Although sometimes considered a fruit, the coconut is actually a giant seed. Young coconuts come in a cone-shaped white husk. A mature coconut is roughly round, with a fibrous brown husk around an extremely hard shell. Just getting the coconut open without hurting yourself can be a challenge.
Once you manage to get into it, the coconut shell contains fleshy white material called meat. You can drink the liquid inside a coconut, too. The younger the coconut, the more liquid it contains.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2
Pierce two of the three "eyes," or soft spots, at the end of the coconut with an ice pick. If you don't have an ice pick, use a hammer and nail or a corkscrew. Drain the liquid inside the coconut into the medium bowl. If you're using a young coconut, be prepared for quite a lot of liquid to come out. You can drink the liquid straight out of the coconut, strain it to remove any fibrous material, or mix it with ground coconut to make "coconut milk."
Step 3
Place the whole coconut---now drained of liquid---in the baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. This softens the shell so that you can safely break it open without a sledgehammer.
Step 4
Lay a clean towel on the floor or counter. Place the coconut on the towel and tap it firmly with a hammer until the shell cracks open.
Step 5
Slice the white, inner meat away from the shell with a sharp paring knife. If you've opened a young coconut, the meat will have a jelly-like consistency and you can scoop it out with a spoon and eat it plain or add it to smoothies. You can eat mature coconut meat fresh too; shred it, add it to smoothies, salads and baked goods, or dry it for later use.
Tips and Warnings
- According to the University of Florida IFAS Extension, one cup of raw, unsweetened coconut usually contains 280 calories, 2.7 g protein, 27 g fat including 24 g saturated fat, 12 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber, 2 mg iron and 21 mcg folate. One cup of the liquid inside the coconut contains 0.4 g saturated fat in 0.5 g total fat, and 57 mg calcium. When shopping for a mature coconut, select a dark brown coconut that feels heavy for its size. When shopping for young coconuts, the coconut should also be heavy. When you shake it, you should be able to hear liquid sloshing inside. Store young coconuts in the refrigerator. According to "Vegetarians in Paradise," a mature coconut can be stored at room temperature for three to four months. You may be able to simply cut the top off a young coconut with a heavy cleaver, as recommended on Living and Raw Foods.
- Don't skip Step 2. If you don't drain the liquid from the coconut, it might explode in your oven.
Things You'll Need
- Ice pick
- Medium bowl
- Baking pan
- Oven
- Towel
- Hammer
- Sharp paring knife
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