Coconut — Less Water, More of What You Actually Wanted

This is the classic mature coconut — the hard, brown, fibrous one that doesn't need to be marketed as anything special because it already looks the part. Compared to a young green coconut, it holds noticeably less water, but what it lacks there it makes up for in meat: thick, firm, and full of the deep coconut flavour that gets grated, dried, or pressed into milk. Freshness comes down to one simple test — pick it up and give it a shake. You should hear water sloshing inside; a coconut that sounds and feels dry or unusually light has likely dried out or gone rancid. To open it, find the three dark "eyes" at one end, pierce the softest one to drain the water, then crack the shell along its middle with the back of a heavy knife until it splits.