Simple tips on how to cut a coconut at home. How to open a coconut. Secrets to quickly opening a coconut

If earlier it was problematic to buy coconut, since the cost of the product was too high, today everything has changed for the better. Coconut can be bought in any supermarket at a very affordable price. But not everyone knows how to open it correctly, and for beginners this process can take a lot of time. But thanks to our instructions and video, you can crack a tough nut very quickly.

How to open a coconut at home: instructions

You don't need to be a professional to crack the peel. Even fragile girls can cope with the task, you just need to know where to start. There are several ways to open a coconut, which we will discuss below. Well, which one to use is up to you to decide.

How to open a coconut correctly at home? Before you begin the procedure, be sure to rinse the nut, then dry it with a paper towel. During transportation, germs and dirt collect on its peel.

Before buying coconut, check its freshness . How to do it? Just shake it from side to side. If you hear splashing inside it, it is fresh because it contains juice.

Using a knife. We need to extract the juice from the coconut, since the presence of liquid will prevent us from cutting the peel. On one side, you will see the so-called “eyes” - small round holes. We insert a thin knife or knitting needle into them one by one. We pierce the eyes completely, pour the juice through them into any suitable container.

Place the nut on a flat surface and measure approximately 1/3 of the distance from our eyes. Then we strike with a knife (not with the sharp side, but with the blunt side) at the intended point. We turn the nut a little and strike again at the same distance. If necessary, make 1 more turn. As a result, a crack forms in the peel; insert a knife into it and split it.

Using a kitchen hatchet . Surely you have this tool at home, don’t you? Place the fruit in a plastic bag and beat the peel several times until it cracks. Why do we use the package? It's simple - so that the peel doesn't lie all over the room.

Extreme way. If you don't have the right tools at hand, just throw the nut as hard as you can on a hard surface (the floor). This method is inconvenient because you will have to collect pulp throughout the room. To prevent this, first wrap the nut in a towel and hit it on the floor.

How to open a coconut in the oven at home?

This is an unusual and effective way to crack the fruit, do not forget to express the coconut juice before doing this. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, place the nut on a baking sheet and leave for 20 minutes. After this time, a crack should form in the shell.

How to open a coconut at home with a hammer?

We pour the milk out of the fruit, then hit it with a hammer until a crack appears. Insert a knife into the crack and cut the nut.

After splitting, you need to extract the pulp. Also, don't forget to remove the brown skin from the coconut using a knife, we don't need it. The pulp can be eaten just like that (pieces) or used to prepare any dishes, the same goes for juice.

How to open a coconut correctly: video instructions

This video will help you deal with coconut shells in just a couple of minutes. All that remains is to remove the peel and enjoy the pulp. Bon appetit!

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The exotic taste of coconut is familiar to everyone. Numerous confectionery products containing it are especially popular. Real lovers buy nuts and only then think about the question of how to open a coconut at home.

It is better to buy nuts in places where they are sold in large quantities, for example, in supermarkets. A single fruit on a display case can lie for many months, the contents can turn sour or moldy.

When choosing a product, you should carefully examine its peel: the color should be even and without spots. If traces of mold are found, you should immediately put the product aside; it is dangerous to eat it.

On one side of the nut, three circles should be visible, through which the coconut received nutrition from the palm tree. The peel in these places should be intact and elastic. Try pressing it with your finger; if it gives in, it means the fruit has begun to deteriorate and is not suitable for food.

After assessing the appearance, the coconut should be shaken. Splashes of liquid indicate good quality of the product.

What will you need to open the nut?

After choosing a suitable nut, the question arises of how to open a coconut at home. The peel of the fruit is extremely strong and thick, so opening it will require skill and working tools or a large, strong knife.

Suitable tools for opening the nut:

hammer;
large knife, cleaver;
screwdriver, awl;
a strong, large enough cutting board.

The most popular methods

Before opening the shell, you should make a hole in the place of one of the three coconut spots and pour out the juice.

After the liquid contents have been extracted, you need to get to the juicy pulp. The question arises of how to properly open a coconut using available tools.

To open the thick peel, you should choose a suitable knife. It must be strong and big. You can use a cleaver to chop meat and bones. Open the nut like this.

