I use it for high heat frying when I don't want to use lard. I also use it for baking, cutting the oil called for by about 25%. I don't bake a lot, but I can confirm that it works great for zucchini bread and chocolate zucchini bread.

I've used it for decades as a primary fat for cooking, frying and baking and use LouAna brand (purchased from Wal-Mart or Dillon's - a Kroger associated store) when I want a neutral flavor since it doesn't taste or smell like coconut. I also use brands that have the odor and flavor - it's the "secret" flavoring ingredient in brownies. ;-) I haven't used vegetable cooking oil or shortening even longer than I've been using coconut oil.

I use the solid coconut oil when a solid fat is called for in the recipe, and melted when a liquid oil is needed

I store it at room temperature and it's like a little barometer for the ambient temperature. When it's warm in the kitchen, it is semi-solid to partially liquid, while in the winter when the house is cold it's completely solid.

It's also a great choice for home food storage where we store enough food for a year (or more). Coconut oil has a much longer shelf life than vegetable oil or shortening, and is so stable it can be stored at room temperature for up to five years without refrigeration. I once left a small amount of Nutiva Coconut Oil in the bottom of the container for 4-years and tested it periodically to see if it was rancid, and it never did go rancid and I finally used it up.

If you Google - "How to use coconut oil for cooking and baking" you will find a lot of good general information. There are also a lot of health benefits to using coconut oil, so you may also want to do a search on "health benefits of coconut oil".

Like laceyvail, I've been able to successfully cut the fat in many recipes by up to 25% and get the same results.

FYI: Historically, pre-1970's, coconut oil was the fat of choice in commercial baked goods because it kept the food fresher longer than other fats, and they had a longer shelf-life without going stale or rancid. Stadium snack stands (and movie theaters) would make large quantities of popcorn popped in coconut oil days before an event because it wouldn't go rancid and would remain fresh. The same benefits are seen when I use coconut oil in my homemade breads, granola, Party Mix type mixtures, etc.

-Grainlady

I keep a bottle in the pantry and another small container in the bathroom closet to use it as a moisturizer on my face, elbows, knees and other dry skin areas - especially in the winter. It seems to soak into the skin overnight and leaves my skin soft and supple.

And I like that it has no noticeable flavor when cooking with it.

Teresa

Forgot to mention........

-When you use melted coconut oil in a recipe, make sure the ingredients that may be cold, like milk and eggs, are at least room temperature or warmed a little, because cold ingredients will cause the melted coconut oil to solidify into chunks of fat.

-In order to remove coconut oil from a jar when it's really hard in cold temperatures, use a spoon or broad butter knife to scrape a thin layer off the surface. The friction will soften it enough to be able to fill a push-through measuring cup.

-I use Carrington Farms Coconut Cooking Oil (I buy it at Wal-Mart), which remains liquid even in cooler temperatures, when making a salad dressing or vinaigrette. This oil is flavorless.

-Grainlady

I have a giant jar of Carrington Farms virgin coconut oil, and I find that it does have a mild coconutty scent and flavor. I love it for stovetop popcorn, and on toasted bread or bagels, as an alternative to butter.

It's the oil I use for making curries and stir fries, but I don't like to use it for all savory dishes, because I find that it does add a mild flavor.

I've used it as the oil for muffins and quick breads, and have used it to substitute a portion of the butter or shortening in cookie recipes.

And like Teresa, I keep a little container in the bathroom. I use it as a facial moisturizer every day.

Mayo clinic online says that coconut oil has a lot of saturated fat, which raises your LDL cholesterol. That's not good for you. The absence of trans fat doesn't make a product good for you. Other mainstream medical sources do not believe there are health benefits to ingesting coconut oil.

However it is somewhat trendy now although grain lady has been a proponent for years, before the current popular thinking. Grain lady and I disagree about the merits of this solid fat.

I am old enough to remember there were widespread news reports about medical studies showing harmful effects on the cardiovascular system from coconut oil usage. Commercial bakeries responded by changing their recipes to exclude coconut oil from their products. That was, I recall, in the 1990's.

I think it is fair and helpful to set forth another side of this issue.

Well, apart from now being very confused, thank you all lol.

There are such conflicting opinions on the internet; One thing I find difficult is to see when an article was written. it would be easier to form an opinion if the articles were better dated! But, thanks for the info.

I use coconut oil in replacement of any fat. I have both solid and liquid kind. I also use it as a moisturizer sometimes. I actually don't like the taste of coconut but find that I never notice it when cooking with coconut oil.

