How to make and store coconut flakes. How to make coconut flakes from fresh coconut. Proper storage conditions

After opening the nuts and removing the coconut juice, the white flesh is kneaded and dried before being ground. The properties of the resulting dry product are practically no different from the properties of fresh coconut pulp. At the same time, the calorie content of the chips is much higher.

The main purpose of this product is to be used in cooking. In addition to adding to sweet dishes, shavings can be used in salads, meat dishes, and side dishes. This will diversify the diet by adding original and non-standard food to it.

Varieties

Depending on the particle size of the chips, the following varieties are distinguished:

coarse - the least valuable shavings, since they are roughly ground;
medium – a type of chips that are medium ground;
fine - the highest quality variety, represented by finely ground chips, which contain a large amount of fat.

The leaders in the production of coconut flakes are considered to be Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as the Philippines and Indonesia.

Useful properties

Coconut flakes:

has a porous structure and a large amount of dietary fiber, due to which it cleanses the intestines well and improves digestion;
rich in beneficial nutrients - vitamins B, E, C, iron, calcium, fructose, potassium, sucrose, essential fatty acids (in particular, lauric acid, which can normalize cholesterol levels, which reduces the risk of atherosclerosis);
recommended for ear pain, poor vision, viral and fungal infections, urological diseases, reduced immunity;
effective as a home remedy against worms (can be used even in children at a dose of 1 teaspoon before meals).

Harm

Coconut flakes may only be harmful to people who cannot tolerate coconut fruit. Also, people with allergic reactions should not get carried away with shavings. If you do not have allergies and tolerate coconut well, you can consume the shavings without fear.

How to choose and where to buy

Coconut flakes can be found in almost any grocery store. It is best to purchase shavings in transparent packaging, because this will allow you to clearly examine the purchase.

Fine coconut flakes may be the coconut pulp left over after the coconut oil has been extracted. This squeeze is dry, which may affect the results of its use. Pay attention to the type of coconut flakes written on the packaging (we wrote about this above).

You will see on sale not only white, but also shavings of different colors. However, think carefully about whether it’s worth treating yourself to a dessert with bright chips, since the dyes used for their production are mostly artificial.

In health food stores you can see organic coconut flakes, then you will be completely confident in the quality and usefulness of the shavings you purchase.

These stores also sell shavings with a reduced fat content, which is convenient for people who watch their diet and try to avoid excess fat in their diet.

How to make it yourself

It’s quite possible to make shredded coconut at home.

Steps for making coconut flakes at home:

Choosing a good coconut - high quality and ripe.
Removing coconut juice.
Cleaning the outer cover and extracting the pulp.
Grinding the pulp.
Drying or using.

You can buy nuts at any time of the year, but the best fruits appear on sale from October to December. Choose a firm fruit that is free of cracks, drips, and mold. Also carefully inspect the “eyes” (closed holes on the fruit), making sure they are not wet. Be sure to shake the nut - in a fresh coconut the juice will gurgle and shimmer.

The next step is to drain the coconut juice. The juice can be drunk or drained by making a hole in one of the “eyes” of the nut and inserting a straw there. To remove the outer shell of the fruit, tap the coconut with a hammer and discard any loose sections of the shell. You can also cut the nut using a metal saw, after which it will be very easy to extract the pulp from the resulting halves.

Having cracked the nut and obtained its snow-white pulp, take a regular vegetable grater and any container.

Rub the pieces of pulp smoothly, slowly and carefully, then the structure of the future chips will be homogeneous. You can also use a food processor if it has a suitable attachment.

The finished shavings can be used immediately or dried a little. You can also mix the resulting shavings with vanilla sugar.

Application

The main industry for using coconut flakes is confectionery:

Coconut pulp shavings are added inside rolls, pastries, and cakes as a delicious aromatic filling.
It is used to decorate and sprinkle finished delicacies. It can be seen on candies, glazes, muesli, chocolate, bars, curd cheeses and other sweets.
The product is also used in the preparation of savory dishes, such as meat.
Coconut pulp is especially in demand in Asian cooking. Coconut flakes mixed with chili pepper (ground) is a very piquant seasoning for both dessert and savory dishes.

