October 04, 2004

Curious, George: Coconuts. How does one get the flesh out of an opened coconut?
posted by Dr. Robotnik 20 years ago
  • I ususally tap them with a hammer around the outside before breaking them open. Another method that works well is to place the coconut in a low oven for about 10 to 15 minutes and the shell will come away from the meat easily. Or use one of these coconut scrapers
  • That thing looks wicked cool, I want one!
  • Position it on a non-slip surface and whack it with the biggest, sharpest knife/cleaver you have, imagining you are a burly Tongan armed with a machete. You can then carefully remove chunks of meat with a boning knife. The back of an axe also works rather well, and is extremely satisfying for those of us with unresolved issues. Those scraper things are neat, but they're designed to pulp the flesh into delicious conconut cream, not give you chunks.
  • I have been using one of those things in my sex life for years. I had no idea that they were coconut scrapers.
  • bernockle: I no longer have the voice to express just how much ew is contained in your statement. Hence: .
  • Yep that's pretty much it - a machete to break into the thing to begin with and the a big metal spike. And once you are done with that, what do you do with the shell...? [real player] "Meet Pramod, an artist in Kerala who has chosen raw coconut as the medium to showcase his artistic skill."
  • Or is that the other way round? When i was India a few years back it was mostly too hot to think but coconut 'milk' acquired from a street vendor cooled the brain long enough for me to marvel at how they opened something that seemed to be nature's answer to kevlar. As for getting the flesh out once opened: have you tried a sturdy spoon?
  • Zimf, obviously there is only one acceptable use for the empty shells....you must ride the length and breadth of the land until you find the Holy Grail!
  • What do you think i've since i've got back? Now if you'll excuse me i must be going... [clipity-clop clipity-clop clipity-clop...]
  • What do you think 'been doing' since i got back. Typing on horseback is not ideal methinks
  • Typically, a piece of the shattered shell can be used to scrape out the meat. But I usually use a screwdrivers (also handy for poking out the three eyes so you can drain the juice). Also, note that the juice inside a coconut is not "coconut milk" - that's pulped coconut meat.
  • I love coconut.
  • It helps if you sing this song. (link to mp3)
  • This page has almost but not quite too much information on opening coconuts.