How to Open a Coconut

Sure, they taste great and have an interesting texture, but there's one big problem with coconuts--they are notoriously difficult to open. This guide will teach you how to easily open a coconut so you can actually use that delicious meat and rich milk inside its tough shell.

• Maybe you're in the mood to add a tropical touch to your favorite dessert. Perhaps you are having friends over and you want to serve your guests tropical drinks. The coconut is a nut that will help you in a wide range of dishes. The only problem? Getting through that rough exterior. Here's how to open a coconut.

1. Be sure that the thick, hairy husk has already been removed from the coconut.
2. Drain the coconut water to use in other meals.
3. Wrap the coconut in a towel before pounding it.
4. Set the coconut on a hard surface when opening it; a softer surface could cause you to hurt yourself as your hammer rebounds.
5. Enjoy the coconut meat raw or as an ingredient in a recipe.

• Since the coconut can only grow in tropical areas, you might not be familiar with the anatomy of the nut. You may decide to open a coconut differently, depending on what part to use. Here are the parts of the coconut.Global Gourmet: Kate's Global Kitchen: All About Coconuts Coconut: Where Coconuts Grow

1. Coconut water is the untreated juice in the center of the coconut.Global Gourmet: Kate's Global Kitchen: All About Coconuts
2. Coconut meat is the hard, crisp stuff inside the shell. This is the edible part and is typically shredded or cut before it is served.Global Gourmet: Kate's Global Kitchen: All About Coconuts
3. Coconut milk is the juice strained from the meat. The flavor is tempered by simmering it at a medium temperature. Coconut milk is a useful ingredient for Thai and other kinds of cuisine.
4. The husk is a thick, hairy layer that is usually removed before being put out for sale at a supermarket.Maona: How to Husk a Coconut
5. The hard shell is the tough part you'll need to get through in order to get at the delicious inside.

• Sure, you could always go crazy and smash the coconut with a sledgehammer. If you do this, however, you'll miss all of the coconut water inside. Here are different ways to open a coconut enough to drain it in a glass so you can use it later.

1. Make three cuts into the top of the coconut until the triangle-shaped piece comes out, making an easy-pour spout.The Urban Vegan: anatomy of a coconut
2. Go native and open your coconut the way Pacific Islanders do. Get a rounded stone a little bigger than your hand. Pound the stone around the equator of the hard shell of the coconut. After you go around the coconut a few times, the coconut will start to crack. Pound on the weakest part until you can pour out the coconut water.Primitive Ways: Opening a Coconut With a Stone
3. Use a power drill to make an easy hole through which you can drain the coconut water.
4. Using a hand tool to make a hole can work very well, too. Here are some hand tools that do a good job of opening a small hole:Yahoo! Answers: Whats the best way to open a coconut?
   1. A hacksaw will make a clean slice in the shell of the coconut.
   2. A corkscrew makes a small, but effective hole in the top divot of the coconut.
   3. An awl will also make a small hole.
   4. A hammer and chisel can be used to carve a hole in the coconut's shell.

• Now that you've drained out the coconut water, it's time for some stress-relieving fun. You have to split the coconut to access all of that delicious coconut meat. Here are a few ways to do this:

1. Grab a hammer and a clean towel large enough to hold your coconut. (If you're really stressed out, grab a sledgehammer.How to Open a Coconut: How to open a coconut)
   1. Wrap the coconut around the towel and place it on a hard surface.
   2. Smash the coconut with the hammer until the shell is broken enough for you to get to the meat.
2. If you used a stone to make a crack in the coconut, continue pounding along the coconut's equator until the coconut splits into halves.Primitive Ways: Opening a Coconut With a Stone
3. Place the blade of a hatchet in the hole you made to drain the coconut water.Yahoo! Answers: Whats the best way to open a coconut?
4. Continue sawing through the coconut shell with a hacksaw.

• Now that your coconut is open, you're very close to enjoying the meat. The meat is usually a half-inch thick and won't come out easy. Here are some different ways to harvest it.Polynesia: Coconut Cracking - How to Crack a Coconut

1. Slice into the coconut meat at an angle with a dull knife. Since you're doing it at an angle, you have the leverage necessary to simply twist the knife to pop out a nice, big piece of meat. Repeat until you've gotten it all.Polynesia: Coconut Cracking - How to Crack a Coconut
2. Use the old-fashioned technique. Get a shell with a serrated edge and use it to scrape the meat out of the shell.Primitive Ways: Opening a Coconut With a Stone
3. If you pounded the coconut into little pieces, you can use a sharp knife to slice the meat away from the shell.

• So, now you have a bunch of coconut meat and delicious coconut water. What are some mouth-watering ways to use them?

1. Prepare the coconut meat and the coconut water.
   1. The coconut meat can be grated with a cheese grater. Use different sides, depending on the size of coconut pieces called for by your recipe.Primitive Ways: Opening a Coconut With a Stone
      • For a more complex flavor, you can even toast the coconut, browning some of the flakes.Baking911: Toast or Roast Nuts or Coconut
   2. Turn the coconut water into coconut milk by simmering it in a saucepan over a medium heat.Global Gourmet: Kate's Global Kitchen: All About Coconuts
2. Munch on the coconut raw if you like. They taste good and have an unusual texture.
3. Use your liberated coconut in a recipe.Coconut Recipes: Coconut Recipes
   1. Coconut shrimp combines two interesting textures with scrumptious results.Coconut Recipes: Coconut Shrimp recipe
   2. Coconut chewy macaroons are a great after-school treat.Recipezaar: Coconut Chewy Macaroons recipe
   3. Baking coconut bread keeps the house warm in the winter and ensures you have a tasty desert.BBC Food: Coconut bread

• After using a little elbow grease, you've opened up your coconut and are enjoying the fruits of your labor. (Even though coconuts are not a fruit, but a nut.)