Recipes will often call for nuts or coconut to be toasted.  Even if they don’t, flavor and texture is usually improved if they are toasted.  

Why You Should Toast Your Nuts:  Why?:

Toasting helps to concentrate natural oils to improve flavor as well as drive off excess moisture that would otherwise dilute the flavor.  It also improves the textural aspects by giving the nuts and coconut a distinctive “crunch”.

How?

I see many recipes, cookbooks, and cooking shows instructing you to put the nuts in a saute pan and toasting on the stove.  While yes it can be done this way, I dislike the results that it provides and also think that it’s much more tedious than it needs to be.  First, you have to pay close attention and stir frequently to prevent them from browning too much in one spot.  Second, the only toasting that occurs is that portion which is in contact with the pan.

How I Like to Toast My Nuts  To Toast Nuts:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using a convection oven). Scatter the nuts or coconut evenly across a baking sheet.  It is best to use a pan with sides as short as possible.  Pans with sides will cause the heat to go up and over the nuts or coconut and not toast as quickly or evenly.  Place the baking sheet in the oven for about10-12 minutes.  (Convection ovens will cook quickly – usually about 8 minutes in my experience).  Coconut and chopped nuts will usually need to be moved around about half-way through to evenly toast.  Nuts are done when they smell distinctively “nutty” and coconut will be nice golden to medium brown.

Important note:  If they have gotten a little more toasty than you hoped for but aren’t yet burnt, remove immediately from the baking sheet to a dish or plate so that they don’t continue to cook as they cool on the hot pan.

Toast nuts and coconut on separate pans to toast both evenly.