[thisstinks]

do I do with it? I am not very creative in the kitchen especially during the summer. We grill alot of meat and veggies. I didn't realize it was like a solid. Looks yucky! I am assuming I can cook my eggs and veggies in it in the morning? I need to get more creative before I turn green and nutty! Eating a lot of salads, veggies and nuts! I also bought some ezekiel bread which also looks interesting...........

The ezekiel bread was really good! I go the 4.9 or whatever. And the eggs, spinach cooked in cocunut oil was yummy. Thanks guys!

 

[jwags]

It will stay solid until 76 degrees. Mine has melted a couple of times when I have turned our AC off. You can use it in place of any oil or butter in a recipe. So when I make cookies, I will put some in a glass measuring cup and melt it in the microwave and add it to my cookie dough. Check in the food forum MCS has some great cookie recipes. When I am stirfrying meat or veggies or eggs I just put a teaspoon or so in the pan. I make chicken and eggplant parmesan and bread with almond meal and herbs and fry it in coconut oil. Some add it to their coffee, but I don't like the oil slick in my coffee. I also mix it with some raw almond butter and spread it on some low carb crackers. If you go to the webstie Low Carb Friends they have tons of uses for it.

 

[Shanny]

I use it just like I do butter. Frying, baking, spreading. That being said, I'm having a little trouble spreading it on my crispbreads right now since it's only semi-solid - - can barely keep the house at 75° this month with a/c running full blast.

 

[HardBackStrider]

OK I don't get this whole coconut oil thing. Why is this so much better than olive oil or just plan old butter or nothing.

 

[Shanny]

Coconut oil is largely composed of MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride), which our bodies process in a whole different & healthier way than most other oils, and it doesn't oxidize at cooking temperatures as other oils do.

Source: Even using the so called “healthiest” organic vegetable oils, like olive oil, in baking and frying creates free radicals. This is because all vegetable oils oxidize; especially when used in cooking. They not only produce trans fatty acids, but form free radicals - a lethal combination for our bodies. The only oil that does not oxidize, even at over 300 degrees, is Organic Virgin Coconut oil - which is a saturated fat.

Source: The vast majority of fats in our diet are composed of molecules known as long-chain triglycerides (LCT). As the name implies, LCT are larger in size than MCT. The size of the fat molecule is very important because our bodies process and metabolize fats differently depending on their size. Most all the vegetable oils used in cooking and food preparation are composed entirely of LCT. This includes corn, safflower, soybean, canola, and other typical cooking and salad oils. The only significant natural source of MCT are found in coconut and palm kernel oils. Coconut oil is composed predominately of MCT and its effects on the body are characterized by these fats.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition researchers reviewed all the published studies to date on MCT and weight management. These studies demonstrated that diets containing MCT result in an increase in energy, a rise in metabolism, increase burning of calories, decrease in food consumption, lower body fat mass, and reduce body weight.3 Because of these effects, the authors of this study recommend using oils containing MCT, such as coconut oil, as a means to lose excess body fat, control weight, and even treat obesity.

One of the reasons why coconut oil is effective in reducing body fat and lowering weight is because it contains fewer calories than any other fat. For this reason, it has gained the distinction of being the world's only natural, low-calorie fat. When you use coconut oil in your food preparation, you can eat the same types of foods as you normally do yet consume fewer calories.

The fact that coconut oil contains fewer calories, however, is not the main reason it has gained a reputation as a low-calorie fat. Its advantage in weight management is due primarily to its affect on metabolism. Medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil are smaller than other fats and, therefore, digest very quickly, so quickly in fact, that the body uses them as an immediate source of fuel rather than pack them away in storage inside our fat cells. MCT are used to produce energy much like carbohydrates and, therefore, they do not circulate in the bloodstream like other fats. For this reason, they do not supply fat to fat cells or contribute to weight gain.

 

[smorgan]

Isn't "doesn't oxidize at cooking temperature" true for all saturated fats?

Coconut oil is largely composed of MCT oil (medium chain triglyceride), which our bodies process in a whole different & healthier way than most other oils, and it doesn't oxidize at cooking temperatures as other oils do.

 

[smorgan]

Saturated Fats Most Stable

Found this on the subject (Link):

Weak Links Produce Weak Fats

An absent pair of hydrogen atoms produces a "weak link" in the carbon chain and can have a profound effect on your health. The more hydrogen atoms missing, the more weak links in the chain.

Because they don't have any lacking hydrogen atoms or double-bonded carbons, saturated fats are not vulnerable to oxidation and free-radical formation as unsaturated fats are. The food industry have known this unsaturated fat health problem for many decades. Why do you think they have been hydrogenating unsaturated oils such as corn and soybean oils like crazy?

When oils oxidize, they turn rancid and bring about dangerous free radicals. Saturated fats are very stable making them very good at helping preventing spoilage. Other types of fats, particularly polyunsaturated fats, are not as stable - not even close.

Many studies have shown that polyunsaturated oils encourage cancer because they produce huge amounts of free radicals that assault the DNA of your cells.

The Ideal Cooking Oil

Coconut oil is 92 percent saturated, making it the safest oil for food preparation. Its chemical structure is so durable that it functions as an antioxidant. When heated, coconut oil is 16 times more resistant to oxidation than soybean oil, and 300 times tougher than flaxseed oil.

If processed correctly, organic virgin coconut oil can be stored for at least three years without going rancid. Absolutely no refrigeration needed. When used in frying, it can be heated and reheated without creating harmful free radicals. Truly, "The Mightiest Oil on Earth."

For the other method of classifying fats, please visit kinds of fats based on the length of the carbon chain.

 

[Shanny]

Isn't "doesn't oxidize at cooking temperature" true for all saturated fats?

Pretty much, I suppose - CO is just the top of the list. Considering that we can't get real lard (that stuff at the grocery has been hydrogenated), and regular butter burns, so we need ghee . . .

The main thing about coconut oil is that it's medium chain triglyceride.

 

[HardBackStrider]

Thanks for the good information. Looks like I will be picking up some CO in the near future.

 

[d33na]

I buy mine in the Asian grocery stores rather than the supermarket as it's way cheaper