We take the coconut in our left hand and hold the knife with our right.
We apply strong blows to the side of the nut, gradually turning it along the longitudinal axis.
As soon as the sound changes, you should inspect the peel - a crack has appeared in it.
Apply several blows to the damaged area until the coconut cracks completely.

In this case, the nut is separated in half. Once the pulp is separated, the peel can be used for crafts and other purposes.

With a hammer

Provided you have sufficient physical strength, you can crack a nut with a hammer.

The fruit is placed in a strong plastic bag.
Installed on a solid surface, concrete floor.
The hammer strikes the nut hard.

As a result of this method, the peel splits into irregularly shaped fragments.

You can crack the shell in the area where the three holes are located. After the holes have been made and the milk has been extracted, you can begin to open the shell through the existing holes.

To do this, insert a strong knife into one of the holes. Then hit the handle with your hand or any strong object. The blade of the knife will go deep into the nut. After this, you should carefully turn the tool by the handle; as a result of these actions, the nut will crack.

In the oven

If you don’t have the necessary tools at hand or lack physical strength and determination, the thermal method will come to the rescue. The instructions on how to open a coconut in the oven are as follows.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Drain the liquid from the coconut.
Place the fruit in a deep form.
Leave in the oven for twenty minutes.

After this treatment, the nut shell will burst, and the pulp will easily break off from the walls of the peel.

Extracting juice and pulp

Before opening the fruit, you should drain the liquid contents - coconut milk. To do this, you need to use an awl or a screwdriver to pierce three holes that are clearly visible on one side of the nut. The peel in these places is not so dense, so this is not difficult to do.

To quickly drain the milk, two holes are enough: liquid will come out through one, air will enter the fetus through the other. The liquid can be drunk or used in cooking or home cosmetology.

If coconut milk or pulp has an unpleasant or sour odor, it is better to throw out the fruit. This is evidence of product damage.

You can insert a straw into the hole and enjoy coconut milk straight from the nut.

For better separation of the pulp, the nut is placed for several minutes in an oven preheated to 180 degrees or for ten minutes in. Before this, the juice must be poured out. The white mass can be consumed fresh or made into coconut flakes and used in cooking.

When cracking a coconut, you should remember to be safe, as its thick shell can break off and fly apart if hit hard. In addition, you must carefully handle tools: a knife, a screwdriver, a hammer.

In order to protect yourself and others, you should follow the recommendations given.

When cracking a nut with a hammer, you can use more than just a bag. A fruit wrapped in a towel is easier to hold on the work surface. For the same purposes, cling film is suitable, which is wrapped around the coconut several times. In this case, you need to leave a tail of polyethylene for better fixation.
Protect your eyes from possible small fragments.
Do not try to cut the shell with the sharp side of a knife. The blade may slip.
When piercing the eyes with an awl or screwdriver, you should fix the fruit; you can ask another person to help.
Do not crack nuts in the presence of small children. An accidental fragment can cause serious injury.

When eating coconut, you should pay attention to these recommendations.

Before opening, drain the liquid.
Once the skin is damaged, for example to extract milk, the nut is considered opened. It must be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of plus five degrees for no longer than 48 hours.
The removed pulp dries quickly; for storage in the refrigerator, it can be filled with water.
Whole nuts can be stored for up to three months.
Coconut milk can be frozen in ice cube trays and stored that way for up to three months. When fresh, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
To prepare coconut flakes, the pulp should be grated and dried in the oven at a low temperature of up to 50 degrees.

The nut shell is quite strong and durable. If the nut is split into two parts, the peel can be put to interesting uses. There are a large number of children's crafts using it.

It can be used as a candlestick, an unusual box, or a glass for pencils. If there is an aquarium in the house, then parts of the shell will become a wonderful home for fish. Its structure does not change the composition and chemical parameters of water.

In the same role it is suitable for other small pets. Gardeners can use the nut shell as small pots for flowers or strawberries.

Conclusion

The hard shell of the coconut should not be an obstacle for those who want to enjoy the refreshing and healthy contents. The main thing is to follow safety rules, then the process of opening the shell will not take much time and effort.

