If you want to open a coconut and have
never done it before, you may have some difficulties. First you need
to drain coconut’s liquid. Find the three dents on coconut’s
surface and poke a hole in them with a sharp object. For example, you
can use a wine opener. Now turn the coconut upside down and drain the
liquid into a cup. You will get clear coconut oil which is perfectly
fine to drink. Although it is not particularly tasty, it is very good
for rehydration and is very rich in potassium. It comes recommended
to athletes.
Now put the coconut on a plank and hit
it with a meat chopper or a hatchet. Several hits right down the
middle and the crust should crack. You should be very careful. Never
let children play and try to open a coconut. Practice makes perfect.
Remove crust from the edible matter
carefully, using a kitchen knife. When peeled, insides of a coconut
are white and the outer layer is darker. The darker outer layer is
simply peeled off with a knife. The white edible matter can be eaten
raw or be used in many forms as a cooking ingredient.
How to make coconut flour?
You can buy or make your own home
version of coconut flour and pancakes! Put the white coconut meat on a piece of
baking paper and toss it in the oven turned on to 100 °C. Leave it
to dry for 15 minutes. Grind down the dry pieces of coconut and you
will get your flour. It doesn’t contain gluten and has a lot of
fibers. It can be used by diabetics. It’s commonly used for cookies
and cakes.
How to make coconut milk?
Coconut milk can be bought or made at
home. Chop up small pieces of coconut and rinse them off in water.
Put them in a blender. Add heated water. The right ratio is half a
liter of water on each whole coconut. It doesn’t have to be that
precise. You can make it thicker or thinner, depending on your own
taste and needs. Blend them thoroughly and then filter the content
into a proper container. Put your coconut milk into a fridge. You can
drink it or use it as a cooking ingredient.
Is coconut oil healthy?
Coconut oil is made by mechanically
squeezing dried coconuts in large mills. Temperatures don’t go
above 70 °C in this process. In traditional rural production
temperatures may climb up to 120 °C. Coconut oil has high caloric
value and contains plenty of saturated fatty acids, but many people
still use it to lose excess weight. According to some sources,
coconut oil is easily and quickly converted into energy and does not
linger inside the body in any potentially harmful manner. It’s even
used to reduce bad cholesterol level. Still, this should be taken
with some reserve, as research on coconut oil’s effect on
cholesterol level and weight loss is still ongoing. Surely a lot of
things rest on the process of coconut oil production itself.
Coconut oil is good for athletes,
diabetics, people with heart conditions, people with irritable
bowels, people suffering from chronic fatigue… Coconut oil has
antimicrobial, antiviral and antibacterial properties. It also shows
good antioxidant qualities. It is often used in cosmetic products
industry because it’s great for skin and hair care. If used in
moderate amounts in nutrition, it’s absolutely not harmful. This
oil has been looked down upon for a long time because people thought
it was unhealthy, but that’s not true.