Coconut oil

madmaggie

I've been given a jar of coconut oil, but don't know what to do/make with it. I'm afraid that if I cook with it, everything will taste of coconut, daft, I know. :rolleyes: Help appreciated.

Rosy Posy

My favourite coconut oil recipe is kettle corn- heat a tbsp of coconut oil at medium heat in a large saucepan with a lid. When it melts cover the bottom of the pan with popcorn kernels, shake. When it sizzles sprinkle over 2tbsp golden caster sugar, shake. When it starts popping put on the lid and shake every 5seconds til there are 5 seconds between pops. Sprinkle with salt immediately. Can be stored in a tin when cool. Sweet and salty- delish!

It's also great topically on dry skin and hair. Check if it's deodorised there will be no coconut flavour and you can use it in anything. Particularly good for high heat cooking.

Whispered

My husband fries chicken pieces in it, scallions and a bit of chilli (dried or fresh) splash of lime juice near the end of cooking time, and a sprinkle of corriander. He says it's lovely.

I like pancakes fried in it.

Otherwise I just use it topically. Great for hair, skin, as a cleanser, dollop in a hot bath etc.

Taste it.

If it tastes coconutty, then use it in baking instead of butter - you will barely detect the coconut taste and it will work well in cakes/buns.

If it doesn't taste of anything, use it like you would use absolutely any oil. I love coconut oil and use it for everything.

Tiddlypeeps

I use it for cooking all the time. The virgin stuff has a strong smell of coconut when you cook with it, but I never get a taste of it off the food. The first time I cooked with it I was convinced it would be the last because the strong smell convinced me the food would be rank, but I didn't even get a hint of it off the food.

It's way better than olive oil for frying with because it burns at a much higher temperature.

If you find the smell off putting or you do get a taste from it then you can get the non virgin one and it has no smell. Tesco do a reasonably priced giant tub of it that has no smell at all.

Mountjoy Mugger

I used some for heating the pan for an omelette recently. Everything was fine.

pwurple

Hah! I've been given some too. I use it for washing my hair.

Oops.

pwurple

pwurple wrote: »

Hah! I've been given some too. I use it for washing my hair.

Oops.

That's a wonderful use for it. I use it as lip balm and moisturiser as well as eating it daily.

groovyg

madmaggie wrote: »

I've been given a jar of coconut oil, but don't know what to do/make with it. I'm afraid that if I cook with it, everything will taste of coconut, daft, I know. :rolleyes: Help appreciated.

I've been cooking with it for the last six months and for the most part I haven't got a taste or smell of coconut. I use it in pasta sauces, curries, omlettes, roasting potatoes, vegetables etc, even use it when making bread, etc and its been fine.

The only time I did notice a slight hint of coconut was when I roasted sweet potatoes but then they seem to absorb alot of flavours. Its expensive but I don't seem to use as much as when I used olive oil for cooking.

madmaggie

Wow, thanks everyone, some great ideas there. I thought my neighbour was just dumping his unwanted stuff on me, but it turns out it's really good! Roasting the veggies sounds tasty, and it can be used on dry skin, an all round product.

janmaree

We stir a tablespoon into hot porridge with brown sugar and it's gorgeous. It's a great antiseptic too, apply to a cut or graze and it will heal much faster than usual. It also makes a powerful mouthwash (oil pulling), it takes a bit of getting used to, you have to swish for about 20 minutes and dispose of in the garbage rather than down the sink but it's great for any mouth problems. It seems you can use most oils for this but coconut oil is very special with antibacterial and antifungal properties. It's good for pets as well! So, imho, you got a very special present there!