Half us, at my home, have problems with casein so we use it in place of dairy. My favourite right now is to fry an egg (over easy) in fragrant coconut oil on top of chopped banana with chopped nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds and pumpkin seeds) with a dash of salt and loads of pepper. I also use it to oil pull to whiten my teeth. There are supposed to be other health benefits but I don't notice anything but the great whitener that it is.
We also eat it by the spoonful here and there and I give it to the dog occasionally too. She loves it.

I put the solid stuff in my coffee, with honey.

The recipe below are for some fantastic vegan chocolate chip cookies made with coconut oil. I had to make a vegan treat for an event and this one was a home run.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe (no affiliation to the author)

Grainlady - please explain why the 25% cutback when using this oil. Thank you.

Coconut oil is nearly all fat, while butter has a percentage of moisture along with the fat, so you can often cut the fat by up to 25% and get the same results if the recipe had butter in it. In fact, most recipes can stand a reduction in fat without altering the texture and finished product, as a general rule. The same goes for sugar.

Fats have different size fat crystals, and that can make a difference.

-Grainlady

I use avocado oil for high-heat cooking, olive oil for low-heat cooking, and coconut oil on my hair.

I use a tsp a day in my morning smoothie... Since I've been doing that I've had to cut back on my thyroid medicine...and so has my GF.

I've also used it to make eggs and it lends a really yummy taste to it.

I will use it half and half with ghee when I'm doing something up at high temp.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dr Oz on coconut oil

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Tue, Oct 21, 14 at 11:29

Thank you for all the help.

Here are two interesting links I found about coconut oil.

I'll quote from one of the articles below:

"It was back in the sixties and seventies when some researchers tried to prove that saturated fats were dangerous and dreadful and should be avoided as much as possible. This made some people turn away from coconut oil, but now, the usage of coconut oil is gaining popularity once again as cooking oil. Let’s explore some of the reasons why this change has occurred...."

"There are two types of cholesterol, namely, High Density Lipoproteins (Good Cholesterol) and Low Density Lipoproteins (Bad Cholesterol). While the Bad Cholesterol (LDL) gets deposited in the inner walls of arteries and poses a threat for your heart (in extreme cases, it can result in heart attacks), the Good Cholesterol (HDL) does just the opposite. It helps lower the level of Bad Cholesterol, provides energy and nutrition to cells, and benefits the body in a number of other ways as well. You will be delighted to know that coconut oil has some saturated fatty acids like Capric Acid and Lauric Acid, which raise the level of High Density Lipoproteins in the body, lowers Bad Cholesterol, boosts immunity and fights aging. They also increase the rate of metabolism and help shed weight."

In my native country - India, the Southerners use a lot of coconut oil in their cooking and yet obesity or cholesterol is not a renowned diet related problem there from what I know. Yet, my family has never really used it for cooking and I also never did.

Thanks to grainlady's periodic insistence on the use of coconut oil in so many recipes, I decided to a little research on my own.

What I also learnt is that while too much may cause diarrhea, a little bit will certainly not hurt and edible grade Coconut Oil Is:

· Anti-inflammatory
· Antimicrobial
· Antifungal
· Antiviral
· Improves nutrient absorption

And there are over 80 uses listed on this page:

- See more at: http://healthimpactnews.com/2011/80-uses-for-coconut-oil/#sthash.LVOFrmQq.dpuf

There is also a weight wise recommended usage chart.

Oh and by the way, I just bought my first bottle also, may not use it every day but will surely use it in baking.

I wonder if anyone has ever used a few drops in homemade insecticidal sprays for plants? (did not find it in the list)

A question for grainlady or anyone with experience -

I have this honey wholewheat oat banana bread recipe (to be made next week) that uses apple sauce instead of oil, I wonder if adding a teaspoon of coconut oil will help the bread last a week or more?

I usually make banana bread and store in the refrigerator on the second day itself (that does affect the taste) in order to make it last a week or more(and I don't like it cold so need to defrost before having).

Here is a link that might be useful: Why is Coconut Oil So Special

I've been using it instead of shortening for biscuits and piecrust and it's wonderful. The texture is perfect. Also for frying. If you don't like the fragrance and slight taste of coconut in everything you can use the refined kind. Since I don't do a lot of baking or frying anymore I don't see that there could be that much of a risk with the fat content.

dessert_gardener-

Adding some coconut oil to your banana bread recipe will help keep it moist longer. I would add 1 tablespoon - I don't think a teaspoon would be enough.

