Drain the canned Mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple in a fine-mesh strainer for 10+ minutes to prevent excess liquid from making your salad watery and breaking down the delicate texture.

Prepare the orange jello until it reaches a syrupy, partially-set consistency before folding in other ingredients—this prevents the marshmallows and fruit from sinking to the bottom.

Lightly toast the sweetened shredded coconut in a dry skillet for 2-3 minutes just before adding it to enhance its nutty flavor and prevent it from becoming soggy during storage.

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold ingredients together using an under-and-over motion rather than stirring, which preserves the airy texture and prevents deflating the whipped topping.

Assemble the salad 2-4 hours before serving, but add the marshmallows and whipped topping only 30 minutes prior to maintain their fluffy texture and prevent them from dissolving into the mixture.