- Dry the coconut by making holes in it and draining the liquid. Important - do not skip this step under any circumstances, otherwise the fruit will explode in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 190 ºС. If you're in a hurry, you can use the microwave.
- Place the coconut on a baking sheet and leave it inside for 10 minutes, or for the microwave, 3 minutes on medium. After about this time, the first crack should appear. If the shell remains intact, continue to “bake” the nut.
- Remove the coconut from the oven and let it cool for 2-3 minutes. Then wrap it in a kitchen towel or rag.
- Place the coconut wrapped in cloth in a trash bag. Pick up the bag of nuts and hit it as hard as you can on a hard surface (even concrete). Do this until you feel the shell begin to crack.
- Separate the inside of the coconut from the shell with a narrow bladed knife. You should be left with coconut meat in a brown husk. Remove it with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife.
Choosing the right coconut
It is better to buy nuts in places where they are sold in large quantities, for example, in supermarkets. A single fruit on a display case can lie for many months, the contents can turn sour or moldy.
When choosing a product, you should carefully examine its peel: the color should be even and without spots. If traces of mold are found, you should immediately put the product aside; it is dangerous to eat it.
On one side of the nut, three circles should be visible, through which the coconut received nutrition from the palm tree. The peel in these places should be intact and elastic. Try pressing it with your finger; if it gives in, it means the fruit has begun to deteriorate and is not suitable for food.
After assessing the appearance, the coconut should be shaken. Splashes of liquid indicate good quality of the product.
The use of coconut in cosmetology
This fruit is also good for skin and hair. Coconut oil is often added to various body, face, and hair care products, but it is also used at home.
For example, you can use this anti-aging face mask:
- Combine coconut milk with blue clay, taking these ingredients in equal quantities;
- Add a few drops of orange essential oil to the mixture, stir the mixture well;
- Apply it to your face for 15 minutes. on the skin of the face;
- Rinse off the composition with cool water.
Regardless of the type of skin, the following product is used to regularly care for it at home:
- Melt coconut oil;
- Combine it with rice flour, maintaining a ratio of 1:4, respectively;
- Add green tea to the mixture in such an amount that the consistency becomes like thick sour cream;
- Apply the mask to your face for a third of an hour, and then rinse it off with warm water.
Palm seed milk is also used to wipe the area around the eyes to moisturize and prevent the appearance of wrinkles. It should be used this way before bedtime.
To improve the condition of hair, coconut oil is used, which is done in this way:
- Melt a small amount of product in your palms;
- Apply it to the strands, but do not touch the scalp to avoid irritation and rash;
- Leave the oil on your hair for half an hour and then rinse with warm water.
Thanks to this mask, the strands will become moisturized, smooth, and silky. But if you have oily hair, this method of caring for it will not suit you - it will only make it worse.
The most popular methods
Before opening the shell, you should make a hole in the place of one of the three coconut spots and pour out the juice.
After the liquid contents have been extracted, you need to get to the juicy pulp. The question arises of how to properly open a coconut using available tools.
With a knife
To open the thick peel, you should choose a suitable knife. It must be strong and big. You can use a cleaver to chop meat and bones. Open the nut like this.
- We take the coconut in our left hand and hold the knife with our right.
- We apply strong blows to the side of the nut, gradually turning it along the longitudinal axis.
- As soon as the sound changes, you should inspect the peel - a crack has appeared in it.
- Apply several blows to the damaged area until the coconut cracks completely.
In this case, the nut is separated in half. Once the pulp is separated, the peel can be used for crafts and other purposes.
With a hammer
Provided you have sufficient physical strength, you can crack a nut with a hammer.
- The fruit is placed in a strong plastic bag.
- Installed on a solid surface, concrete floor.
- The hammer strikes the nut hard.
As a result of this method, the peel splits into irregularly shaped fragments.
With holes
You can crack the shell in the area where the three holes are located. After the holes have been made and the milk has been extracted, you can begin to open the shell through the existing holes.
To do this, insert a strong knife into one of the holes. Then hit the handle with your hand or any strong object. The blade of the knife will go deep into the nut. After this, you should carefully turn the tool by the handle; as a result of these actions, the nut will crack.
In the oven
If you don’t have the necessary tools at hand or lack physical strength and determination, the thermal method will come to the rescue. The instructions on how to open a coconut in the oven are as follows.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Drain the liquid from the coconut.
