How to crack open a coconut easily

By October 8, 2021

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Coconut is incredibly delicious and nutritious food that is better to be eaten when fresh. While coconut water is accessible all the time, you will probably think that the meat requires some professional tools like a draining tool and a fresh coconut meat scraper. Actually, there are options for you to crack open a coconut easily simply with the tools you already have in your kitchen.

Drain the water first

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Before crack opening the coconut, you need the first drain the water. There are three eyes or indentations on the top of your coconut, poke all of them with a screwdriver to see which one is the softest. Then insert the screwdriver into the eye and turn the coconut upside down over a glass to release all of the water inside. You can also add a sieve in between so there won’t be any bits in the water.

Heat the coconut in the oven

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If you have an oven at home, use it to heat the coconut and let it naturally crack. Just preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and then bake the coconut for 10-15 minutes. When you notice a crack on its surface, take it out, let it cool for several minutes. At last, use a butter knife to separate the shell and the meat. There may still be a fiber layer, remove it with a vegetable peeler just as you do to the potato.

Use a mallet or hammer

Half coconut with coconut milk in wooden spoon, close up

This method is great when you don’t need the coconut to be evenly cracked. Put the coconut on a dish towel for better stability. Use a mallet or hammer to firmly tap it until it begins to crack. After that, split the coconut in two by hand, and separate the shell and peel off the fiber as you do when heating the coconut in the oven.

Use a handheld saw

Sometimes you need to keep the coconut meat neat and clean, and this is where a handheld saw comes in. Put your coconut on a flat surface, then simply use the handheld saw to divide it in half. For safety, add a dishtowel at the bottom to prevent the coconut from rolling around. You can directly use the coconut bowl for DIY meals or scoop out the meat and eat it in raw.

 

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