How to Add Coconut

Coconut is a fruit that is both delicious and has many uses, but if it is fresh coconut, even better. You may shy away from buying a whole coconut if you think you need a drill, metal saw, or other specialized tools to cut the coconut. Fortunately, you can actually supplement coconuts with items that you probably already have at home. The method of baking the coconut in the oven will soften the coconut enough that you just have to hit the coconut on a hard surface and it will break. If you don’t have an oven, you can use a mallet or hammer to break the coconut. Once you have cut the coconut, you only need a kitchen knife and a peeler to get the copra to eat.

Table of Contents

Squeeze coconut water

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Poke a hole in the top of the coconut. On the top of the coconut, there are 3 indentations, also known as eyes, in which there is one softest eye. Use a sharp knife to test each indentation to find which one is easiest to poke and make a hole about 1.5cm wide. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You can also use a metal skewer or screwdriver to poke holes in the top of the coconut.

Place the coconut in the rim of the cup. To get coconut water, you need to use a cup. Turn the coconut upside down on the rim of the cup so that the hole you just poked is right over the cup. ^{[2] X Research Source}

You can also place the coconut over the top of the bowl to catch the coconut water. However, if you use a cup that fits over the top of a coconut, you won’t have to hold it to catch the water running down.
Measuring cups are also great for catching coconut water.

Wait for the coconut water to drain completely. Place the coconut upside down on the rim of the cup for a few minutes or until the coconut water runs out. You may have to shake the coconut a few times to get the rest of the water out. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If you are going to put the coconut in the oven to make it easier to eat, you will have to drain the coconut water first. Coconuts filled with water can break in the oven if baked for too long.
You don’t necessarily need to drain the water first if you’re going to use a mallet to break the coconut, but you’ll probably have to clean up the coconut water, so it’s best to drain the coconut first.
Usually you will get about 120 -180 ml of coconut water.
The juice of young and fresh coconuts usually has a sweet taste. If the coconut water is viscous, the coconut is probably spoiled and must be discarded.

Use the oven to add coconut

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Preheat the oven. To heat coconut, your oven must be hot enough. Set the oven temperature to 190 degrees Celsius and wait for the oven to heat up completely. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Place the coconut on a tray and bake for 10 minutes. Place the drained coconut in a baking tray and place in the oven. Bake the coconut for about 10 minutes or until you see the coconut shell begin to crack. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If the coconut does not crack after 10 minutes, continue to bake until the coconut shell begins to crack. Check the coconut every few minutes to avoid unnecessary over-heating.
If you don’t have much time, you can also bake the coconut in the microwave. Place the coconut in a microwave-safe dish and heat on medium high for 3 minutes. ^{[6] X Research Source}

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Remove the coconut and wrap it in a towel. Remove the baking tray from the oven when the coconut begins to crack. Wait for the coconut to cool for 2-3 minutes, then wrap the coconut in a dish towel or rag. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Place the coconut in a garbage bag and smash it against a hard surface. Place the wrapped coconut in a towel into a large plastic bag. Unscrew the top of the bag and hit the coconut against a hard surface a few times until you feel it break into pieces. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

The harder the surface you use to smash the coconut, the easier it is to break the coconut. Concrete surfaces are well suited for this.

Slide the tip of the knife between the shell and the copra to separate. When the coconut has broken into pieces, take it out of the bag and open the towel. Pick up each piece of coconut, carefully insert the tip of the knife between the shell and the white copra to separate. ^{[9] X Research Source}

You do not need to use a sharp knife to separate the copra. It is best to use a butter knife first and only switch to a sharp knife if it is difficult to separate.
Hold the coconut flakes firmly while separating the copra by leaning against the table.

Peel the brown skin close to the outside of the copra. After separating the copra, you will see a brown shell covering the white copra. Use a vegetable peeler to peel off this skin like you would a potato or other vegetable. Once peeled, you can eat the copra or use it to cook dishes. ^{[10] X Research Source}

If you don’t have a vegetable peeler, you can use a sharp knife and peel it carefully.

Use mallet to chop coconut

Wrap the coconut in a towel and hold it tight. After you have drained the water in the coconut, fold the dish towel and wrap one side of the coconut. Use your non-dominant hand to hold the coconut so that the shell is not covered with a towel. ^{[11] X Research Source}

If you want, you can rest the coconut on the table, but it must be adjusted so that the coconut can break completely.

Rotate the coconut and knock it with a mallet until it cracks. Hold the coconut on the towel and tap it with a mallet. Knock and rotate the coconut to tap the entire outside of the coconut or until it begins to split in half. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Metal mallets are usually best suited.
If you don’t have a mallet, you can use a hammer to knock the coconut.

Peel the coconut and place the inside side down. Once the coconut has cracked around the entire surface of the shell, you can use your hands to split the coconut in half. Place the coconut flakes face down on the table. ^{[13] X Research Source}

If the coconut does not come apart easily, you need to repeat the previous step – knock around the outside of the coconut with a mallet. Some spots on the surface of the shell may not be completely cracked.

Use a mallet to tap the coconut to loosen the copra. Place the two halves of the coconut face down on the table and tap each piece with a mallet. This will help loosen the copra to make it easier to separate from the shell. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Remember to tap both halves of the coconut evenly to make sure the entire copra is loose.
If the coconut breaks into smaller pieces, that’s okay too. In fact, this also makes it easier for you to separate the copra.

Slide the knife between the shell and the copra to separate. After tapping the coconut halves with a mallet to loosen the copra, slide the butter knife between the copra and the coconut shell. Use a knife to carefully pry the copra until it separates from the shell. Repeat for all the coconut flakes. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Remember to use a butter knife so you don’t have to worry about cutting your hands while working.

Peel the brown outer layer of the copra. After the copra has separated from the shell, the outside of the copra still has a thin brown shell. Using a vegetable peeler, carefully peel off this skin so that only the copra remains. ^{[16] X Research Source}

After you have peeled off the brown outer shell of the coconut, you can eat or process it.

Advice

The water in the coconut isn’t coconut milk – it’s fresh water. The water in the coconut is naturally formed in the coconut, and its color and sweetness change depending on the ripeness of the coconut. Coconut milk is a product made by squeezing oil from the white part of the copra, usually using boiling water. You can also make your own coconut milk at home.
You can also split the coconut by throwing the coconut on the rock. The coconut will break and you get the copra.

Warning

Absolutely do not bite the coconut with the aim of breaking the coconut. It won’t break, but it can also cause you to break a tooth.
Be very careful when using a mallet to smash the coconut. You need to hit your fist firmly but not so hard that you lose control of the mallet. You certainly don’t want to accidentally hit your hand.
Don’t put the coconut in the oven without draining the coconut water. It can break if you bake for too long and the coconut water will turn into steam, creating high pressure inside.

Things you need

Sharp knife
Cup, bowl or measuring cup

The method of using the oven

Baking tray
Dish towel
Plastic bags
Butter knife
Vegetable knife

Method of using mallet

Dish towel
Metal mallet or hammer
Butter knife
Vegetable knife

Steps