- Place the fruit in a deep form.
- Leave in the oven for twenty minutes.
After this treatment, the nut shell will burst, and the pulp will easily break off from the walls of the peel.
How to break a coconut if you don't have the right tools at hand
How can you break a coconut in this case? Yes, by any suitable means at hand. For example, to open a coconut at home without a hammer, you can use a brick or stone brought from the street. In this case, it does not matter how you hit it: with a nut on a stone or vice versa, but it is important to ensure that the main blow falls on the seam connecting the halves of the fruit. Naturally, there is no need to talk about cleanliness and neatness here. Therefore, before breaking the coconut, it is better to wrap the tropical delicacy in a towel.
The next method is much simpler. The nut needs to be thrown onto a hard surface. It could be a concrete wall or floor, or a thick tree trunk. Already from the first throw, a crack will appear in the shell, through which you can drink or drain the milk. The second blow (ideally) will split the nut in half. Naturally, if it is not strong enough or the surface is not too hard, more throws will be needed.
If all else fails, try simply “hitting” the coconut wherever necessary with a hammer, brick or other heavy object. But in this case, it is better to do it on the floor, preferably concrete, and wrap the “nut” in a towel. And don’t expect that you will get two even halves, as in advertising.
Another method requires the presence of some kind of convex solid corner. For example, on the wall of a house, or a brick. The fruit is applied to the corner with a seam and slowly turned, methodically pressing on it with force. This option also requires patience and strength and, of course, has nothing to do with the story of “how to quickly split a coconut,” but as a result, a tough “nut” will split into two even halves.
Extracting juice and pulp
Before opening the fruit, you should drain the liquid contents - coconut milk. To do this, you need to use an awl or a screwdriver to pierce three holes that are clearly visible on one side of the nut. The peel in these places is not so dense, so this is not difficult to do.
To quickly drain the milk, two holes are enough: liquid will come out through one, air will enter the fetus through the other. The liquid can be drunk or used in cooking or home cosmetology.
If coconut milk or pulp has an unpleasant or sour odor, it is better to throw out the fruit. This is evidence of product damage.
You can insert a straw into the hole and enjoy coconut milk straight from the nut.
To better separate the pulp, the nut is placed in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for several minutes or in the freezer for ten minutes. Before this, the juice must be poured out. The white mass can be consumed fresh or made into coconut flakes and used in cooking.
How to remove liquid from coconut
Coconut water is often mistakenly called "milk". In fact, coconut water (juice) and coconut milk are two different things. Water is what is inside the nut, and the so-called coconut milk is obtained from crushed pulp with the addition of water.
Before you crack a coconut at home, you need to remove the liquid from it. Otherwise, such a useful product will not only be wasted, but will also splatter everything around. Take a thin screwdriver and insert it into the holes (sprouting pores) on the shell, piercing the skin covering them. This may require some force, such as hammering a screwdriver into the hole. To speed up the process you will need at least two of these holes. Juice will flow out of one, and air will flow into the other. You can tell when the hole is ready when you hear a pop, similar to the sound you hear when opening a soda bottle.
If you have small eye sockets, milk will drain slowly. To speed up the process, use a drill and drill a hole in the opposite side of the nut. Place the coconut over the container and blow air into the cavity if necessary. The liquid will drain much faster.
If the fruit is green and unripe, its pulp is inedible. This is a drinking coconut. Its main value lies in the liquid inside, and the hardness of the shell is comparable to that of a ripe pumpkin. To open a young coconut, just arm yourself with a knife and cut off the top. Even a small pocket knife will do. Then you can pour the juice into a glass or immediately start drinking it through a cocktail straw.
Precautionary measures
When cracking a coconut, you should remember to be safe, as its thick shell can break off and fly apart if hit hard. In addition, you must carefully handle tools: a knife, a screwdriver, a hammer.
In order to protect yourself and others, you should follow the recommendations given.
- When cracking a nut with a hammer, you can use more than just a bag. A fruit wrapped in a towel is easier to hold on the work surface. For the same purposes, cling film is suitable, which is wrapped around the coconut several times. In this case, you need to leave a tail of polyethylene for better fixation.
- Protect your eyes from possible small fragments.
- Do not try to cut the shell with the sharp side of a knife. The blade may slip.
