How to open a coconut?

[swiddweas]

OK> I tried hitting the coconut with a hammer. I broke the bowl it was sitting in instead. I tried a nail in one of the eyes, it slipped and fell on the ground, so I hit it again with a hammer and then all the milk drained out onto the floor!! This has happened twice so far, what am I doing wrong? I am so tired of chasing this ball around the room as if it had a mind of it's own.

Then, how do you get the meat out? You have to be a weight lifter to scrape that stuff out. Help, please! :confused:

Thanks alot.

[Rawkinlocs]

this should help: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3747&highlight=opening+coconut

[sport]

The correct implement to use to open a coconut is a cleaver and not a hammer

[swiddweas]

Thank you all for your help, LOL!!

How do you keep the coconut from rolling around while you do this, please?


Swid

[sport]

I bought my first ever coconut since joining this forum and as we drove home my guy was asking how I would open it. I said I would google it. I logged on when I got home and checked my in box and to my amazement there was a short video from the raw newsletter called "how to open a coconut". It was amazing timing. I opened the coconut and it was rotten. I later deleted the video. pity

[VeggieMel]

A great way to open a mature brown coconut after you've used the juice is to hold it high above your head and drop it onto a hard surface. It'll usually crack open in a half on the first try. If not, just do it again. Works like a charm. Getting the meat out is still a challenge.

[WinterSun]

We use a cleaver to open. About 4 cuts around top then pry it up. We put a straw in to drink the water. When it's all we take it outside and put it on the sidewalk and bring the cleaver down, let the cleaver stick and just lift it over head and slam on the sidewalk till it's cracked enough to pull apart. We scrape out the meat and once a week I'll run the meat through the food processer then dehydrate it, when its dry I chop it through the food processer again. Alas, yong coconuts are hard on the cleaver, we had this one(from Target $10) for 3 months and hubby broke part of the blade on sidwalk today :(

[RawTruth]

A cleaver works only for young Thai coconuts, but the OP wasn't clear whether it was a mature brown coconut or a young coconut. But, since s/he tried to drive a nail through an "eye", I'm thinking it's not a young coconut. Young coconuts are the only ones I eat, and I now use a machete (I first turn it over and drive a screwdriver into the soft spot that's on the flat bottom, after which I insert a straw into that hole and drink the water. When it's empty, I take it onto my back patio and whack it in two with the machete, after which I scrape out the soft meat with a spoon. Yummy.)

[WinterSun]

I'll have to tell my hubby about the bottom as a possible entery point. He has a young coconut every day, I only do one about twice a week. He did mention about getting a machete today.

[PixieGreen]

Or, you can open a coconut by accident as I did yesterday...

I'm keeping fruits on a high shelf to keep an uninvited houseguest from eating them [a rat. yes, a rat. that jumped out of my little trash bin and leapt onto my leg then held on for dear life while I yelped "ahh! ahh! get off me! get off me!" hopping on one foot and shaking the other to dislodge it. my cat wandered in a full minute afterwards and with a complete lack of interest started nibbling on her food. gracious, kitty, what are you good for?].

I was getting a cantalope off the shelf for breakfast when one of my mature coconuts rolled off the shelf, crashed into dear cat's water dish [splashing water and kibbles all over the floor], cracked 3/4 open and leaked. I finished the job with a hammer on the porch and pried the meat from the shell with a wide knife.

The coconut was very good. :)

Christa

[WinterSun]

RawTruth, Where can you buy a machete?

[rawgrrl]

I think you can get machetes from army/navy stores and camping supply/outdoor adventure stores.

[RawTruth]

WinterSun -- I bought mine at Ace Hardware. I'm not sure if Home Depot or Lowe's would have them (in the gardening section), but Ace definitely did.

[WinterSun]

RawTruth--Thank you, I'll be checking it out. I'm having a coconut for breakfast this AM. :)