How and how much you can store coconut at home
People often wonder how best to store coconut. In order for this product to retain its freshness as long as possible, it must be supplied in optimal conditions. Maintaining proper temperature, humidity, and light settings is of great importance. It should be remembered that coconut products require special storage conditions. This applies to chips, milk, butter.
Main selection criteria
To keep a product fresh for a long time, you need to choose the right one.
Appearance
You should buy only mature coconut. During transportation, this fruit does not ripen. It is permissible to use a rough shell nut. It should be brown with no green areas.
Holes
There should be holes at one end of the coconut. There should always be 3 of them. It is important that these places are dry and clean. There should be no mold or rot on the surface. It is important that the holes do not bend even under strong pressure.
Storage requirements
For coconut to last longer, it must be provided in optimal conditions. Temperature, humidity and lighting parameters are of great importance.
Temperature
Before opening the skin, the nuts lie well in cool, dry rooms. In this case, the temperature should not exceed +20 degrees. When storing coconut for more than a month, there is a risk of souring its liquid and drying out the pulp.
Lighting
The nut should be stored in a dark place. It should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
Humidity
Air humidity settings should be maintained at 70%.
How to store an open coconut at home
After opening the nut, it must be stored in the refrigerator. It is worth maintaining the temperature regime at +5 degrees. Under these conditions, the coconut can keep its freshness for 1 to 2 days. However, first of all, the liquid from the coconut must be poured into a glass, ceramic or plastic dish and tightly close it. If the milk is left in a nut, it will quickly turn sour. In a separate bowl, it can keep its freshness for 1 week.
To keep an opened coconut longer in the refrigerator, it is allowed to wrap it in foil. This will help prevent oxygen from oxidizing the pulp.
Where can you store coconut milk?
Fresh milk from a ripe nut can retain its freshness for 24 hours. If the product is packaged in an airtight container, it is allowed to use it for 1 year or more. In this case, the conditions indicated on the packaging must be observed.
After opening the container with the product, its shelf life does not exceed 2 days.It is recommended to pour it into glassware, seal it tightly and place it in the refrigerator. The cream that appears on the product does not indicate spoilage.
Milk is considered sufficiently fatty. Therefore, it is not recommended to freeze it. When thawing food, there is a risk of separation. As a result, it will lose its taste and become less useful. If it is necessary to freeze the product, it is poured into ice molds. The resulting cubes should be used for 2 months. After the specified period, the product will lose its taste.
Food grade plastic
Plastic wrappers are great for storing coconut milk.
Glass
The liquid can be stored in glass.
Ceramic
Ceramic dishes are a good option for storing this milk.
Stainless steel
Coconut milk perfectly retains its properties in stainless steel containers.
How to make and store coconut flakes
To increase the shelf life of the nut, it can be dried. To prepare the shavings, you should use the following methods:
- Open the nut and drain the liquid from it. Divide the fruit into pieces and remove the peel. Grind the peeled pulp with a blender and put on a baking sheet. Dry in the sun or near a battery. It usually takes 2 days.
- To dry the pulp in the oven, place it on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. The oven should be heated to a temperature of 120 degrees, turn it off and put the pulp inside. Check the chips as they cool. If it remains damp, the oven should be heated to 50 degrees and leave the mass for 30 minutes.
- The easiest way is to use a microwave.It is recommended to put the chips on a glass tray and place them in the device for half an hour, turning on the defrost mode. Then open the door and hold the chips for 10 minutes. Manipulation should be carried out until the pulp is dry.
To preserve the properties of coconut flakes for a long time, it must be removed in a dry and dark place. It is important to keep dry pulp away from foods that have a strong flavor.
Its shelf life is 1 month.
Before preparing a dish, you need to measure the required amount of dry coconut in advance and transfer it to a separate container. It should be remembered that it is not recommended to store this product in the refrigerator. With this method, condensation appears on the surface of the chips. Subsequently, this becomes the cause of the appearance of rot and mold.
Features of Coconut Oil Storage
To preserve the freshness and taste of the oil, after opening the package, the product must be placed in the refrigerator. In this case, you must follow these rules:
- For unrefined oil, keep the temperature regime at + 5-8 degrees. Refined product should be stored at a temperature of +25 degrees.
- Humidity settings should be at 65%.
- You should choose glassware for storage. It must be opaque. Plastic dishes are also suitable for this purpose.
- The lid should fit snugly around the edges of the container.
If you violate the storage rules or keep it at a temperature below +5 degrees, the quality of the oil will deteriorate significantly. The following signs indicate damage to the product:
- the appearance of a bitter taste and an unpleasant aroma;
- change in oil tint - the solid product loses its white tint;
- stratification of the product - lumps and grains form in it;
- loss of transparency of liquid oil;
- the appearance of mold on the surface.
It is strictly forbidden to store spoiled coconut oil. This product should be discarded immediately.
Additional tips and tricks
To maximize the shelf life of coconuts, a number of recommendations should be followed:
- It is recommended to refrigerate the opened coconut.
- The milk should be placed in a container that can be tightly closed. For this purpose, it is permissible to use a pot or container. A bottle is good too.
- A whole coconut can be stored in any cool place. A fridge would be a great option. It is important to ensure that it is not exposed to direct sunlight. In addition, the product must be protected from heat.
- It is recommended to store the pulp in the refrigerator.To increase the shelf life of the product, it must be dried and chopped. This will help you get the coconut flakes.
- Store dried walnut pulp in a dark place. It should be quite cool. At the same time, it is not recommended to store the chips in the refrigerator.
- A whole coconut only keeps for a long time if it is mature enough. There should be no cracks, bumps or other damaged areas on the surface of the fruit. When you shake the nut, a splash of liquid should be heard inside.
- It is not recommended to store fruits near beets, apples, bananas. The same goes for pears and melons. These products produce ethylene. This substance accelerates the ripening of other products.
- Constant temperature fluctuations can spoil the taste of the pulp and shorten the shelf life of the nut.
- The flesh of the nut dries quickly. Therefore, after opening the fetus, it is recommended to pour water inside and refrigerate. In such a situation, the product will become liquid and lose some of its taste, but it can be used to prepare various dishes.
- The appearance of cream on the surface of coconut milk is considered a normal variant. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to give up the use of the product. The cream can be stored for 1 week.
Coconut preservation has a number of characteristics. If the optimal temperature, humidity and light conditions are observed, it will be possible to keep the walnut tree for as long as possible.