How to know whether a coconut is ripe or rancid before buying

How to know whether a coconut is ripe or rancid before buying - Tan Coconuts Placed Atop Brown Wooden Table

Buying the shrink-wrapped coconuts (in shell) at the store is similar to playing Russian Roulette. All this trouble of getting the water out and breaking the shell only to find out the coconut is rancid (and sometimes unripe).

Sometimes you can see dark spots on the outside of the shell which seem to indicate mould on the inside of the shell, but there seems to be plenty of rancid ones that don't show any spots.

Here's what they generally look like:

shrink wrapped coconut

Are there definitive signs of rancidity (and ripeness) one can detect at the store before the 'autopsy'?



Best Answer

From a coconut grocer:

Not only the coconut should sound nearly full of water (slosh test), it should feel (oddly) heavy given the fact that they are supposed to be hollow.

Also the extra weight suggests more meat in the fruit as well.




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How to know whether a coconut is ripe or rancid before buying - Pieces of cracked coconut with aromatic white pulp
How to know whether a coconut is ripe or rancid before buying - From above of ripe coconut with soft white pulp and rough brown shell placed on blue background
How to know whether a coconut is ripe or rancid before buying - From above of young light green coconuts in fabric basket next to old wooden stool in daytime



Quick Answer about "How to know whether a coconut is ripe or rancid before buying"

From a coconut grocer: Not only the coconut should sound nearly full of water (slosh test), it should feel (oddly) heavy given the fact that they are supposed to be hollow. Also the extra weight suggests more meat in the fruit as well.

How do you know if a coconut is rancid?

If you don't hear liquid, don't buy it because it is probably a spoiled coconut. Sniff the bottom of the coconut. If it smells off, foul, or like alcohol, it is bad and too old to eat.

How do you tell if a coconut is ripe at the store?

When you pick a coconut, you should pick one that doesn't have any cracks in it and feels heavy and full. Put it up to your ear and shake it. It should sound like there's water in it. A browner coconut will have more white meat on the inside, while a green coconut will be filled with more electrolyte-filled juice.

How can you tell the quality of a coconut?

Along with the timing, color is also an indicator of ripeness. Mature coconuts are brown, while immature fruit is bright green. As the coconut matures, the amount of coconut water is replaced as the meat hardens. Of course, this brings us to the question of whether coconuts ripen after they are picked.



LEARN ABOUT THE STAGES OF THE COCONUT: FROM YOUNG TO MATURE TO SPROUTED




More answers regarding how to know whether a coconut is ripe or rancid before buying

Answer 2

If the eyes of the coconut feel dry and slightly soft, its a good coconut. If they look/feel damp/mouldy then the coconut has gone bad.. You may have issues with this though as the coconuts you buy are covered. Any cracks in the shell is also a good sign that the coconut flesh is mouldy.

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Images: Artem Beliaikin, Laker, Laker, Evgenia Basyrova