. It is best to stock up on a special French spoon, thin and sharp. It is used in restaurants to scrape out the pulp from various fruits. You can also sharpen one edge of a regular dessert knife. The area close to the cut can be separated using a knife, simply inserting it between the pulp and the shell and cutting in a circle. You will have to extract the pulp deeper with a spoon, taking it away gradually, in layers, so as not to damage the shell at the very end. This can take time, especially when cutting a third of the nut crosswise. But the result will be an ideal decoration or decorative element for the holiday table.

The temperature difference can make the extraction of pulp somewhat easier. This will not work to crack the nut, but to peel the pulp from the shell due to the different speed of size change. The already sawn coconut should be covered with a plate and placed in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, then in the freezer for 2-3 minutes. The pulp will come away from the shell very easily, almost on its own. However, this treatment will somewhat dull the coconut aroma, which must be taken into account.

Conclusion
Despite the apparent complexity, there are many methods for quickly and efficiently opening the shell. Moreover, the equipment that is already in the kitchen is enough. Of course, you shouldn’t throw the juicy fruit on the floor. Although this will lead to the desired result, it will splash the room with juice and pulp. All you need is an oven or microwave, a regular knife, a screwdriver and a spoon. With this kit you can quickly and safely extract delicious tropical coconut meat.

If you need a professional serving or table decoration, you will need a hammer or saw. With such tools you can already set the shape of the chips or simply saw the nut as you want. When following the instructions, there is no risk of spoiling the fruit, shell or injury. But it will be possible to serve an exotic dish, decorated as in a restaurant with Michelin stars.

« Important: All information on the site is provided for informational purposes only. Before applying any recommendations, consult with a specialized specialist. Neither the editors nor the authors are responsible for any possible harm caused by the materials.”

Useful tips

Those who bought coconut for the first time face several problems.

Being very strong, these so-called nuts (coconut is actually a stone fruit, just like cherries or plums) are difficult to crack, meaning you need to be smart to do it.

We'll look at several ways to open a coconut and start with the most popular.

How to break a coconut - method I

Despite the fact that this method takes some time, it is not at all difficult, since you only have to use a couple of tools. Prepare a towel, a hammer and a large nail.

If you look closely at your coconut, you will find 2-3 dark indentations on the side of the nut. They are its weak points, and it is them that we use to pour out the juice of the nut so that we can further split it.

Using a hammer and a large nail, make a hole in one, or preferably each, of the dark spots on the coconut.

*You can use a screwdriver instead of a nail.

*The time this process may take depends on the coconut, but is usually a few minutes.

*If the coconut is quite ripe, you can take regular scissors and pierce one of the eyes on the top of the coconut.

Turn the coconut upside down over a container to drain the juice.

Now place the empty coconut in the center of a towel laid out on the floor or table.

Wrap the whole nut so that the edges of the towel are at the bottom, which will prevent pieces of coconut from flying everywhere when you start to break it.

* Instead of a towel, you can use a plastic bag.

Now we've reached the most interesting part - grab a hammer and hit the nut.

* You will have to make several blows and quite strong ones. It's better to hit on the floor, but the best option is brick or concrete.

When the nut cracks, break up the largest pieces, which will make the process of separating the pulp even easier.

Use a knife to separate the pulp from the shell of the nut.

* This process will also take some time, but take your time and be careful not to get hurt.

* A thin layer of shell may cling to pieces of pulp - you can cut it off or scrape it off with a knife.

Wash the pulp and you can use it.

How to open a coconut at home - method II

A hammer is also used here.

We measure about a third of the height of the nut from the coconut eyes and begin tapping with the sharp part of the hammer.

* You need to tap along the entire circumference, gradually turning the coconut. The blows should be strong and clear, and when you hear that the nut is cracked, you will understand that you are doing everything right.

If all is well, the nut should crack along the circumference that you marked, and you can separate it and then separate the pulp as in method I.

*You may need to separate the skin from the pulp, it's not difficult, you just need to be patient.

How to open a coconut correctly - method III

To make the coconut crack easier, you can use heat or cold.

Place the coconut in the oven at about 90C and wait 15 minutes.

* Instead of heating, you can use the cooling method by placing the coconut in the freezer for 15 minutes.

* This method will help separate the flesh from the inner walls of the coconut more easily.

Next, simply use a hammer to tap the equator of the coconut while you twist it in your hand. Continue tapping until the coconut cracks and separates into two pieces. (See method I and II)

You can extract the pulp - it will not be difficult, since you have previously heated or cooled the coconut.