- When piercing the eyes with an awl or screwdriver, you should fix the fruit; you can ask another person to help.
- Do not crack nuts in the presence of small children. An accidental fragment can cause serious injury.
The correct way to cut a coconut and extract the pulp at home
- Before tasting the coconut, we must separate the flesh from the husk. If the nut is young, this will not be difficult. It has softer and more tender flesh than old coconuts. Therefore, you can use a tablespoon. Pry up a small amount of pulp with the sharp edge of a spoon and cut it off. You can simply scrape the coconut out of the shell with a spoon.
- You can also separate the peel using a screwdriver (not a Phillips screwdriver) or a corkscrew. We insert the tool into the gap between the shell and the pulp and separate it.
- A spoon won't cut it with old coconuts. Here you will need a small and sharp knife. We cut through the entire thickness of the pulp to the peel into small squares or triangles. We pry a piece with a knife and separate it from the peel with our fingers.
A small knife can easily cut thin slices or pieces of coconut flesh
The snow-white pulp is covered with skin on the other side. You can remove it with a regular vegetable knife.
What you can make from coconut shells with your own hands: life hacks
In fact, a lot of interesting things can be made from shells. Some create carved vases, others put zippers on glue and make unique handbags from the shells, turning them into unusual candles.
Coconut shell candles - original decor
Candles made from shells
We will need:
- shell;
- stubs of colored candles;
- wick (can be twisted from thick threads and soaked in wax);
- fine sandpaper;
- wood varnish.
Manufacturing:
- Sand the shell with sandpaper.
- We melt the candle stubs one by one in a water bath. You can combine different colors with each other to make the color scheme more interesting.
- Lower the wick into half the shell.
- Fill with hot paraffin so that the tail of the wick sticks out.
- When the paraffin has hardened, coat the outside of the shell with varnish (you can use a product containing stain) in two layers using a paint brush.
- After a day, cover with another layer and place for another day in a dry, but not hot place. Our candlestick is ready.
You can decorate coconut shell candles with artificial flowers, twine or cinnamon tubes with dried lemon.
Vases, bolsters and mugs made from shells - reviews of crafts
Coconut makes good mugs - in the manner of those from which it is customary to drink mate (in the sense of a metal “harness” of the same design). In addition, coconut shells are not bad, they cut very well as a material for small reliefs, medallions, dominoes of fortune telling runes (I made three sets at one time, they turned out very nicely) There is only one “BUT”: the shell flows along the capillary paths in the thickness (small and slow , but nevertheless), so I soaked my mug with wax over the fire. I like it - exclusive and kosher, no one else has it.
Numminorich
https://guns.allzip.org/topic/97/563227.html
I made a knife with birch bark, but the bolster was made from coconut. I glued two pieces of shell + ash with epoxy. Impregnated with wax. Polished looks nothing.
Mag_dead
https://guns.allzip.org/topic/97/563227.html
I made a vase from two halves. I coated it with varnish and it looks great!
korsan
https://guns.allzip.org/topic/97/563227.html
Useful tips
When eating coconut, you should pay attention to these recommendations.
- Before opening, drain the liquid.
- Once the skin is damaged, for example to extract milk, the nut is considered opened. It must be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of plus five degrees for no longer than 48 hours.
- The removed pulp dries quickly; for storage in the refrigerator, it can be filled with water.
- Whole nuts can be stored for up to three months.
- Coconut milk can be frozen in ice cube trays and stored that way for up to three months. When fresh, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
- To prepare coconut flakes, the pulp should be grated and dried in the oven at a low temperature of up to 50 degrees.
The nut shell is quite strong and durable. If the nut is split into two parts, the peel can be put to interesting uses. There are a large number of children's crafts using it.
It can be used as a candlestick, an unusual box, or a glass for pencils. If there is an aquarium in the house, then parts of the shell will become a wonderful home for fish. Its structure does not change the composition and chemical parameters of water.
In the same role it is suitable for other small pets. Gardeners can use the nut shell as small pots for flowers or strawberries.
Coconut on our table
Coconut is one of the most exotic nuts to ever capture the hearts of gourmets around the world. It grows on a palm tree and has a fleecy shell, thin peel and aromatic white pulp, which is consumed fresh, frozen and dried. When purchasing, you need to choose a coconut without cracks or chips, since if the nut is cracked, it begins to quickly rot. Coconut is a high-calorie product. Per 100 g of pulp there is:
- 33.5 g fat;
- 6.2 g carbohydrates;
- 3.5 g proteins;
- 2 g ash;
- 11.5 g water.
