{"id":60,"date":"2012-05-13T07:38:50","date_gmt":"2012-05-13T13:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/therealfoodchronicles.com\/?page_id=60"},"modified":"2016-04-23T19:49:18","modified_gmt":"2016-04-24T01:49:18","slug":"coconuts-and-the-blades-aka-coconut-knives-that-cut-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stormysweitzer.com\/recipes\/coconuts-and-the-blades-aka-coconut-knives-that-cut-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Coconuts and the Blades (AKA Coconut Knives) that Cut Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last summer while wandering through an Asian grocery store, I stopped in the kitchen tools section. \u00a0I ended up buying some things that, today, I don\u2019t think I could do without \u2013 a fine-gauge strainer, a stainless steel wok spatula, and a mesh drain catch-all.<\/p>\n

There were also some tools at the market that I had have never seen before.<\/p>\n

Like this coconut knife, for instance.<\/p>\n

\"coconut<\/p>\n

I am a fresh-coconut fiend. \u00a0I particularly like\u00a0young coconuts. \u00a0The younger the coconut, the more water there is (up to 8 or 9 ounces) and the more jelly-like the pulp \u2013 it\u2019s so soft you can easily scoop it out with a spoon.<\/p>\n

Whenever I travel to a place where they are native, I indulge, drinking fresh coconut water every day. \u00a0Usually, the still-husk-covered coconuts are cut open for me with a machete or large-bladed coconut knife. \u00a0It\u2019s not always a swift motion; often-times there is repeated hacking involved.<\/p>\n

\"coconut<\/p>\n

The coconut knife \u2013 more-manageable and with less blade to be cautious of than a machete \u2013 intrigued me.<\/p>\n

Even though coconuts don\u2019t grow on trees in my high desert neighborhood, the in-season cherries gave me an idea for another use for it. \u00a0So, I bought it.<\/p>\n

It worked great as a cherry pitter, but it took me a year to use it on a coconut.<\/p>\n

\"cherries<\/p>\n

The round blade has a very sharp, serrated tip and a hollow core that opens to the side. \u00a0The blade cover has a long piece of plastic that can be inserted into the side to nudge the plugs that come from inserting the blade into a piece of fruit or puncturing a coconut shell.<\/p>\n

\"fresh<\/p>\n

The coconut I picked up last week was small, fibrous without its husk, and contained just a trace of liquid. \u00a0While it was probably mature when it was shipped, after making the journey here, it was downright a-ged. \u00a0The knife cut through the brittle husk very easily.<\/p>\n

\"coconut\"<\/p>\n

Simple and efficient. \u00a0The only problem: it doesn\u2019t actually open the coconut; it just taps it so you can pour out the water. \u00a0I needed a hammer to finish the job. \u00a0All good. \u00a0The meat was crisp and tasty.
\n\"halved<\/p>\n

And when I can\u2019t get fresh coconut, I look for coconut milk and water that is as close to pure as I can get. \u00a0Aroy-D is 100% coconut milk (no additives or preservatives). \u00a0The coconut water in this picture isn\u2019t quite so pure \u2013 it has preservatives in it that I think change the flavor. \u00a0Then again, nothing is as good as fresh.<\/p>\n

\"coconut<\/p>\n

Just for Fun<\/h3>\n

Because who can resist Muppets AND catchy songs about coconuts? (Caution: Do not listen if earworms<\/a>\u00a0are a problem for you.)
\n