Recipes

apple pie

You need:

kilogram of apples;
one glass each of flour, coconut and sugar;
200 grams of butter;
4 eggs;
tea spoon of soda;
3 tsp. spoons of lemon juice;
50 grams of powdered sugar.

After grinding the butter, eggs, sugar and lemon juice, add flour, 3/4 cup of chips and soda. Grate 100 grams of apples, add to the dough, then knead it well and place in the mold. Place chopped apples on top of the dough. Place in the oven for 45 minutes, and a few minutes before the end of baking, sprinkle the pie with 1/4 of the chips that you have left, as well as powdered sugar.

Butter cookies

Beat two eggs and 100 grams of sugar, add 200 grams of coconut and mix. Pour 100 grams of wheat flour, a little baking powder into the mixture and after kneading, put it in the refrigerator for half an hour. With your hands wet, form the cookies and bake for about 15 minutes.

Melt 200 grams of white chocolate and 200 grams of butter with constant stirring over low heat. Add 400 grams of condensed milk to the melted ingredients, stir and add 70 grams of coconut flakes. The resulting cream should be kept in the refrigerator for several hours in a glass container. This cream can be used to coat cakes, pastries, and even just slices of bread.

Meringue cookies

You need:

100 grams of white coconut flakes;
100 grams of sugar;
1 protein.

Mix sugar and coconut in a bowl. Add the egg whites and after mixing, place the future cookies with a spoon onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Bake for about 7 minutes.

To prepare you need:

200 g coconut flakes;
70 g powdered sugar;
100 ml cream;
70 g butter;
milk chocolate (about 200 g).

Mix coconut and powder in a bowl, pour this mixture into a saucepan with heated butter and cream. After making small balls from the resulting mass, keep them in the refrigerator for one hour. After melting the chocolate, dip the coconut balls into it (use toothpicks), then place the candies in the refrigerator overnight.

Mix in one container 0.75 cups of sugar, a cup of kefir, one egg, one and a half cups of flour and baking powder (10 grams). Pour the resulting dough into the mold, and evenly distribute the filling on top, represented by a mixture of 0.75 cups of sugar, a little vanilla and 100 grams of coconut flakes. Bake for about half an hour, and to prevent the chips from burning, cover it with foil 10 minutes after putting the pie in the oven.

Storage

Keep coconut shavings in a cool place where it is dry and free of foreign odors. Packaging purchased unopened can be stored for up to 12 months. It is recommended to use the shavings made by yourself immediately, or, after drying them a little, store them in the refrigerator.

You can learn more about the benefits of coconut by watching the following video.

Coconut flakes: where to use, besides cooking? What harm does it cause to human health? The most popular manufacturers of coconut flakes.

Coconut flakes can be found in many food ingredients. Many cooks have coconut flakes on the shelf next to other herbs and spices. But are they storing it correctly?
The composition, benefits and harms of coconut flakes and many other issues are discussed in detail in this article.

Properties of coconut flakes. Calories and composition analysis

When the coconut pulp is dried, its beneficial qualities are preserved.
Properties of coconut flakes:

Contains a large amount of minerals and vitamins
Removes toxic substances from the body
Reducing the risk of cancer
Has antiviral and antibacterial effect
Focuses attention
Improves vision and memory
Lower cholesterol

Coconut flakes contain useful ingredients such as:

Vitamins B, C, E
Calcium
Iron
Fatty acids

The composition of the chips, of course, is not limited to this. But these are the most active substances with positive qualities.
The calorie content of the product is almost 600 kcal. per 100 gr. This is much higher than if you note the calorie content of fresh coconut pulp. Energy value of the chips: proteins – 13 g, fats – 65 g, carbohydrates – 14 g.

What are the benefits of coconut flakes for the body and is there any harm?

Any product brings both benefits and harm to the body. Coconut flakes are no exception.
Benefits of coconut flakes:

Improves intestinal function due to its fibrous structure
Strengthening the immune system
Normalization of metabolism

Coconut shavings do not have a particularly active positive effect with minimal consumption. But the beneficial influence is still present.
Coconut does not have a negative effect on the body. If a person is not predisposed to an allergy to a product and consumes it in moderation, then he will not have to worry about his health.

How can you use shavings?

