How do you open a coconut?

How do you properly open a coconut?

• I don't want it to explode because I want to drink the coconut milk. Thx

• Answer:

  First it depends on whether you are where they grow and get one right from the tree. If that's the case, it has a fiberous cover on it and you need to get that off. The best for drinking the milk is when that fiberous covering is light green - not brown. To remove that, you take a screw driver and gently pound it until it hits the hard center ball. Don't break that or you'll lose your milk. Do that in a number of places, lifting the fiber and you pull it loose. Then once all the fiber is removed and you're looking at the dark "ball" center, you will see 3 "eyes" on it. You will poke those eyes out with your screwdriver - at least 2 of them so you can drain out your milk. Pour it into a glass. Now if you are buying it from a grocery store and all there is is the dark brown ball, that is from an old coconut so the water will be tasteless. If you still want to drink it, just poke out the holes. If you want to remove the coconut to use it, then preheat your oven to 400 and cook for 10 minutes in the oven in the shell (after poking the eyes out). Take it out of the oven, wrap it in a towel and rap it with a hammer. It will break the outer shell but leave the inner part whole. Shred it down to the little brown skin on it. Hope that helps.