Young coconut & Freezing bananas questions

[codajess]

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[SNMB]

1. I ALWAYS spill water while opening them, because they're so full. Is this normal? I wonder how you people who "hack" at them don't lose it all!
2. How do you keep all the little pieces of "wood" out of your coconut water? Both times so far, I end up with chunks of the outside in my milk.
3. When I scrape the jelly/meat out, a lot of it has pieces of the inner "wood" attached to it; or a layer of the brown from the inside of the shell on it. Should I go ahead and mix it in the smoothies, or should I cut it off? Does that normally come off with the meat when you scrape?

1. I spill a tiny, tiny bit. Maybe a tablespoon? This is because they're so full. The method I use is to shave the white part off the top, revealing the brown shell in a circle, then hitting it with the heal of my knife. If I go for it, I can get it in one try. Then, once there is a cut in there, I put the tip of my knive in and wiggle it. The coconut is ringed, so one expanded cut will pop out a circle. There also isn't to much movement, so water loss is cut down upon.
2. With this method, you're sort of ripping it, rather than cutting or chopping or drilling it, except for the original whack, so I don't have a problem with this.
3. If the jelly is soft enough, I use a spatula. Unlike a spoon, which I assume you're using, it doesn't cut into the brown part but just peels it away.

[codajess]

Oh DUH. Note to self: SPATULA.

[Sheryl]

Hi all!

Regular bananas tend to oxidize when they are exposed to air. It's not really part of the ripening process. If you freeze your bananas, then once frozen seal in a plastic bag you won't have any issues with browning.

If you have lady finger bananas (one variety of small banana) they don't oxidize and can be frozen as is. It was a once interesting fast that's now become part of their advertising.

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Linda1970]

My answers are exactly like SNMB. :)

[Pink Halo]

I Did The Same Technique Today With The Screwdriver Etc...not Easy At All..but I Made Some Tasty Treats That Were Worth The Work....would Love To Know An Easier Tecq. Though.....

[codajess]

I was thinking about that. Next time I'm going to freeze them in a plastic bag instead of a tupperware container.


I did the third coconut tonight. I drained the water through the bottom, then hit it with the corner of the knife near the handle. I tried to get the ring to crack right, but I couldn't get it. I used one hand to pry up the top, and used the other one to cut with a knife, moving the coconut til I got all the way around. It was the easiest so far, but I'm still going to attempt cracking a ring!

[mrsalf97]

Do you have Alissa's dvd? She shows how to open one.