Almost every person, having decided to try the fruit of a coconut palm for the first time, is interested in how to open a coconut so that they can quickly and beautifully get to its pulp. After all, it is covered with a very dense and thick shell consisting of fibers. But if you gain experience and repeat the procedure 3-4 times, you can become a real expert in this matter and even give advice to inexperienced beginners.

How to get coconut milk

Of particular value for cooks and exotic lovers is the coconut core, which you need to get to. There are several ways to do this, but first you need to drink or pour out the coconut milk that is under the shell.

If you shake the fruit when choosing a coconut, you can hear the splashing of liquid inside, which can be eaten. If splashing is not heard, then this fruit is already old, it has been lying on the store counter for a long time and may already be spoiled. After all, the coconut itself is milk that has frozen and turned into pulp and shell.

In order to open a coconut correctly, you need to perform some steps one by one. First you need to wash the fruit, and then find three small dark dots on its upper, slightly pointed part. These are the most vulnerable places of the coconut, since it was here that the nut was attached to the palm tree by its petiole and from here nutrients were supplied to it.

After this, you can take any sharp object - a nail, screwdriver, corkscrew or awl and carefully pierce any 2 holes. After this, you can insert a straw into one hole and drink a delicious drink straight from the shell. Or you can turn the fruit over and let the coconut milk drain into a container.

How to crack a coconut

So, coconut - how to open it. After all the liquid from the fruit has been drained or drunk, you can begin to split it. You can do this in several ways:

You need to put the nut in a clean plastic bag and hit it hard with a hammer several times. The shell of the fruit will crack and it will be enough to simply separate the pulp from it with a knife. At the same time, from impacts the pulp can often crack and fall apart into pieces.
Although the next method is a little more complicated and requires skill, it is so effective and beautiful that it will always arouse the admiration of others. You need to take the coconut in your left hand and visually determine the “equator” on it, i.e. a line running through the widest part of the nut. Then you need to step back 2-3 cm from this line towards the narrow part of the nut, where the holes are located, and hit the fruit several times with the back of a heavy and durable knife. After several strong blows, a crack will appear on the coconut, into which you need to insert a knife and use it to split the shell in half. As a result, you will be left with a whole, undamaged coconut core and 2 halves of its shell, which are suitable for crafts.
Similar to the previous method, before opening a coconut at home, you need to find the “equator” on it. After this, you need to monotonously tap the “equator” of the fruit with the tapered end of the hammer. After some time, the shell will not hold up and will split into 2 halves. After this, you can carefully remove the upper part of the fruit. If the pulp sticks to the shell, you will need to use a knife and carefully separate it.
You need to take a handsaw or hacksaw and slowly cut the coconut, after draining the milk from it. This method will be ideal in case of stress.
If you pour out the liquid from the fruit, you can take a large kitchen or hunting knife and place the coconut on a cutting board and hit it hard. The nut will split into 2 neat halves.

How to use coconut meat

After the fruit shell is cracked, the fruit pulp can be eaten, but not everyone knows how to do this correctly.

Young coconuts, which can easily be cut with a knife, are quite easy to eat. After all the liquid has been poured out, you need to make a larger hole in the shell and eat the tasty, tender pulp directly with a spoon.

In older fruits, the pulp is surrounded by a brown peel, which must be cut off with a knife or vegetable peeler. After this, the ripe coconut meat can be cut into small pieces and eaten as is.

An overripe nut will have quite hard flesh and is best used for culinary purposes. Using a regular grater, you can grate the pulp into shavings, which are an ideal topping for pastries and pies. You can also add coconut shavings to homemade baked goods - buns or pancakes. And from a large amount of shavings you can make tender, aromatic and very tasty cookies.

In Thailand, coconut is one of the ingredients of national dishes, because here a variety of sauces, delicious soups and many other interesting dishes are prepared from its pulp and milk.

Having learned how to open a coconut at home, you no longer have to worry about not being able to get to its delicious pulp and feel free to purchase this exotic tropical fruit.

Another way to split a coconut is in the video.

This article is for those who want to know how to open a coconut, and also what this coconut can be used for, what to cook from it. In fact, opening a coconut at home can be very simple and quick. And it is not at all necessary to chase the long-suffering nut around the apartment with an ax, causing damage to the floor and furniture. Now, if you need coconut juice, coconut milk or oil, or coconut flakes for cooking, I’m sure it will be easier to open a coconut yourself than to look for these products in stores. In addition, it will turn out cheaper, tastier and healthier.