How to open a coconut (video)

How to store coconut

Coconut can be stored in the refrigerator, or better yet, in the freezer. But you can keep it for the longest time if you grate it and dehydrate it.

Refrigerate for 2 to 7 days.

In the freezer from 1 to 3 months.

Grated and dehydrated coconut from 6 to 12 months.

How to eat coconut

Coconut, or rather its pulp, can be used for preparing desserts, various salads, baking, or you can just eat it.

You can cut the coconut flesh with a knife, use a food processor or a grater to grind.

By the way, grated coconut can be placed in a plastic bag and stored in the freezer for about a month.

It is also worth noting that coconut meat consumed with fish, chicken, and added to exotic soups and sauces.

Grated and dehydrated coconut can be used as powders for various confectionery products.

If fresh coconut pulp is poured with warm milk, you can get coconut milk. And if you cool the milk and let it brew, then mix it with coconut pulp, then you will have coconut cream.

How to open a coconut if you have a machete

It is very easy to become a lover of tropical exotic fruits. You only have to try once, for example, real coconut milk or the pulp that melts in your mouth, which is located under a hard peel - “gourmet mania” is guaranteed! For lovers of bananas, oranges or kiwis, it is much easier to be content with delicacies - just peel off the peel. But not everyone knows, especially if there are no special devices at hand. This will be discussed in this article.

How to properly break a coconut to preserve delicious milk?

Before dividing the nut into pieces, you need to drain the liquid inside. Usually, for this purpose, holes are punched in the dent on one of the ends of the fruit. As a rule, no special labor or effort is required here. Just press it inside with some hard object - and the improvised milk watering can is ready. But not everyone is able to make a hole and extract juice without loss. Then you have to start splitting the whole fruit. To collect milk as carefully as possible, you can do one of the following:

Holding the nut in the palm of your hand, place a wide cup under your hand, into which the milk will flow after cracking the fruit;

Place the coconut in a plastic bag and tie it tightly - this will create a miracle container in which the milk will collect.

Break the nut after draining the liquid

Let's say that the stage of obtaining coconut milk was successful. Now you can safely start breaking the nut. To do this, it is better to use a wide and fairly heavy hatchet sword as the most successful weapon (photo 3). First apply a cross mark to the nut with the sharp side. Then wrap the scalloped edge around the coconut. How to break a coconut quickly and safely? The important condition is not the force of the blow on the nut, but sharpness and clarity. It is because of the jerky dissection that the peel will split. Such a small crack will be enough to divide the nut into two parts, spreading them apart with your hands. For greater convenience, if milk is drained through the hole, place the fruit firmly on a firm surface and only then proceed. It is worth remembering that using sharp objects is very dangerous, because they can jump off onto the hand with which you are holding the nut. Therefore, safer methods are most often preferred, especially if they do not know how to break a coconut at home.

Below are some unusual ways of dividing a coconut and useful, sort of secret, tips.

What other ways are there to divide a nut into pieces? If you can’t punch holes in a dense shell with ordinary sharp objects, an electric drill will come to the rescue. First, drill one hole at the end to drain the milk, and then several more (with a smaller diameter) along a previously marked transverse line. The distance between the points should be no more than 1.5-2 cm from each other. After this, apply a sharp blow to the marks with a sharp object (hatchet or heavy knife) - and the nut will immediately split into pieces. Is it possible and how to break a coconut without a hammer and other equipment? Try an unusual method that involves short-term heat treatment of the fruit.

Opening a coconut with your bare hands: secrets

It turns out that there is a fairly simple but effective way to divide a nut into two halves. And you don’t need any equipment for this. It's all about pre-processing the coconut. You just need to warm it up, after which the shell will spontaneously or under slight tapping give an initial crack. So, turn your broiler on to medium heat. Place the nut on the rack and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Similar heating can be done using a microwave oven. But at the same time, the coconut must be without milk. Place the warm fruit on a wooden board and apply a light tapping blow. The coconut will crack easily. After pressing on the burst area, the nut will crack. The originality of the idea is that you should not turn off the oven. Its thermal properties are also useful for processing the fleshy part of the fruit.

Let's feast on the pulp

How to remove the hard top layer and make the mass under the shell softer? It has its own special secrets. An oven or microwave, which have already been used previously to open the fruit, can serve as an assistant for this. Place the halves there and reheat. After heat treatment, the peel will easily separate from the pulp in the form of a single layer. And the internal aromatic mass will become much softer. Chop it into cubes and safely serve!

So, put into practice all the tips you have received, and you will not have any problems with how to break a coconut. And then dividing a nut into parts will become as easy as cracking seeds. Enjoy this tropical delicacy for your health!

