Opening a Coconut: The Best Tips and Tricks

In order to get to the delicious pulp, you first have to open a coconut. This is not so easy. With our tips and tricks, however, you will definitely succeed.

Open the coconut with the hammer

The most common method of cracking a coconut is with a hammer.

• To do this, first drill a hole in two of the three germination holes. You can recognize the germ holes by the slightly sunken spots on the upper side of the coconut.
• You can use a fine drill bit to drill the holes.
• A cordless screwdriver will also serve you well here if you use a Phillips attachment.
• However, you can also punch in the holes with a light blow using a hand screwdriver.
• From these holes, you first pour off the coconut water from the inside of the fruit.
• Tip: To avoid spilling, hold the coconut over a slightly larger bowl while opening the holes. You will not lose any amniotic fluid through the collection container
• To crack the hard shell of the coconut, you continue to use your tool kit. Lay the coconut with the belly, i.e. the thickest part of the nut, on a hard surface.
• Now hit the coconut with the pointed side of a hammer until you hear a slight crack.
• Then twist the coconut a little, between an inch and two inches, and hit it again with the hammer. Repeat this process until the coconut splits in half.
• If the crack goes all the way around, use a knife to help. Then break the coconut in half.

Open coconut without tools – that works too

If you don’t have a hammer handy, you can crack a coconut in the oven or microwave.

• Attention: The prerequisite is that you drain the coconut water beforehand. So you definitely have to drill the holes. Otherwise, the coconut will explode when heated in the devices.
• Then place the coconut in the oven at 200 degrees for around 20 minutes if the hard shell opens by itself.
  It’s even faster in the microwave. Here the coconut should open after three minutes at 800 watts.
• Tip: If you crack a coconut this way, let it cool for ten minutes before crushing it further.
• You can try your luck on a very hard surface – for example on the street – without any tools at all.
• Take the thickest part of the coconut, i.e. the belly, and bang it on the ground.
• After each hit, turn the coconut a little further in your hand and crack it open again. With a bit of skill and patience, the coconut should pop open this way too.