whoops, need coconut oil ideas, please!

15 years ago

I use a lot of coconut oil in my cooking and baking (and as a moisturizer in the shower, but that's another forum...), but the last jar I grabbed was unrefined instead of refined coconut oil. Unlike the refined, it definitely smells like coconut. A lot like coconut.

The taste is too strong to use in breads and the smoke point is too low to use for frying, I also can't use it for a moisturizer since it's so ovewhelmingly coconutty! Brownies? Cookies? What other baking could I do with this jar?

Thanks for your ideas.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
15 years ago
Ice cream.

dcarch
shambo
15 years ago
I have the same problem. A relative gave me a huge container of coconut oil but it too has the coconut flavor. I suppose it would be good in baked sweets, but they're the one thing I don't make (Except at Christmas & it's all Greek stuff, so coconut flavor really doesn't work.) I'll be looking forward to the replies.
Related Discussions
Adding coconut oil to diet
Q
Comments (17)
You'll find conflicting data on coconut oil in the diet. Lots of claims for it and against it. It's pretty well established that heavily hydrogenated tropical oils, including coconut (such as what you'd find in commercial baked snacks--they hydrogenate the fat to increase shelf life) are bad actors, but that's likely due to the hydrogenation process and not the oil itself. Coconut oil is a mid-chain mostly saturated fat. It may well be metabolized differently than other saturated fats. There was a study some years ago about a bunch of Sri Lankans who were convinced by Western doctors to switch from their traditional coconut oil in the diet to vegetable oil. The rate of heart disease went UP, ha ha. Now I don't know if they did other Western habits like smoking Marlboros while sitting on their hineys watching 'Baywatch', but I thought that was interesting. I have used coconut oil for 'buttering' potatoes. I've also used coconut oil as the poaching fat in making duck confit (wowza, was that good!). There is a difference in the quality of coconut oil. I can get some fragrant organic coconut oil from the Dekalb Farmers Market in the Atlanta area--it's wonderful. The local supermarket has Lou-Ana coconut oil--okay, but not spectacular. You'll also find that there are some claims made by people trying to sell you the stuff--"if you don't buy this particular brand of coconut oil harvested by sincere vegetarians who are kind to kittens, you're gonna miss out on all the benefits"--you just need to try to separate the hype from the fact. Hard to do sometimes.
...See More
Who is the one subbing in Coconut Oil??
Q
Comments (18)
We sold coconut oil from NOW foods while I was still married to the ex. He still carries it, it's $5.99 for a 12 oz. bottle. It's more expensive than butter, and certainly more expensive than shortening, but not more expensive than walnut oil or hazelnut oil or even good olive oil and it's much healthier for your heart, IMO, than butter. They all have about the same amount of fat and calories, but all fats are not created equally in a nutritional sense. Ashley likes apples sauteed in a bit of coconut oil in lieu of butter, and says they don't need as much sugar either, because the coconut oil adds some flavor of its own. I use it in some baked goods, but find that things like shortbread are somewhat the worse in taste and texture for the substitution. Of course, I make shortbread about twice a year, so it's an occasional splurge anyway. It's all a matter of what you like, and I find that I have to experiment and try things to determine whether its a good sub for certain other fats. I can also say that I'm in my 50s and have extremely low blood pressure, my glucose levels are excellent and the only reason I have high cholesterol is my genetics, it's an inherited trait from my mother's side and has nothing to do with my diet. I eat sugar when I like (Michigan beet sugar, grown and made locally), butter in moderation, use regular old flour off the shelf. However, I grow my own organic garden, my own grass fed beef, my own free range chickens and eggs and then I can and preserve those things myself. I try to avoid the hydrogenated fats and remember what my old doc told me: "If it wasn't a food 50 years ago, it's not a food today". Of course, he also told me that if you're over 40 and you get up in the morning and nothing hurts, you've died in your sleep. In spite of that, I have no discernable aches and pains and can still do a cartwheel on Makayla's lawn, spend 10 hours digging post holes without giving out and outrun the grandkids, so I must be doing SOMETHING right. Annie
...See More
Polishing wood items and coconut oil
Q
Comments (8)
When taking care of wood, oils tend to soak into it. I saw the twins on Antique's Roadshow talk about someone that used linseed oil on old furniture and the piece actually smelled like it. I think I would stick to what works best and do so sparingly, if at all. I think the best way is to wipe it down with a cloth with dusting spray and for antiques to keep your home humidified, especially in the winter or if you live in a southern climate where it is relatively dry all year.
...See More
Coconut Oil
Q
Comments (19)
It will only work this way eloise_ca if your hair needs even more help olive oil is supreme do do the same procedure of leaving oil on hair as long as possible ( overnight if possible.) Wrap oiled hair in Saran Wrap and then aluminum foil to make your head sweat. Keep it on at least 3 hours. I have even braided my hair and played tennis. Get in the shower and stay far away from the running water. Then pour your shampoo on your hair and it will cut the oil. I do something else for 3 minutes. While shampoo works thru your hair. Wash hair. You may wash it twice. Don't worry. You haven't defeated the purpose of this. Worst case is do it 2 days in a row. For others whose hair is not dead dried out, mayonnaise every few weeks wil keep it healthy. Good luck eloise_ca. Post your results.
...See More
Terri_PacNW
15 years ago
Well I do use virgin coconut oil for my skin and hair. The scent dissipates. Here are some recipe from the place I buy my Coconut Oil and Palm Shortening.
Tropical Traditions

