Coconut Oil Demystified

[mellowsong]

August 31, 2011. No Author Listed

Coconut is a very healthful food to incorporate into your diet. It is full of good saturated fat. Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride and is not stored, but rather used as energy right away. Lauric acid is present in the oil which is protective against bacteria and viruses. There are so many coconut products out there it is hard to figure out how to use them all. Fear not, this article will explain it all.

Coconut oil is perhaps the most commonly used product made from coconuts. There are several ways to classify coconut oil.

Virgin coconut oil and extra virgin coconut oil are both unrefined and usually made from fresh coconut. Heat may be used before or after the oil is expressed, in order to remove any water. This will ensure a longer shelf life. There are only a few virgin coconut oils that are truly raw. Why do you want it raw? Because that does preserve the flavor as well as all the nutrients in it. All virgin coconut oils should have a coconut taste, though this can vary from strong to very mild.

Expeller pressed and centrifuged coconut oils usually have some heat used in the processing and cleaning of the oil. The color can vary from a tan color to an off white color depending on how clean it is. The oil may taste “off” and it can burn the tongue if it is not cleaned well. I use expeller pressed and centrifuged oils that are both very clean and delicate and do not have a sharp taste.

The Refined coconut oils have no taste, because they have been more processed than the expeller pressed oils. You must be very careful in buying refined oils as these tend to be highly processed, deodorized and may even be hydrogenated! Do not buy refined coconut oil in the conventional market.
Read more: http://realfoodforager.com/2011/08/coconut-demystified/

[Islander]

She doesn't mention hexane, a chemical sometimes used in processing, that you would wish to avoid. Coconut oil that is hexane-free is proud to say so on the label. Nutiva, the one in my pantry, is hexane-free.

I notice that in the last year or 18 months, the price of a pint has gone from $8 to over $12 here. That's a 50% jack-up by my math. I buy the 54-oz. size (used to be 64-oz., Ha!) from vitacost at $23.50, which works out to $3.44 for 8 ounces, as opposed to the supermarket price of $12 and change. And it doesn't go rancid.

[Julieanne]

If I buy five 1 litre bottles, it costs me about $16AU each, which is half the price elsewhere. I can usually find a couple of people to share the order with me - it's the cheapest way to go. Comes from Fiji via Queensland, and is virgin oil that has not been refined, bleached or deodorised.