Mature Coconuts: Selection, Processing, And Storage

Amazoniac

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Mature coconuts are often stored in precarious conditions before reaching your market, sometimes worse than the floor of public saunas. They require a lot of manipulation to prepare and it's very unlikely that they're treated with proper care in every step of the process.

They can't wash it in advance because they tend to go bad quicker, and most places won't clean them prior to opening and handling because it's a hassle. It's different from a watermelon for example, that they can just run a knife through it and it's done.

Below are some comments on things that I find useful.

Selection

If it gives off a strident sound when you hit it with a piece of metal, its parts have hardened and compacted as a result of proper maturation.

As coconuts mature, they start to darken their exterior. Therefore those that are too light in color likely have a softer, underdeveloped, and bland pulp; but richer water.

Density is always a good parameter for food selection. With mature coconuts it's no different: they have to be heavy for their sizes.

They have to look uniform and well-formed. I have the impression that the oval ones tend to be better with more consistency, but this doesn't mean that the spherical ones aren't great.

There should not be stains on its exterior.

The pore can't be protruding or depressed. Sometimes pressure builds up inside due to fermentation and spoilage, making it poke out. Whenever it has these changes it become susceptible to microbes, and when it happens it's possible to spot mold growing on it. This is the weakest link of the chain, it's usually where it starts to go bad. There are some producers who leave the husk only on top of the 3 pores for protection.

Sometimes there's subtle leakage and it manifests as a dark tone on the compromised region.

There are people who suggest you to get coconuts with the most amount of water but I don't find this to be case. The water dries up as it matures, so if it has too much water, it means that the pulp had no chance to develop and thicken. It should contain some water, but not a lot, and it shouldn't be the main guide.

An excellent example:

upload_2018-12-7_19-45-29.png

Opening

It's easy, no big deal here.

Find which one is the soft (functional) hole/pore and use one of these to open it:

upload_2018-12-7_19-45-41.png

They're intended for young coconuts but I find that they're the best option for the pore of mature ones as well. Some are made of suspicious materials, very low-quality steel, it's something to watch for. But the reason why it works is that it tapers at the tip, and no matter what size of coconut you have, it will allow you to hollow the pore without issues. There are people who suggest screwdrivers, but you can't scoop the content out and it works as if it was a pestle and the coconut the mortar. Some people suggest drills, which is even worse.

After draining, some people say that it's better to hit on specific spots to be able to open them with more ease, but I don't find it necessary.

There's no need to open it in a barbaric way using fire or frost.

The most useful point here that can make the next task of separation much easier is to hold it with one hand and hit while rotating to change the spot. The goal on every hammering is to hit it with enough force to displace the meat/kernel from the shell, but not hard enough shatter in multiple pieces because these will still have the one attached to the other.

And this is what the two barbaric ways are trying to achieve, it's the thermal expansion thing: two materials exposed to the same temperature will expand or contract in different ways, and when this happens they will detach. As commented elsewhere, excess of both is unnecessary stress. Placing them in the freezer will burst the fibers and make them mushy.

Once this is done, any malleable knife will do the job. There are some tool made for this, but they might not be needed:

upload_2018-12-7_19-45-51.png

But it's worth avoiding sharp or pointed objects to prevent accidents, and the edges being blunt helps to prevent damaging the pieces (the more intact they are, the longer they will keep).

Depending on how much you were able to detach with hammering alone or the amount that you plan to prepare at once, cotton gloves might be useful: sometimes there are shell edges or splinters left after breaking that can injury the non-dominant hand, and sometimes the knife has a flat handle that can hurt the dominant one after repetition.

If you don't own a hammer and you plan to get one just for this, a riveting hammer works great. Its narrow side can be used to break specific parts in desired directions. This is interesting because when you use its wider side, you rely on randomness contrary to the narrow one; sometimes working with pieces of certain sizes is easier and faster. If the size is colossal, it's more difficult to detach with a knife because the curvature opposes the movement as you try to lift a border; on the other hand, if the it's too small, it's difficult to wash and store.

Here are videos demonstrating (that were posted elsewhere). In case the first attempt fails with 'A', just move on to the others.
A: COCONUT OPENING - The Best Coconut Technique
B: How to Open a Coconut and Remove the Meat
C: How to Crack / Break a Coconut Quickly and Easily

Cleaning

Nothing special, just a bowl with water to wash the shell particles for better storage.​

Storage

As you all know, one determinant factor in keeping foods for longer is moisture. The more water is removed, the more stable it will be. One of the challenges in keeping coconut pulp pieces in refrigerator without going bad is moisture.

If you place the washed pieces disposed in an open ventilated tray inside the refrigerator, they will dehydrate at the same time that they're cooled down: a bi-winning. This way they will keep for much longer.

If it's a hot weather outside, avoid spending too much time transfering to the containers because this will result in condensation later. It might help to cool down these along with the tray, both will be then on even temperatures. Prefer containers to bags for being less hermetic and tending not to condense the moisture inside.​

Sometimes there a hidden molds between the pulp and skin. It's worth removing the skin if possible before consumption.
 

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