Coconut flakes are used in cooking.
Where can the product be used in cooking?

Decoration of ice cream, confectionery, cold and hot dishes
Add to sauces and dressings
As one of the cooking ingredients

Coconut flakes are most often used in baking. Confectionery products receive not only an attractive appearance, but also a very delicate and pleasant taste.

Advice! If you add coconut flakes to oil and fry shrimp in it, then this dish can impress all your guests.

Creative chefs use coconut flakes as an addition to meat and fish. You just need to make a breading from white shavings. The amazing taste will appeal to any gourmet, and the attractive crunch of the dish will make everyone around you try it.
Decorating with shavings provides the most beautiful appearance to the prepared dishes. At the same time, coconut will definitely give its own shading flavor.
Some craftsmen use coconut flakes in soap making. This allows you to add flavor to the finished soap. There are also slight massaging and scrubbing effects.

Proper storage conditions

Many cooking enthusiasts store all the packets of spices and seasonings in one place. How to store coconut flakes?
Store-bought coconut flakes should be stored in a dry place at room temperature. It is advisable to protect it from sunlight.
If the packaging has been opened and the remains need to be saved for future use, then it is best to pour the product into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. This will keep the chips from getting moisture or foreign odors. If the product is left in an open bag, there is a risk of absorption of the smell of neighboring spices.
If the shavings were made yourself from fresh coconut, then it is recommended to use them immediately. Leftovers can be stored for a short time in the refrigerator, but first make sure that the shavings are well dried.
If the product is purchased by weight, then before pouring it into a jar and putting it away, it is recommended to lightly dry it in a dry frying pan.

Rating of the best coconut producers

The best coconut flakes will undoubtedly be those produced in the country where the coconuts grow. However, you will have to pay much more for such pleasure than for a product from a domestic manufacturer.
The most common shavings in our country are from Vietnam:

VILACONIC GROUP. This company has established itself in many countries around the world. However, this product cannot be found in the public domain. It will take time to order and wait for the parcel
COM DUA NAOSAY. The most popular shavings among Russian confectioners. It is also impossible to find on store shelves.
Russian coconut producers
ROYAL FOREST. The most natural product. Large, with a pronounced taste. Reviews about this manufacturer are entirely positive.
Parfait Decor. One of the budget shavings often found in grocery stores
Pripravych. The cheapest, but popular among many others

Important! Experts advise against buying colored coconut flakes. It is best to purchase white and paint it yourself in the desired color.

How to make coconut flakes at home

More chefs and hobbyists prefer to make such products themselves.
How to make coconut flakes at home?

There are three small indentations on one side of the coconut. One of them must be pierced with a knife and the juice poured into a glass.
Using a small hammer, you need to tap the nut to separate the pulp from the peel. The blows should not be strong. You need to tap long and carefully
When cracks and chips appear on the peel, you can use a knife to separate it from the pulp. If the tapping was correct, the separation will be easy.
Use a knife to remove the gray film from the coconut flesh.
Cut the pulp into small pieces and grate on a fine grater. Or you can grind the pulp in a food processor, this method will take much less time
The crushed pulp must be dried in a thin layer on a towel for a couple of hours or placed in a warm oven for a few minutes.

Coconut flakes are ready. If you want to add a little sweetness to the resulting product, you can mix it with powdered sugar.

How to paint shavings: add a beautiful color

To decorate dishes, you may often need shavings of a bright and rich color. In order not to run to the store for a new bag of groceries, you can paint the shavings yourself.
One way is to use food coloring. Dilute a little colored powder in water. Drop the resulting mixture into a bag of shavings and mix well. Place the shavings on a napkin and let dry. You can use gel dyes using the same principle.
You can also use natural dyes. For example, put coconut shavings in cheesecloth and dip in beetroot juice. After a few minutes, dry the chips. But in this case the colors will not be saturated.

Coconut production technology: video

Many people use coconut flakes in their culinary successes. But does everyone know exactly how it is produced? The process of producing coconut flakes is very interesting. You can learn about how coconut is produced in Malaysia from this video

Coconut flakes are an ingredient quite often used in making desserts. You can buy shavings in any store; this product is not in short supply. But some manufacturers try to cheat by replacing the coconut pulp with sugar beets and adding flavoring to get the desired smell, others soak the grated coconut in water and rinse it several times to obtain coconut milk. But there is nothing easier than making coconut flakes yourself by buying coconut from the store. In addition, you will receive 100-150 ml in addition. delicious coconut milk that you can drink or use in other dishes.

