Dried Coconut
Dried coconut is also known as desiccated coconut. It is just shredded coconut that has been dried and then put through a grater or powdered. It is commonly available in grocery stores but if you think it would be fun to start from scratch, you can make your own dried coconut. Dried coconut is used in all kinds of recipes, including cakes and cookies.
If you want to make your own dried coconut from scratch, first you will have to buy a coconut, crack the coconut open, drain out the coconut water, and separate the flesh of the coconut from the hard brown shell. Next, shred your coconut with a grater. You have already produced your very own shredded coconut.
Turn on your oven and preheat it to 250 degrees. The next step on the way to dried coconut is to take a baking sheet and spread out the shredded coconut on it. Just scatter the coconut so that there is a thin layer on the baking or cookie sheet. Make sure not to make piles or let it stick together or it won’t be able to dry properly. Once your oven has reached 250 degrees, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the shredded coconut.
Make sure not to increase the heat above 250 degrees or the coconut will cook. Drying is different from cooking. It usually takes only around five or ten minutes to dry the coconut. When it’s ready it will feel dry to the touch--not soft or wet. Remove it from the oven. You have made your very own dried coconut. If you need powdered dried coconut instead of shredded dried coconut, all you have to do is put your dried coconut in a bowl and crush it with a spoon. A food processor will work equally well.
You can, of course, skip this whole process and buy dried coconut at the store. Dried coconut products can include shredded or powdered coconut, coconut flakes, coconut cream concentrate or coconut flour. Most of the dried coconut that is imported into the United States comes from the Philippines. In order to prevent salmonella poisoning, the USDA requires that all imported dried coconut be heated to a temperature exceeding 160 degrees.
Dried coconut is one of the best ways to obtain coconut nutrients. Fresh coconuts have a very short shelf life and are often old by the time they reach their destination. Dried coconut has all of the same nutrients and there is no possibility of it being spoiled. The nutrients in coconut are often figured using a standard of one hundred grams, even though that is far more than you would consume in one sitting.
For instance, 100 grams of dried coconut contains a total of 660 calories. Of these, there are 65 grams of fat (57 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 37 mg of sodium, 24 gm of carbohydrates (of which 16 gm is dietary fiber), 543 mg of potassium, and 7 gm of each protein and sugar.