Home Page / Purchase Book / Ice Cream Makers / Kitchen Extras / How to open a mature coconut / How to open a young coconut / How to make fresh coconut milk! / Coconut Milk Explained
Durian: The King of Fruit! / How to open a durian / Chocolate in the Raw! class / Past Events / Quotes / Biography / Shipping / Contact us! / SoyStache.com

From our sister site SoyStache.com (a vegan site): Raw Food Articles / Raw Food Books / Vegan Raw Food Events / Raw Food Information / Raw Food Links /
Raw Restaurants / Natural Weight Loss Diet / Jesus (Yashua) and Raw Foods /Raw (vegan) Thanksgiving

How to Open a Mature (brown) Coconut! page 2

In my book, Vice Cream, I tell how to make coconut milk. This section is for those who want some
instruction on how to select and open a mature coconut, how to remove the "meat",
how to shred it, and how to make delicious fresh raw coconut milk!
- Jeff Rogers

How to open a mature coconut - page 1
How to open a mature coconut - page 2

Opening coconuts continued:
Back to previous page...

After draining the coconut, look at the liquid. It should be fairly clear and should not have any "clouds," or slimy materials in it. These are signs of bacterial growth. Smell the water and even taste it. The water will give you a sense of the freshness. The water is usually fairly clear, sometimes having a slight opacity. When using several coconuts, it is a good idea to do this before adding the water to the water from other coconuts. I have found many "bad" coconuts, so using this method prevents me from ruining the whole batch of water with one bad coconut. Once I have opened the coconut and know it is good, I will transfer the water to a larger container with other water.

Breaking Open the Shell
I prefer using the back of a meat cleaver to open the coconut, as this is a quick and fairly clean method. Using other tools, such as hammers, can cause the shell to shatter. The thin, curved meat cleaver works well to cause a fairly clean break.

If you wish to use clean half coconut shells for something "crafty" (cups, bowls, percussion instruments, Polynesian bikini tops!) use a saw to cut the shell in half. Be careful, as the shells move around a bit. Use something to hold the coconut stable. After sawing the shells, rinse the inside and edges of the shells as the sawing gets the edges dusty. I suggest scraping off the edges with a knife as well, removing a thin layer of coconut meat that came in contact with the saw and "saw dust".

For other methods, use eye protection as you can have flying shell fragments. There is a natural (but hidden) line around the coconut that, when hit properly, can cause the shell to crack all the way around.

Hold the shell with the "eyes" facing down. Using the back of sturdy meat cleaver, strike the shell about a third of the way down from the top. Start with a light strike and build up till the shell cracks.

Once you have cracked the coconut all the way around (or at least most of the way), pull the two halves apart. Sometimes you may end up with several pieces. I you end up with a small piece coming off first, break the remaining piece in half to give you easier access to the meat.

Another method is the "drop method." Put the coconut in a mesh or plastic bag. Hold the coconut above a solid surface (like cement) and drop. Throwing the coconut down may expedite the process, but may get messy (coconut shrapnel)! Of course, especially stubborn shells may need some extra encouragement to give up their meat!

For those who eat frozen durians, the mesh bags they come in are great for coconuts. Just remove the bag carefully from the durian and save for breaking coconuts.

While it is actually possible to crack open the coconut with the liquid still inside AND keep the liquid fairly contained (good for impressing people) this can often be messy. If you are not interested in saving the liquid (it's still good for verifying the freshness of the coconut, though) and have a large sink or other area to open the coconut, it can certainly save time. WARNING: As coconut water can stain, wear clothes that you don't mind getting stained!

Next

Back to page 1

For instructions on how to open a mature coconut CLICK HERE!

For instructions on removing the coconut "meat" CLICK HERE!

For instructions on how to shred coconut CLICK HERE!

For instructions on making fresh (raw) coconut "milk" CLICK HERE!

How to open a young coconut...

The Naughty Vegan Home Page / Purchase Book / Biography / Ice Cream Makers / Kitchen Extras / How to open a mature coconut / How to open a young coconut / Durian: The King of Fruit!
How to make fresh coconut milk! / Coconut Milk Explained / How to open a durian / Chocolate in the Raw! class / Past Events / Quotes / Shipping
Contact us!/Email list / SoyStache.com / How to Make "Blue Ice" / Vegan Ice Cream