One medium-sized coconut will yield about 150 g of coconut flakes. Well-dried shavings can be stored for a long time in a dry, clean glass container and used as needed. If desired, you can tint it by adding a few drops of food coloring of the desired color.

Ingredients:

1 coconut

Preparation:

1. Wash and dry the coconut. It should be hard, brown in color, without mold or white deposits.

2. On one of the poles of each nut there are three small indentations. Their shell is quite thin and easy to pierce. You can do this with a regular knife, then pour coconut milk into a glass through a hole or insert a straw and drink the aromatic sweet liquid directly from the coconut.

3. Then take the coconut in your hands and start tapping it with the back of the knife, you need to do this over the entire surface so that the coconut flesh is separated from the shell. Approximately in the middle of the nut there is its “equator”, along which it is most convenient to split the coconut. To do this, you need to strike harder at the equator until the coconut splits into two parts.

4. Using a knife, remove the aromatic pulp from the shell. There will be a brown crust on one side that needs to be cut off.

5. Grate the white part using a beet grater.

6. Pour a thin layer onto parchment paper and leave in a well-ventilated area for a day. You need to stir periodically. The second, faster option is to leave the baking sheet with coconut shavings in the cooling oven, while keeping a close eye and stirring so that the shavings do not burn.

7. Aromatic tender coconut flakes from coconut are ready for use at home; it can be used in preparing various desserts.

More recipes:

How to make lasagna dough

How to make a fluffy sponge cake: subtleties in cooking techniques

How to make mastic at home? Learn to decorate cakes yourself

Coconut is a delicious and nutritious tropical nut. It is used in the preparation of recipes for many dishes. But to use coconut for culinary purposes, it needs to be cooked.

How to open a coconut?

So let's take a coconut. If you examine it, you will see several depressions in the peel located nearby. It is necessary to place the coconut on the table so that these indentations are on top. To pierce them, you need considerable strength and dexterity; if in doubt, entrust this task to the stronger sex.
When you poke holes in the coconut, strain the coconut water into a clean suitable container, prepare it in advance. Coconut water has a specific, but pleasant, aroma and almost no taste; most often it is salty. You can drink it right away, you can mix it into various dishes, from juices and cocktails to sauces for meat and fish dishes.
Coconut water will give all dishes and drinks a new flavor and a pleasant exotic aroma. The most convenient way to make holes in a coconut is with a corkscrew, a screwdriver or a straight knife without expanding the blade.
When you have drained the water from the coconut, you can continue further. To extract the meat from a coconut, you need to be patient and use a small hammer.
Tap the coconut on all sides without using too much force - the nut should crack on its own. If it doesn’t help, increase the load and tap the peel harder. When the coconut splits, you can extract the pulp from its walls.
Take a large knife and separate the coconut meat into small squares. Separate them from the shell, clean them from the brown crusts that often occur where the pulp attaches to the shell. Coconut can now be eaten raw without cooking. Use coconut meat as a separate dessert. It is delicious with juices and milk, as well as with non-alcoholic cocktails.

Coconut - coke recipe

You can make a seasoning from coconut for various dishes - the famous coke shavings.

To prepare the shavings recipe, grate the coconut flesh, or you can grind it in a food processor.
To cook coconut, preheat the oven, the optimal temperature for cooking is 180-200 degrees. Place foil on a baking sheet; you can use special paper for baking pastry. Spread the crushed coconut pulp on the mat and place it in the oven.
Cook the coconut until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Advice: do not cook shavings if fish or meat was previously cooked in the oven, and it smells of spices and other foreign dishes, otherwise the shavings will instantly absorb odors. Then it will become unsuitable for adding to most dishes.
Store the finished coconut flakes in a tightly closed container in a dry and dark place. Do not store coconut shavings for more than six months.

Coconut milk recipe

You can also make milk using coconut water.