But it’s not just the aroma and taste that attract customers. Coconut is rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. For the sake of all these qualities, it is worth working in the kitchen, opening the nut.
How to clean easily?
Most people think that peeling coconut at home is the most difficult part of preparing fresh coconut. Here are alternative methods to do this. Place the coconut halves, meat side down, on the counter. Press down on the entire shell area to loosen the pulp. Or hit the outside a few times with a hammer to loosen the flesh from the shell. Don't worry if the shell just breaks into smaller pieces. Then insert a small knife between the piece of shell and the pulp and move them away from each other. Repeat this with each piece.
If desired, scrape off the brown outer skin of the flesh with a vegetable peeler. This method is used to make it easier to obtain coconut for baking, which is usually grated before adding.
How to cut the pulp?
The white nut pulp near the shell is covered with a thin dark crust, which is edible. The easiest way to cut it is with a knife, vegetable peeler or cheese grater.
Use the same caution as when peeling other vegetables. The easiest way to cut elastic, firm flesh is with a sharp knife or grater.
Fresh coconut will form when blended in a blender.
You can use it to make coconut milk, yogurt, salad, or add it to many recipes. Besides being a delicious ingredient, coconuts are rich in many important vitamins and minerals, and you can use the extracts for a wide variety of beauty purposes. So don't let their hard shell put you off! The pulp is rich in fiber, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, as well as folic acid. But the most important value, as mentioned at the beginning, is saturated fatty acids. We hope that our advice will help both women and men, weak or strong.
Shell thickness and strength
The coconut fruit consists of several layers. The familiar brown shell is hidden under another layer, which is removed to facilitate transportation of the coconut when the fruit grows. The shell acquires increased strength only at the stage of full ripening of the coconut. Initially, it is a thin layer that separates the edible part from the outer fibrous layer. As the layer grows, it thickens and becomes harder and reaches a thickness of 5-7 mm.
The strong shell makes it difficult to open the fruit, which often discourages people from buying the overseas delicacy. However, this factor does not negate the exceptional benefits of pulp and coconut water. In addition, many useful things can be made from this shell.
How to crack a nut smoothly
It would seem that there is nothing complicated here. It’s just that the shell and nut crack in a way we don’t want. I would like to maintain a beautiful appearance, but then a diagonal crack appeared. To prevent this from happening, you need to chop coconuts correctly.
Using a Hand Saw
You need to cut the coconut along its central seam: if you look closely, you will see it between the eyes. Mark a line with a marker and cut it.
A hand saw will come in handy for making a clean cut in the coconut.
A simple way to peel a young nut
Lovers of beautifully decorated coconuts advise cleaning the young fruit as follows:
- First remove the liquid from the coconut.
- Place the nut on a cutting board and measure the distance from the eyes to 3 fingers. This is the most vulnerable place. If you look closely, it's easy to see tiny cracks.
- We mark the place with a marker.
- We hit the markings sharply and forcefully with the blunt side of a large knife.
- Turn the other side and repeat the blow. The result is an even and neat cut.
How to extract coconut water
If you don’t have any means at hand, you can break the coconut with a strong blow to the ground. When cracked this way, the nut will scatter into pieces, and the liquid will naturally spill out. That is why it is better to first express the coconut water. To do this, you need to find a weak spot on the nut shell and make a hole in it with a nail, knife, scissors or a Phillips screwdriver. The easiest way to make a hole is in the ovule. And although there are three dark spots on the coconut, only one will be pliable - the one through which the sprout was going to break through. As a rule, such a germination hole is located on the widest lobe of the shell.
This is interesting. In nature, coconuts are found with three impenetrable ovules. The embryo of “blind” nuts, unable to break through the shell, dies. Lime from the coconut water gradually accumulates around it. This is how a solid formation is formed, resembling pearls in structure and appearance.
After making a hole, turn the coconut over and place it on the glass. If the liquid does not flow out well, you can make another hole in the adjacent ovule. The drink in the glass will be translucent and taste salty and sweet. Many people mistakenly think that it is milk. No, the liquid inside the nut is water. Milk is obtained artificially - by soaking dry shavings or fresh grated coconut pulp.
