I must admit, it is easier getting the meat out with this tool than, let's say, a knife or other sharp gadgets. However, you still need a lot of muscle using it. I would say that it took me about 5 minutes versus the advertised 60-90 seconds(very misleading) Moreover, the meat did not neatly come out in one piece. My right hand is still has some soreness trying to get the meat out with this thing.
Pretty disappointed because I paid a lot of money for it.
UPDATE TO REVIEW: 8/22/12
Purchased this in mid July, used it a few times and decided to keep it although it was not as easy to use as the description states. HOwever, I'm very upset because rust is starting to appear. I never really looked very close to the metal itself( I just assumed that it would be a very high quality metal due to the price), but there is a pin sized hole or something there and a few other places are beginning to rust. This is very shocking because I purchase quite a bit of metal kitchen gadgets and treat them about the same in terms of cleaning and maintenance. Wash after use and let air dry completely after dried. This is the only metal material that is rusting.
I wanted to return it for an exchange, but I wasn't able to because the window for a return for exchange expired 7 days ago. This is so frustrating. An item that can pose a health concern cannot be returned after 45 days?
If you love coconuts or just need to open one now-and-then or weekly as I do, THEN THIS TOOL IS FOR YOU! Let me explain: I am off of dairy and grains, so my primary "milk" is coconut or almond. All of the commercial brands have gums or other thickeners that I cannot tolerate, so I must make my own milks. My technique for making coconut milk is easy, starting with fresh whole coconuts--HOWEVER before I met the COCONUT TOOL, the best way for me to open coconuts was to put them in a 400 degree oven and wait until they cracked open, and then it was a hassle to separate the meat from the shell. The COCONUT TOOL has two winning attributes: the first is the video link that the inventor of the tool sent to me after I had purchased the tool this video showed how easy it was to crack a coconut and then how to use the tool to remove the meat. The second is how the tool has drastically reduced the time that I took to make my coconut milk. This tool really works it now takes me about 30 minutes to make milk, beginning from a hand-held coconut through blending, through the straining in a nut bag, freezing some of the milk, and filling my mason jar for refrigerator storage. I love this tool just about as much as I love my morning cinnamon or pumpkin pie or apple pie lattes NO SUGAR! I heat some fresh coconut milk in a ceramic-coated fry pan, transfer to my coffee cup, aerolate the milk to a thick foam, then add coffee down the inside of the cup and top all of this with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice....ah, then I relax and sip the coffee through the thick milk. .... end of review gotta go brew up a batch!
Oh, the milk is great on oatmeal and easy to cook with, but you gotta get the TOOL to end once and for all the frustration of opening coconuts and removing the meat! Fun tool I like fun tools in my kitchen!
Buy The Coconut Tool Stainless Steel Coconut Meat Removal Knife Now
This curved knife is great to remove coconut flesh. I assume that the age of the coconut has to do with the ease of removing the flesh, though I don't know how you'd know the age of a coconut from the outside. It took more strength than I have to get the tool fully underneath the coconut meat and I had to ask my husband to take over thus the 4 stars. It probably would have taken me about 10 minutes on my own. I do have to say that without this knife I just wouldn't buy coconuts for the pain it is to try and get everything with other tools. It's very sturdy, not flimsy whatsoever, I feel comfortable that it won't slip out of my hands and am not scared of it cutting me. The blade has just enough sharpness to get between the husk and the meat but not enough to cut someone reaching into a drawer. Coconuts truly are a miracle food so I thank you for this product!
Read Best Reviews of The Coconut Tool Stainless Steel Coconut Meat Removal Knife Here
I first learned about this product from an online video about how to make fresh coconut milk. Since then, I always wanted to try. I personally like a lot of dishes with fresh coconuts but the task of opening one always deterred me. For me, there are 3 steps in opening a coconut. First, make two holes to pour out the liquid. Second, crack through the middle to split it into 2 halves. And lastly, extract the meat from the shells. The third step is by far the hardest and this tool is just the thing for the job.
First off, this thing is made from very high quality and strong stainless steel. I can feel the sturdiness when holding it. It takes a little strength to push it into the coconut and I don't see it bend or give way one bit. Because of its build, I can really feel my strength transferred into the task efficiently. I hate using things that wiggle or bend because you know it's taking power away. This thing really feels like it'll last forever.
Secondly, about its function. When using this, one has to understand how to do it. Brute force is not the way to go. When holding the coconut half in one hand, I will look over it poking with the tool to find a good entry point. From there, I just use enough strength to get the tool a centimeter or two into shell. From there, I'll wiggle it until it opens up more space on the side. I'll then move the tool to the new place and wiggle some more. Rinse and repeat and soon you'll find more and more meat is dislodged from the shell. After a while with this, I'll push it in deeper to try to pry the whole thing loose. I was able to get a perfect half coconut dislodged from the shell in my first attempt! Compared with my old way of doing it with a hammer and knife, this is a world of difference.
Overall, I am happy with the purchase. My old attempt took many times longer and makes a huge mess. I usually do it in the yard. Now, I can finish a coconut in 10 minutes in the kitchen. Great product.
Want The Coconut Tool Stainless Steel Coconut Meat Removal Knife Discount?
UPDATE: I watched the video as Hugh suggested and bought another coconut just to try this tool out again and basically the difference was using the counter vs my hand. Once I used a counter as leverage the meat came out very easily with this tool. The first half I got the meat out very easily and quickly, the second half which was smaller (coconut didn't break perfectly even) took me a little more time but still not too long. It is a very good product and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to use it to demeat their coconuts. Thank you Hugh for caring about the customer satisfaction of your product, we need more inventors like you.
I was not able to remove meat in less than 60 seconds with this tool. I've only tried with one coconut but it was just as difficult as usual. I ordered this tool because I saw someone on youtube using it but they weren't removing the meat in less than 60 seconds either, maybe like 10-15 minutes. I worked on one half of the coconut but then got frustrated with the small pieces I was getting for the amount of time and work I was putting into it. I was also afraid of stabbing myself so I just stopped, never ended up going back to that coconut to finish it. I will try one more time with a new coconut and update my reveiew if anything changes. I've recently been told that you can just hammer the coconut once it's been broken in half and the meat will start to come off. I will do a comparison.
Save 13% Off
This set is beautifully constructed and appears to be made by Chicago Cutlery, which is the manufacturer of another set I own that is no longer being sold.