To do this, simply pour the crushed pulp with clean boiled water.
Pour in as much water as you have coconut pulp. Let it sit for about half an hour, after which you can express the water through the filter. The filter is easy to make from gauze, folding it in several layers.
Coconut milk is immediately ready to drink in its pure form. It can be added to drinks or sauces.

Coconut milk, widespread in East Asian cuisine, has conquered Europe with its delicate, subtle taste: it is used to prepare sauces for both spicy and sweet dishes, cook exotic soups and make fruit cocktails.

There are very interesting and tasty African, Indian and Brazilian dishes that contain coconut milk, butter or coconut flakes. You can buy these coconut goodies at the store, but you can easily make coconut milk, coconut oil, and fresh coconut flakes at home.

Coconut milk is best made from fresh, heavier coconut. When choosing a coconut, you need to weigh it in the palm of your hand, then shake it and check for the presence of coconut water in it. Make sure that the 3 “eyes” of the coconut are always closed when purchasing. The shelf life of an opened coconut is 1-2 days (in the refrigerator). You can store fresh coconut pulp by filling it with water in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cooked coconut milk has a shelf life of 24 hours in the refrigerator.

How to crack a coconut at home

You will need:

1 coconut
boiling water (as much as needed)

Roll up a kitchen towel, place it over the sink drainage hole and place a coconut in it (or place it in a coffee can or other container). Using a screwdriver and hammer, poke into the dark indentations (“eyes”) on the top of the coconut. Turn the coconut over a bowl to release the juices. Try the juice. It should be sweet and have a pleasant smell. A sour taste indicates that the nut is spoiled. Throw it away.

The shell needs to be broken. To do this, mark a line around the circumference, usually with a meat hatchet or a knife, then break the coconut wrapped in a towel with a hammer, trying to hit along the marked line. With this method of breaking the nut, you get two even halves.There is a natural break line in the center of the coconut; if you find it, you can split the coconut with a few movements of the knife.

Separate the pulp from the shell and cut off the brown shell with a knife. You can place the coconut for 10-15 minutes in an oven preheated to 200 C, it will become softer and easier to clean.Grate the white pulp on a coarse grater or grind it in a processor.

You can leave the thin brown shell on, but then the milk will have a grayish tint, and you just throw away the coconut shavings and can no longer use them...

Preparing coconut milk

Coconut milk is a thick liquid obtained by infusing coconut meat in water. This milk is an excellent option for flavoring fruit drinks. Using this technology, you can prepare plant milk from other types of nuts: walnuts, almonds, etc.

To prepare the milk, pour boiling water over the grated shavings just to cover. Mix well and leave for 30 minutes. The chips should swell and absorb most of the water.
After this, discard the shavings with water on a cotton napkin.
Very carefully squeeze out all the liquid (milk and butter) into a separate bowl.

Typically, when stored, coconut milk separates into 2 layers (2 phases). The top layer is denser and thicker, oily and the second layer is liquid. The more ripe the coconut, the thicker and fattier the top layer, the more oil it contains. Both layers are mixed and used for preparing culinary products. The remaining shavings from the squeeze can be dried in the oven at low temperature and used for making desserts, pastries, etc.
The approximate yield of the product is that from 1/2 of a medium-sized coconut you can get 200 ml of milk.

Coconut milk goes well with fruits that have their own distinct flavor, such as papaya or bananas. A mixture of coconut milk with pineapple, lemon or lime juice is very tasty.

The use of this product in cooking is very variable: coconut milk goes well with many dishes. It is loved and appreciated for its versatility: it can soften even the hottest dish and add a rich sweet flavor to any dessert treat. You can make dozens of different sauces for meat, seafood, fish and sweet treats using coconut milk. For these purposes, thick milk is often used. In desserts, it replaces not only cream, but also plain milk and flour with butter, which are usually added for tenderness and refinement of taste. Liquid coconut milk is used in many soups (in France, for example, coconut soup with shrimp is popular) and cocktails (usually fruit and non-alcoholic ones). It is also used in salads and main courses.