First, let's find out how to choose a coconut? You need to carefully examine it: there should be no cracks, damage or mold either on the shell or near the “eyes”. It’s good if the coconut is quite large and heavy, and if you shake it, liquid splashes inside. If you can’t hear the splashing of liquid, most likely the coconut was damaged during transportation, and coconut water (coconut juice) leaked out of it, and the nut itself is spoiled: such a coconut is not worth buying. By the way, the lighter the coconut, the younger it is. It will contain more coconut juice and the juice will taste better.
Now let's find out how to open a coconut? We find three small indentations on the coconut - “eyes”.
Using a knife, corkscrew or clean screwdriver, make a hole in one of the “eyes”. One of them is very thin and can be pierced easily; as a rule, it is located closer to the center than the others.
Then pour the liquid from the coconut into a bowl or glass. This is coconut juice (or coconut water). You can drink this juice right away. If the coconut is good, then the coconut water should have a fresh, pleasant taste and aroma.
How to open the coconut itself? Method 1. Holding the coconut firmly in your hand, hit the middle of the coconut (equator) with the blunt side of a heavy knife or the sharp side of a hammer. or at a height of 1/3 from the top with “eyes”. Don't hit too hard, constantly turning the coconut in a circle.
After a few blows the nut will crack, you can open the coconut and split it into two halves.
Method 2. Preheat the oven to 200º. Drain the juice from the coconut and place it in a hot oven for 15 minutes. The coconut skin will crack on its own due to the temperature. When removing the nut from the oven, use oven mitts or a towel. Now the nut can be easily divided into pieces. If necessary, you can lightly hit it with a hammer - this will help separate the larger half of the shell into pieces.
Using a knife with a round end, we pry up the white flesh of the coconut and try to separate it from the hard shell. To do this, run a knife around the perimeter; the pulp should separate from the shell. Alternatively, the pulp right inside the shell can be cut into slices and removed.
You can use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to remove the brown skin from the pulp.
The shelled coconut can be cut into smaller pieces. Coconut meat can be simply eaten or cooked from it.

Today, coconuts can be bought in almost any store that sells fruit. But they still rarely buy them, most often because they don’t know how to open them. In fact, there is nothing complicated about it.

Coconut - a gift from heaven

We are used to calling coconut a nut. But this is not a nut, but a drupe, and its relatives are, for example, peach, cherry, plum, viburnum and even raspberries and cloudberries.

What else is good about coconut - it is absolutely waste-free, that is, all its parts are used - coconut water is drunk, milk, butter and shavings are made from the white pulp, and the shell is used for various crafts.

This is interesting! The true homeland of the coconut is not known for certain, since its seeds, carried by ocean currents, spread independently, eventually filling all the coasts of the tropical zone.

Fresh coconut is a storehouse of nutrients. It is rich in many minerals, including potassium, calcium, zinc, sodium, iron, copper, selenium, iodine, and vitamins C, K, E, group B.
Ocean currents carried the coconut fruits, allowing them to spread along the coasts of the entire tropical zone.

Coconut water is considered an excellent electrolyte replenisher (by the way, this property makes it an excellent hangover cure), and is also close in composition to human blood plasma (it can even be used for transfusions). Eating coconut can generally improve blood quality, increase the elasticity of blood vessels and lower cholesterol levels, which, in turn, significantly reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis.

All products derived from coconuts strengthen the immune system. The pulp of the fruit is successfully used to treat diarrhea and poisoning; the local population even used it to treat cholera. Drops for ear diseases are also made from the pulp. If you burn the shell, the resulting ashes can be used to dry and disinfect wounds, including purulent ones. Coconut is generally an excellent antiseptic.

By the way! Aborigines call coconut a gift from heaven, but translated from Latin its name sounds like “monkey.” Apparently, because local residents made almost everything they needed for life from the fruits of coconut palm trees, from a variety of food products to furniture and clothing, and did not work by the sweat of their brow, Catholic preachers disliked these plants and waged a merciless fight against them, cutting them down entire coconut groves.

The local population calls coconuts a gift from heaven and makes almost everything they need for life from them.

