ESSENTIAL COCONUT FACTS
Three kinds of fresh coconuts
Young coconuts: Sealed in plastic wrap, their husks are shaved down to look like off-white huts, cylindrical on the bottom half and shaved to a pyramid point at the top. The coconut’s immature exterior is penetrable, and the flesh is still soft. Store in refrigerator and use promptly.
White coconuts: White coconuts aren’t as mature as brown coconuts, and aren’t as young as young coconuts. They are huskless and have bristled, light-beige shells. Their flesh is softer than that of brown coconuts, but not as soft as young coconuts.
Brown coconuts: These are mature coconuts, encased in bristly dark-brown shells. Inside, the white flesh is hard. Au naturel, a mature coconut is encased in a thick, smooth, fibrous outer husk. The husks are removed before shipping.
How to open a coconut
Young “hut” coconut: Remove plastic and place coconut on its side on a clean towel. Hold the flat end with one hand (chopping takes place about 5 inches from this hand). About 1 1/2 inches below the pointed end, cut into husk (with large, heavy knife), using a chopping motion 4 to 5 times. Rotate coconut and repeat procedure until you’ve cut all the way around. When you have cut through sufficiently, the top will pop off, or you can pull it off. Quickly turn coconut upright to keep as much juice as possible inside the coconut.
White or brown coconut: Remove plastic if necessary and use a clean screwdriver and hammer or mallet to poke out “eyes” at top of coconut; drain juice into bowl. The easiest way to crack open is to enclose coconut in zipper-style plastic bag (pushing out air before closing); drop onto concrete or other indestructible surface to open. Pry coconut flesh from shell in chunks using small, clean screwdriver. Alternatively, after cracking coconut open, place pieces on rimmed baking sheet and bake in 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The flesh will shrink and be easier to pry from shell. Remove thin brown skin with a vegetable peeler.
Juice, milk and cream
Don’t confuse coconut juice with coconut milk. Coconut juice (sometimes called coconut water) looks a little like whitish, pulp-free lemonade. It’s the liquid inside a fresh coconut. It’s also available in cans and aseptic boxes.
Coconut milk is made by cooking shredded coconut with water, then squeezing the thick juice from the cooked flesh; it’s thick and opaque. It’s available canned and is usually sold with the Asian foods.
Coconut cream is a thicker, richer form of coconut milk. It is available canned in Asian markets, or use only the thick, rich liquid that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk.
Cream of coconut is a sweetened product sold for making tropical drinks such as piña coladas. Look for it with the liquor.
A nutritional shell game
I hear it all the time. I mention how delectable coconuts are and someone scolds me. “Coconuts are no-no’s,” they say in a irritated tone. So I gave registered dietitian Nancy Berkoff a call. Not only is Berkoff a nutritional expert, she’s also a fellow coconut lover.
“I say anything in moderation is good,” she says. “No more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat. Coconut flesh is high in saturated fat, but it is a natural fat, equivalent to egg yolks. So if you’ve been told to limit egg yolks, it’s the same thing with coconut.
“And it’s so good that you only need a small amount. It’s high in calories, yes, but so is peanut butter. I would choose it above solid vegetable shortening or margarine. There are vitamins and minerals in it. Coconut is a treat. Not something to eat three times a day.”
According to www.calorie-count.com, 1 cup of shredded coconut has 283 calories and 27 grams of fat (24 grams saturated fat). Coconut juice, on the other hand, has no fat, and has “lots of good vitamins, electrolytes and minerals,” Berkoff says. “It’s high in fructose, but better by far than drinking a soda. And it tastes great.”
– Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register
