Frozen grated or shredded coconut is hands-down the best convenience product on the planet, according to us. It saves so much time, is readily available from Asian supermarkets and doesn’t cost a lot. Because you buy it frozen, it’s easy to always have some on hand. However, if you prefer to grate your own, here’s how to deal with a whole coconut, from go to whoa. Note you will need a mature nut, not a green one. And, although you can remove the meat from the opened coconut and grate the flesh using a box grater, it’s easier to use a special hand-held coconut grater, which you can buy from Asian supermarkets. You can also buy hand-held shredders for long, thicker shreds. We tend to crack coconuts open by heating the nut in the oven but, if you prefer, you can whack the coconut in half using the back of a heavy cleaver, hitting it all the way around the middle of the coconut (its equator) until it breaks into two pieces.