Coconuts, especially coconut water, help improve the functioning of the excretory system, have a diuretic effect, and also help dissolve kidney stones. Eating coconut pulp normalizes digestion and cleanses the intestines. It is also an excellent remedy for the prevention of osteoporosis.

Attention! Patients with diabetes can drink coconut water without fear; moreover, it perfectly stabilizes blood glucose levels, but it is better for them to avoid eating the pulp and its derivatives (milk, oil), since the pulp contains more sugars.

Coconut water is a natural energy booster that can restore lost energy in a short time, which makes it an indispensable drink for athletes and people engaged in physical labor. It also prevents dehydration.

Cosmetologists love coconut oil, as it nourishes, moisturizes well, significantly reduces oiliness, slows down skin aging, and also restores hair.

Selecting and opening a coconut

To choose a good coconut, remember just four rules:

The coconut should be light in color. Dark - too old, overdried.
The shell should not have cracks or chips, and the fibers should not be too wrinkled or broken.
The coconut should be heavy and have liquid inside. Therefore, weigh the fruit in your hand and then shake it over your ear - if it gurgles, it means you can take it.
There are three indentations at the top of the coconut. Inspect them carefully - they should be undamaged, clean and free of mold.

A good coconut is light in color, with a whole shell and three clean cavities

If all these conditions are met, then you will most likely get a good coconut. Now you need to open it.

This is quite simple to do, but there are some nuances.

You will need:

A stable stand (this can be a small salad bowl or bowl, preferably metal so that it does not break; a salad ring of a suitable size is ideal).
Something sharp (an awl, a screwdriver, a thick nail; some men generally prefer a drill and a metal saw blade, especially if they later make something out of the shell).
A knife with a sharp tip.
Hammer (preferably small).
Container for draining coconut water.
Spoon.

Start by poking the three indentations on the top of the fruit with your sharp object. One of the holes is easily pierced. Expand it (this can be done with the sharp tip of a knife or even the handle of a teaspoon; you can also use a regular corkscrew).
A hammer and a screwdriver are the best tools for opening a ripe coconut.

In principle, you can already pour out the coconut water, but it is better to make a second hole to speed up the process. You can't do without a hammer here. For example, place a screwdriver on the second recess and hit it with a hammer. You now have a second hole.

Now drain the coconut water. It is not stored for a long time, so it is better to drink it immediately or put it in the refrigerator and use it within 24 hours, for example, for culinary purposes.
This line is the best way to open a coconut

Let's start breaking the coconut. Mentally divide it into three parts (as in the picture) and start tapping along the indicated line with a hammer, turning the coconut in a circle. Soon a crack will appear (sometimes after the first lap). If you don't have the patience, you can insert a screwdriver into this crack and hit it with a hammer - the fruit will crack.

Video: how to open a ripe coconut

But there is one trick here. You can make the white pulp separate from the shell itself. To do this, continue tapping the coconut along the drawn line with jerky, but not very strong blows. It is better to hit with the sharp side of the hammer.

If everything is done correctly, the coconut will not only split into two parts, but the flesh itself will separate from the shell. All you have to do is remove the thin brown layer with a sharp knife. If the pulp does not separate, it doesn’t matter. Using a sharp knife, cut it into segments right into the peel, and then scrape it out with a spoon.
If you break the coconut correctly, the flesh will separate from the shell itself.

How to open a drinking coconut

A young, unripe fruit that contains a lot of coconut water is called drinkable. It is covered with a thick inedible intercarp. The pit in it has not yet completely hardened, so such a coconut can be easily opened with a sharp knife. The natives knock off the lid with one blow, but you shouldn’t try to repeat this. It takes a lot of practice to do this.

You can buy drinking coconuts in countries where they grow. This product is also available in some online stores. So we still have more access to mature coconuts. But if you still have to face the green ones, make a hole as best you can. Shelled coconuts are easier to open.
It is easier to open already cut drinking coconuts

For example, you can:

Remove the pulp from one side only, poke a hole and put a straw in there. This method is good if you have a not very sharp or small knife.
You can simply poke a hole in a drinking coconut
Make a hole using a special coconut corkscrew.
You can open a drinking coconut with a special corkscrew
Using a sharp knife, make a cut parallel to the bottom of the pre-hewn coconut.
You can carefully cut off the cap of a green coconut.
Make four cuts and remove the resulting lid. If the coconut is very young, you can simply cut it with a sharp knife; if it is of medium maturity, you can cut it with four strokes of the cleaver (do not use your hands). It is convenient to eat the pulp from a coconut opened in this way with a spoon.
Four cuts are the most popular way to open a drinking coconut.
Drill a hole with a drill and insert a straw into it.
Green coconut can be drilled with a drill

What to do with coconut meat

The white flesh of coconut can be used to make milk, butter and shavings.