Coconut is a tropical fruit with a strong peel, under which snow-white pulp and healthy juice are hidden. Today this fruit can be purchased in any supermarket. But despite its availability, many people do not want to buy it because they do not know how to open a coconut.

Popular methods

After purchasing an exotic nut, the question arises of how to properly open a coconut at home. The shell of the fruit is thick and very strong; you cannot handle it without skill and working tools. Often people, having bought a coconut, have no idea what to do with it next - break it, saw it, chop it, or try cutting it.

Before cracking the coconut, drain off the milk juice. Coconut liquid can be drunk immediately or used for cooking. Don't count on a full glass of milk; there is very little of it in a mature (brown) coconut.

Holes are pierced at the site of the three spots. The dark spots are the pores leading to the seed. The peel in this place is more pliable, so it won’t be difficult to poke holes. To quickly release the liquid, two holes are enough: through one, fresh milk will drain, through the second, the nut will be filled with air.

There are several ways to divide the tropical fruit into parts. If the aesthetic side of the issue is not so important, then you can let the coconut break by hitting it on the asphalt. But there are other more reasonable ways, for example, sawing with a jigsaw, breaking with a hammer, etc.

Chop with a cleaver

To cut a coconut, you need a large and strong knife. A sharp cleaver for chopping bones or a machete is suitable for these purposes. The cutting is carried out as follows:

1. Take the coconut in your left hand.
2. Inspect the seam that runs between the holes in the nut. Walk along it to the middle of the coconut.
3. Tap the center with the blunt edge of a knife (not the blade), turning the fruit in your palm.
4. Continue rotating and tapping until the coconut cracks.
5. If everything is done correctly, the nut will split into two equal halves.
6. Now you can take the “hemispheres” and scoop out the tasty pulp.

If, after opening, the coconut flesh emits a sour smell, then it is better to throw away this product along with the juice. You can't use it, it's spoiled.

Using holes

You can cut the fruit according to the existing holes. To open a coconut quickly you need:

1. Place the nut on a hard surface. It is more convenient to cut on a cutting board.
2. Insert a knife into one of the pierced holes.
3. Hit the handle with force so that the blade goes inside.
4. Gently turn the knife by the handle and break the fruit until it is completely open.

When splitting a coconut, the crack may first open and then close again. You need to be careful not to pinch your fingers.

With a hammer

This method is feasible if the person who will open the coconut has sufficient physical strength. To break a coconut with a hammer you need:

1. Place the nut in a strong plastic bag (wrap with a towel or cling film);
2. Place it on the concrete floor.
3. Apply a strong blow with a hammer or other suitable object.
4. Remove the drupes from the bag.

As a result of these actions, the peel will split into irregularly shaped fragments.

Using a hand saw

This method allows you to get coconut halves of the correct and beautiful shape. For this you need:

1. Mark the place to cut so that the saw does not slip off the surface.
2. Divide the nut in half.

Heat in the oven

If you do not have the necessary tools, determination or sufficient physical strength at hand, then you can open the coconut by exposure to temperatures. To do this you need:

1. Heat the oven to 180⁰.
2. Poke holes in the coconut and drain the milk. If this is not done, the fruit will explode when heated.
3. Place the nut in a deep pan and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

After heat treatment, the coconut husk bursts. In this case, the pulp is easily removed from the shell.

How to open green fruits

Such coconuts are young (immature). The thickness of their peel is similar to that of a pumpkin, which means that you can open the nut with an ordinary kitchen knife. It is enough to cut off one of the poles as a cover. That's all. You can insert a straw inside and enjoy drinking coconut juice, which is very healthy. If you regularly drink a cup of this drink, you can improve your metabolism, thyroid function and boost your immunity.

Extracting the pulp

It will be easy to separate the pulp if the coconut is split into several shells. The simplest extraction option: insert a knife blade between the peel and the copra, swing the tool to the sides and remove the piece. Then pick out another one. And so on until the entire core is removed. You can pre-cut the pulp to pull it out into neat, even slices.

Things will go faster if you use the following life hack:

1. Place the whole coconut in the oven at 180⁰. 15 minutes will be enough.
2. Tap the entire surface of the shell. This will allow the pulp to separate from the peel once inside the fruit. Elongated fruits need to be tapped longer.
3. Remove the thin brown skin as you would from potatoes. Any knife or vegetable peeler can cope with this task.

Summing up

Opening a coconut is a problem that everyone who buys this fruit faces. Due to the tough peel, there is a risk of damage to the pulp. When cutting a coconut, you need to approach it thoroughly, armed with a knife, hammer, screwdriver and patience. Step-by-step instructions and practical tips will help with this.