Back in the fat-free and low-fat 1990's, I noticed how quickly these low-fat baked goods would get dry and not keep for very long. There was a secondary problem with low-fat, you could eat more of these baked goods and still not be satisfied, so you lowered the fat, but increased the calories by eating more..... To solve both problems I would add a little coconut oil or butter to recipes (usually at least 1 T. - especially if it was a fat-free recipe). The issue of satiety (how full and satisfied you feel after eating) is addressed with fat and protein, so adding that small amount of fat did the trick.

This is a low-fat recipe I've used for years:

BANANA POPPY SEED BREAD

1 c. mashed bananas
1/2 c. sugar (I use 1/4 c. agave nectar)
1/2 c. skim milk (I used reconstituted non-fat dry milk)
3 T. coconut oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 T. poppy seeds (I also use amaranth seeds instead of poppy seeds)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon

Combine the mashed bananas and sugar (or agave nectar) in a bowl; stir well. Let stand 10-minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk, oil, and egg; set the mixture aside. Combine all-purpose flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in center of dry mixture; add banana mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Spoon into a greased regular (8-1/2"x4-1/2"x3") loaf pan. (Do NOT use a 9"x5" quick-bread loaf pan because there isn't enough batter.) Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 1-hour, or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10-minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. (About 125 calories per 1/2-inch slice.)

-Grainlady

Thanks for your timely reply, I will make sure to use 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (reducing apple sauce) in my original recipe.

I love trying out banana breads of all kinds (something I realize never fails me in the taste department). I have saved your microwave banana bread to try some day and this one too goes on my list to try another day. The only thing, I don't like using milk in my breads - never liked the flavor. Do you think it wud be ok, if I replace the milk with water?

Or any other liquid medium I can soak my whole wheat flour in?

dessert_gardener,

Buttermilk would work. I've also used homemade kefir in this recipe. You could also use some regular plain yogurt, and all three of those would be great for soaking your whole wheat flour. If you don't want to use dairy, water with a little lemon juice would be a non-dairy option but not something I've ever tried.

-Grainlady

I have recurring arthritis(RA) right now we are very particular with our diet and saturated fats for cooking is a no no. There were oils that were recommended such as olive oil and fish oil, will coconut oil be a better alternative for cooking same with olive oil replacing saturated fats?

Here is a link that might be useful: Omega 3

Hi grainlady,

Thanks! I think butter milk or curd is good for me, just need to know if you increase the portion of baking soda when substituting curd in place of water?

Hi chrisloters,

Regarding oral consumption, note: 'edible grade' coconut oil can be taken orally, but ingestion of coconut oil may cause diarrhea and other symptoms related to intestinal distress for some people.

In order to avoid these effects, you may want to consult your medical practitioner first so there is no interference with your current diet and medication also.

I'm no medical practitioner to make recommendations yet I'll share with you what I had read some time ago. In what may the first study of its kind, researchers in India extracted the antioxidants unique to virgin coconut oil from the oil and injected them into rats with induced arthritis. They found that the unique coconut oil antioxidants reduced inflammation associated with arthritis more effectively than current pharmaceutical drugs.

However, when discussing antioxidants present in coconut oil, remember that not all coconut oils are equal in amounts of antioxidants present. Refined coconut oils would have little or none, and not all virgin coconut oils are produced the same way to have the highest amounts of antioxidants.

This is probably something that may interest you. According to the Virgin Coconut Oil website, massaging a mixture consisting of aloe vera and coconut oil will not only lessen the amount of inflammation that occurs in the joints, but it will also relieve the pain associated with the swelling as well. Coconut oil adds strength to the bones and acts as an agent that soothes arthritis pain in the bones and joints.

In fact, coconut oil is used by as a natural pain reliever (in India at least) by many people who suffer from arthritis.

Though considered rare, some people may be allergic to coconuts and coconut oil. So, before trying any external application, you may want to test by simply rubbing a single drop onto an area of nonsensitive skin and monitoring it for the next 24 hours for signs of itching or swelling.

If you are good to go, warm up some coconut oil and combine it with a few pieces of camphor. Massage the mixture deeply into the area where the joints are aching.

The Home Remedies website states that the camphor mixed with the warm coconut oil will increase the blood supply to the affected joints, leading to a warming effect and reducing the amount of pain that you experience.

Good Luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Coconut Oil Study