Cookie recipes:
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another one, I've made this one. Bye Bye Butter CC Cookies

Here is a link that might be useful: 101 Cookbooks, coconut oil recipes
arley_gw
15 years ago
Coconut oil, even scented stuff, is great for stir frying shrimp.
grainlady_ks
15 years ago
The scented coconut oil is the "secret" ingredient in brownies, quick breads, power bars, granola, cookies and bar cookies, at our house. When it's coupled with another strong flavor, especially in a recipe where there is not a lot of fat to begin with, it's not as prominent. Muffins, which only take a couple T. of oil is a good match.

Mix it with peanut butter, especially fresh peanut butter you make at home. The mixture will now keep well in a cool kitchen on a shelf and not require refrigeration. Use it as a spread on your toast. We did this for years and now I see it's a product they are selling at Tropical Traditions.

Mix it 50/50 with unscented coconut oil or butter to tame it down a bit for cooking/baking.

-Grainlady
arabellamiller
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for all the ideas!

I would love a T&T recipe for ice cream using coconut oil. I've made coconut ice cream, but never with oil, and I've eaten olive oil ice cream but didn't make it myself.

Terri - you are absolutely right. I used it yesterday and while it smelled like a tropical drink in my shower, it was much milder after a few minutes dry. It did smell really good in the shower! I may use the scented stuff in the shower from now on mixed with raw sugar for a scrub.

Arley, while we are not shrimp eaters, I can think of some other stir frys that would work, and maybe I'll try it in some rice too.

And thanks GL, I never would have thought of mixing it with peanut butter. That's a great idea for my kids; I'm always trying to pack healthy fats into their diet since they are so slim. My middle kid in particular has a hard time maintaining a healthy weight, so this will be great on his cinnamon bread in the mornings for a quick breakfast.

The kids and DH aren't big coconut fans, so I'll use it sparingly in baking. I'm going to try the vegan cookie recipes since I'm always looking for non-dairy desserts.

Thanks!

AM
Islay_Corbel
15 years ago
Thai curry?
arabellamiller
Original Author
15 years ago
Great idea, Islay! I make curry chicken all the time, I'll definitely add a Tbs of coconut oil (although over the past 2 days I've loved it as a moisturizer!). I may have to get another jar.

BTW, the exact same jar at Whole Foods was $9.99 and at my local grocery store it was $6.99. Crazy.

AM
User
15 years ago
I mix it 50/50 with Canola oil for frying. Tones down the taste, but you still get some benefit. It's great for stir-frying shrimp or chicken. I also mix it 50/50 with butter (melt to mix, but DO NOT use microwave, as it kills all the goodness in it) as a spread. It tastes just like butter, and is better for you. I just used up my 54 oz. jar and ordered a gallon bucket. I'm going to try to use it in baking and see how it goes.

BTW, the refined oil is actually made from copra, not fresh coconut meat, and has none of the same health benefits.

Here is one of my favorite coconut oil recipe sites.
http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/coconut_oil_recipes.htm
arabellamiller
Original Author
15 years ago
great suggestions, dirtygardener, thank you.

"BTW, the refined oil is actually made from copra, not fresh coconut meat, and has none of the same health benefits."

The Spectrum website reports that there is little nutritional variance between oil processed from fresh or dried coconut meat. Reagardless, as long as it isn't hydrogenated, it's better than butter which I use sparingly, or shortening, which I use never.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spectrum FAQ

whoops, need coconut oil ideas, please!

Comments (10)

dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m

shambo

Related Discussions

Terri_PacNW

arley_gw

grainlady_ks

arabellamiller
Original Author

Islay_Corbel

arabellamiller
Original Author

User

arabellamiller
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

whoops, need coconut oil ideas, please!

Comments (10)

dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m

shambo

Related Discussions

Terri_PacNW

arley_gw

grainlady_ks

arabellamillerOriginal Author

Islay_Corbel

arabellamillerOriginal Author

User

arabellamillerOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

arabellamiller
Original Author

arabellamiller
Original Author

arabellamiller
Original Author