If you have ever tried to store shredded coconut, you know that it is hard to keep them fresh. These small pieces of vegetables quickly turn brown, get hard, or lose all of the flavors that they once had. This can be frustrating, to say the least.
Unfortunately, no matter what you do, they will not keep very long, but this method will keep them fresh for as long as possible.
Gather Your Shredded Coconut
When storing the shredded coconut, you should first ensure that you have gathered them in one location. Keeping a large amount together will increase the moisture and thus give the coconut better odds of lasting longer.
If you are baking a coconut cake, you might wonder how far ahead of time you can shred the veggies. You should only cut them up 3-4 days before you bake.
This time frame is best because:
- Dried-out coconut will not taste as good in the recipe.
- Fresh coconut quickly lose their freshness, even in the best storage.
You will need to plan the day you are baking to cut the coconut in advance.
If you can, you should always try to shred coconut the same day you plan on using them for baking. Otherwise, gather them together in one group for storage.
Related Best Coconut Substitutes for a Similar Taste or Texture.
Locate an Airtight Container
The best way to store shredded coconut is to put them inside of an airtight container. This unit will keep the air out, which delays processes such as browning and dehydration. In addition, preventing natural processes will keep the coconut safe to use for a longer time.
Shredded coconut does not last as long as the whole coconut. They quickly become dehydrated and brown if stored improperly in a kitchen setting. If you want to shred coconut for baking something like a coconut cake, then always use an airtight container for storage.
An airtight container can come in many materials. Though glass and plastic are the best, you can use anything so long as it keeps the air out.
The best airtight containers available on Amazon include:
- Citylife Food Storage Containers
- Rubbermaid Brilliance Leak-Proof Containers
- Superior Glass Food Containers Set
These airtight containers will keep the coconut fresh for longer. Airtight containers will keep grated coconut fresh for a longer duration as well. This container will prevent moisture from escaping for at least a week, giving you plenty of time to use them in a delicious coconut cake.
You should put the coconut inside the container and refrigerate them. Stored shredded coconut in the fridge will keep for up to a week.
Consider Freezing the Coconut
If you do not feel that this refrigeration method will not keep the coconut fresh for as long as you need, you can decide to freeze them if necessary. Select a plastic bag that will hold all of them. Then, you can freeze using one of two methods.
The first is to blanch the coconut and then freeze them. To blanch coconut, you will need to:
- Boil water in a large pot
- Prepare a bowl of ice water and a lined tray
- Boil the coconut for 3-5 minutes
- Put in the ice water for 3-5 minutes
- Freeze on the tray, then put into the bags for freezing for up to a year
Blanching is the best way to keep shredded coconut fresh for a very long time.
The second way is to place the coconut in a bag in a freezer. Fresh coconut can be frozen without blanching by slicing the coconut into thin circles and placing them flat inside an airtight container. However, they will lose their texture much faster this way. Blanching takes time but is more effective.
Freezing should be a secondary method to storing in an airtight container. It is harder to use frozen coconut in recipes.
Related How to Store Shredded Carrots | The Best Way.
Bake and Use
Once you have the coconut stored, you can use them in the baking as you need. Take them from the airtight container or thaw them to put them inside a batter or mixture. Utilize as many as you can at once to prevent the need to throw them away.
If you do not use all of the coconut, you can continue to store them in the airtight container until they seem like they are drying out. From there, you can freeze them or throw them away if they are unusable.
There are many ways that these stored veggies can be put into action. coconut can be used:
- Inside a coconut cake
- In a healthy meatloaf
- In coconut cupcakes
All of these are great to make with fresh coconut. However, storing fresh coconut will not compromise the flavor when done a few days in advance.
Of course, sometimes storage does not work. We will discuss what to use for the recipes if the storage method fails you and you have an urgent need to bake the coconut-based recipe that day.
Try a Store-Bought Method
If you are baking a coconut cake or similar item, you might find this process tedious. If the coconut is not keeping, you can always use store-bought pre-shredded coconut in the recipe.
Shredded coconut from the store should find their use as soon as possible. They keep for a little longer but also tend to be more dried out than fresh coconut.
If you give up on storage and pick store-bought, you will be losing:
- The fresh qualities that come with freshly grated coconut
- The taste of coconut in the cake or other items
However, if store-bought is the best option for you, do not hesitate to purchase them. Coconut will still add a great flavor to the baking, even if it is not as fresh as you would like.
Storing coconut is hard. For bakers, having access to store-bought coconut is a good backup in case something goes wrong. They are cheap and can save any recipe from utter disaster.
For more, don’t miss How Long Do Cooked Vegetables Last in the Fridge?
Anne James has a wealth of experience in a wide array of interests and is an expert in quilting, cooking, gardening, camping, mixing drinks (worked as a professional bartender), and making jelly.
Anne has a professional canning business, has been featured in the local newspaper as well as on the Hershey website, and has been her family canner for decades. Anyone growing up in the South knows that there is always a person in the family who has knowledge of the “old ways,” and this is exactly what Anne is.
With over 55 years of experience in these endeavors, she brings a level of hands-on knowledge that is hard to surpass. Amazingly, she doesn’t need to reference many resources due to her vast wealth of experience. She IS the source.
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