"hammer" news and stories

Mark Bittman, the New York Times' Minimalist colmunist, recently posted a guest blog post about using hardware tools into the kitchen. The post discusses uses a rubber mallet and syringes, among other odd tools. I think chicken shears are the most hardware-like item that I use, and that's not crazy at all. Maybe a hammer for pounding ice, though that surely does not constitute cooking. What about you?

Source

Yep, an entire site (and domain, for that matter) dedicated to defeating and enjoying the world's largest seed. Having grown up in the tropics, I've opened my share of coconuts. That's not to say I'm any good at it, but I was definitely curious to see which method this site suggested. I was with them for part about using a nail or drill to let out the milk through the three holes at the top. And, while I'm sure a hammer and towel works just fine, I've always had the best luck with a C-clamp. Just clamp it on to the sides opposite the holes made for the milk and twist it down until the coconut cracks. I've also heard of putting coconuts in the oven to make them easier to open, but I've never had to resort to that. Differences in methods aside, the step-by-step photo walkthrough on this site is a good one. Aside from HowToOpenACoconut.com, there are also similar sites for pineapples, corn, burgers and baked potatoes.