Milk

The pulp must be crushed. This can be done in two ways: on a grater or in a blender.

Then the crushed pulp is poured with water in a ratio of 1: 1.5 or 1: 2. The more water, the less fat the milk will have. The water should be boiled and warm.

Then you can beat the mixture in a blender again and immediately strain through cheesecloth. Or add water, leave for half an hour, and then strain. Either way, you will have coconut milk that is ready to drink. I prefer to insist.
Strain the infused mixture of coconut flakes and water through cheesecloth.

If you are going to make butter later, you definitely need to use less water. If you want to use milk for baking, then use a ratio of one to two. If you prefer to make a smoothie, you can do it either way. It all depends on whether you like it thicker or thinner. By the way, making a smoothie is very simple: pour the resulting milk into a blender (or use an immersion blender), add any fruits and berries (preferably seasonal) and blend. Of course, it is better to do this right away, since self-prepared coconut milk very quickly begins to lose its beneficial properties.

Oil

Coconut oil is made in the same way as milk. Chopped shavings and warm boiled water are mixed in a ratio of 1: 1.5. Next we proceed in two ways:

We take the milk obtained according to the recipes described above, cool it and put it in the refrigerator. In a day or less it will separate, carefully remove the top layer, like cream from regular cow's milk. Transfer to a jar, store in the refrigerator and use.

Grind the pulp, add warm water, cool completely and put in the refrigerator. Overnight, a layer of coconut oil will form on top; its consistency should resemble lard. We also carefully remove it and melt it in a water bath. Do not warm it up, just until it becomes liquid. Strain through cheesecloth to remove pieces of shavings. Pour into a clean jar and place in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.
The consistency of homemade coconut oil is similar to lard

Freshly made coconut oil will keep for about a week, so don't make a lot of it at once.

By the way! To make oil, it is better to choose old coconuts. The older the coconut, the more oil can be extracted from it. In addition, it will be more fatty.

Coconut oil is an excellent cosmetic and medicinal product. It can be used to remove makeup from the area around the eyes, mixed with sunscreen (or even used instead), and used as a cream to eliminate flaking skin, for example, on the elbows. As a medicine, it can be used to heal household burns or cuts, and against cracked heels.

Of course, milk and coconut oil obtained at home cannot be stored for long. But in my opinion, they are much nicer and healthier than industrial products stuffed with preservatives and other chemicals. You just need to make them in small portions so you have time to use them.

Shavings

It is easiest to freeze the squeezed coconut flakes and use them as needed - add them to the dough or make the filling for the Bounty cake. But if you need shavings for sprinkling, you will have to dry them. This can be done in several ways. Here are the simplest ones:

Cover a baking sheet with parchment, spread the shavings over it and leave to dry naturally.
Place it on a baking sheet and place it in a preheated (one hundred degrees is enough) oven on the very top. Turn off the oven immediately, close the door and leave the chips there for a couple of days until completely dry.
Dry in the oven at one hundred degrees with the door open until done.

It is better to dry coconut flakes on a baking sheet lined with parchment

Dried shavings can be stored for a long time in dry, hermetically sealed containers.

Coconut shells are also useful

Don't throw away coconut shells. You can make many useful and simply beautiful things from it. Of course, this is a topic for a separate article, but you can just admire it.

Photo gallery: crafts made from coconut shells

You can make a set of bowls from coconut shells. Coconut shells are suitable for making scented candles. But this beauty can be used as vases or lampshades. Coconut flowerpots look original. You can make buttons from fragments of coconut shells. Earrings can also be made from small pieces of coconut shells. You can make comfortable ones from coconuts. bird feeders Coconut headphones sound good Coconuts can be used to make various lamps