Health benefits of coconut milk

Coconut milk contains a lot of vegetable fats, protein and oil. It is rich in vitamins C and B, as well as manganese and iron. This relatively low-calorie product is useful for chronic fatigue, loss of strength and vitamin deficiency. Regular consumption of coconut milk, as Indian experts have found, has a beneficial effect on cardiac activity.
Even in ancient times, coconut was known as a natural aphrodisiac, stimulating the formation of hormones and reducing the risk of impotence in men. One of the most important benefits of coconut is its positive effects on the function of our cardiovascular system. In particular, eating coconut helps restore blood quality and normalize blood circulation, reduce blood cholesterol levels, prevent atherosclerosis and various heart diseases, and so on.

Coconut products such as milk and oil have excellent cleansing effects, and the fats they contain stimulate metabolism and restore the functions of vital organs and systems in the human body.

Preparing coconut oil

Coconut milk contains 40% coconut oil, which is the most valuable dietary product. Its main asset is its unique lauric acid, which, in addition to coconut oil, is also found in palm oil and human breast milk. Lauric acid helps protect the body from infections and viruses.

To prepare coconut oil, cut the coconut flesh into large pieces and grind in a blender or grate. Then transfer the grated pulp into a deep bowl. Bring water (about two and a half glasses) to a boil. Let the water cool slightly and pour in the grated coconut (not boiling water) and leave until the water cools completely, stirring the resulting mass periodically.

When the water has cooled, cover the bowl with a lid and place it in the refrigerator for ten hours. After this time, remove the lid from the bowl. A thick crust of coconut oil has formed on the surface of the bowl. You need to collect it all, put it in a mold and melt it in a water bath. If there are pieces of coconut in the oil, the oil itself can be strained.

Place the mold with clean oil back in the refrigerator. This oil can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Coconut oil Excellent for skin care when visiting solariums, it makes the tan even and the skin velvety.
Coconut oil It is characterized by a high content of lauric fatty acids and triglycerides. This property ensures good absorption coconut oil into the skin. When applied to skin Coconut oil melts quickly and is absorbed, leaving the skin smooth and velvety.
Great fit Coconut oil for skin care and prevention of stretch marks during pregnancy.
Coconut oil prevents the formation of small cracks on the skin of the hands and heels.

Preparing coconut flakes

The squeezed shavings remaining after receiving coconut milk can also be used in cooking, and if you plan to store them, you need to dry them in the oven at a low temperature (50 degrees).

The shavings turn out to be much more aromatic and tastier than those bought in a store. If you need shavings to decorate confectionery products, then it is better to grind the coconut pulp not in a processor, but to grate it.

The coconut meat can be thinly sliced using a Berner grater or vegetable peeler, dried in the oven to make coconut chips.

Coconut cosmetics

It is also believed that coconut milk, taken both internally and externally - in the form of masks and lotions - improves the color and condition of the skin and hair. According to legend, bathing in coconut milk was practiced by the Queen of Sheba.

Coconut is considered a strong aphrodisiac that improves reproductive function, and coconut oil, obtained by cold pressing from dried pulp, promotes rejuvenation.

It is recommended to apply it to the body before going to the beach - it not only protects the skin from harmful ultraviolet rays, but also perfectly evens out the tan. Coconut milk perfectly nourishes the skin, saturates it with valuable vitamins and proteins, making it velvety and soft.Moreover, with the help of this product you can take care of the skin of the face, as well as the hands or body.Coconut milk perfectly moisturizes the skin of the face and body.It creates a delicate protective shell on the skin and protects it from drying out.When using cosmetic products with coconut extracts, an excellent tonic and stimulating effect on the skin is felt, the elasticity and firmness of the skin is restored, wrinkles are smoothed out, and acne goes away and minor physical damage to the skin is healed more quickly.

Coconut milk can also strengthen weakened hair, making it thick and silky.

Nourishing coconut mask recipe, which is well suited to dry and aging skin: First, mix 1 tablespoon of oatmeal with 1 teaspoon of honey. Then dilute the mixture with natural coconut milk so that you get a mass similar to sour cream. Apply it to your face and after 10 minutes, rinse with slightly warm water.

For dry skin. Mix two tablespoons of coconut milk with three tablespoons of cream. This mixture is quite enough for application to the face and décolleté.

Important!!! With all my beneficial properties, coconut It is quite allergic, so it is not suitable for all people.