Cooking with Virgin Coconut Oil

Virgin coconut oil is an ancient oil that has been used for centuries in cooking and for medicinal purposes. It goes well in almost every meal, from curries to smoothies and many meals in between.

Coconut oil doesn’t need to be refrigerated because its high saturated fat content is resistant to oxidation. Coconut oil has a high smoking point of 176.6°C (350°F). This makes it optimal for almost all cooking.

Melting virgin coconut oil

Virgin coconut oil will remain solid until it reaches 24.4°C (or 76°F). This means it will most likely be solid in winter and it may start to Virgin coconut oil is an ancient oil that has been used for centuries in cooking and for medicinal purposes. It goes well in almost every meal, from curries to smoothies and many meals in between.

Coconut oil doesn’t need to be refrigerated because its high saturated fat content is resistant to oxidation. Coconut oil has a high smoking point of 176.6°C (350°F). This makes it optimal for almost all cooking.

melt in summer, but that’s okay!

If you do need to melt your virgin coconut oil, we recommend placing a small amount in a cup and placing the cup in warm water. This will melt the oil without damaging its structure.

Portioning your coconut oil

To avoid the need to hack at your coconut oil to get a portion for cooking, try melting some using the above process and pouring it into an ice cube tray. As long as the kitchen isn’t too warm, the oil will solidify and stay solid (or refrigerate if you prefer). You can also pop the pieces out of the ice cube tray and store in an airtight container. This way you can just pop out a portion when you need it!

Baking

Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and has a high heat tolerance, which means you can use it as a substitute for shortening, butter or other vegetable oils when baking. It is a great substitute when you need a dairy-free alternative. Remember, coconut oil will solidify if added to cold ingredients (i.e., eggs and milk) so it’s best to make sure all ingredients in the recipe are at room temperature before you add the coconut oil.

For some recipes, you may need to melt the coconut oil before mixing it in and will need to mix fast to stop it going solid again.

Generally, when substituting coconut oil for butter you would match the recipe requirements (one for one), however when butter is called for you may want to add a little extra to compensate for the extra moisture butter tends to add to the recipe.

Give it try, you’ll be surprised at how light and tasty your result will be!

Make Healthy Icing

Coconut oil can make a great alternative for icing and is especially great for those on a FODMAP diet. Simply whip it up and spread it over your baking for a healthy sugar-free icing alternative.

Recipes

We have a few recipes on this site for you – why not give them a go?

Check out our recipes here

Nutritional Value

You may not be sure about the nutritional value of coconut oil. Here is the breakdown from the National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference in America:

Nutrient values and weights are for edible portion.

Units

μg = micrograms

mg = milligrams

National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

Release 28 slightly revised May, 2016   Software v.2.6.1

The National Agricultural Library