Coconut has a very hard shell, on which you can pound with a hammer endlessly and numb your hands, but there will be no result. In fact, cracking and shelling a coconut is very simple and does not require physical force.
When choosing a coconut, pay attention to the shell: it should not be too dark in color, rather light brown, there should be no dents, cracks, or traces of mold on the shell. In this case, special attention should be paid to the "eyes". Bring the fruit to your ear and shake gently. If you don't hear a splash of liquid inside the shell, leave this coconut on the shelf, as the flesh is likely to be too tough, dry and not tasty.
As a whole, coconut can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. It is not worth keeping it longer, since it is not known how long the fruit spent in warehouses and on the store shelf before it got into your refrigerator. The total shelf life of a coconut at its usual degree of maturity is 3 to 4 weeks.
Before opening the shell of the fruit, take a small hammer and tap the coconut lightly on all sides. Now take a knife and with its sharp tip try to make a hole in one of the coconut "eyes". This does not require any effort, because one of the three "eyes" is covered with a soft film. Now turn the fruit over and drain the liquid into a cup or bowl.
Divide the coconut into three equal parts mentally, take a large knife and gently tap with the back of it along that of the imaginary lines that separates one third of the fruit from the side of the "eyes". Tap around the entire circumference and again if necessary. Hit hard, though not very hard. The shell cracked.
Now separate the shell from the pulp. Thanks to the preliminary tapping of the fruit with a hammer, it is very easy to do this, the shell itself separates from the pulp, for this you hardly need to make any effort.
Now you can chop or grate the coconut pulp.
