I’ve been using coconut oil in my recipes for a long time now, but I haven’t talked about it much. I want to say up front that this is not a sponsored post. I simply want to share with you what specific brand and type of coconut oil that I use most of the time and why. The links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase through the links, I will receive credit towards my own purchases (but you are not charged more).
When I made the decision to stop using standard vegetable oils, coconut oil was my best option for the majority of recipes. There was one problem – it tastes like coconut, and my family didn’t always like that flavor. It’s not that they dislike coconut, but sometimes the flavor seemed out of place.
Then I found that Tropical Traditions sells a coconut oil that is steam deodorized and has a very neutral flavor. They call it their affordable coconut oil because it is not certified organic, but comes from the same region of the Philippines as their organic oil.
Now, this oil is refined, but not by using chemicals or solvents. Their website says,
“This oil is processed the “old” way by what is called “physical refining.” The modern way of processing coconut oil is by chemical extraction, using solvent extracts, which produces higher yields and is quicker and less expensive. Tropical Traditions Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil DOES NOT use chemicals or solvent extracts. It is made the “old” way by expeller-pressed mechanical extraction. This oil is also NOT hydrogenated, and contains NO trans fatty acids. It is a very good quality food-grade coconut oil. Tropical Traditions Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil is made from coconuts that have NOT been treated with chemicals or fertilizers.”
Don’t let the word “affordable” mislead you. Vegetable oil is much cheaper, but do a search on how vegetable oils are made, and you’ll find that the process is very unnatural and includes high heat, chemicals, and solvents. As far as I’m concerned, it’s worth the extra money to buy real food.
While coconut oil used to be considered unhealthy because it is high in saturated fat, many people now believe it is a very healthy oil to use. I’m sure that virgin coconut oil has the most benefits and a small amount of those benefits are lost by using a deodorized coconut oil, but using the deodorized oil is better than using none!
The flavor of coconut works in a lot of baked goods, but when it comes to cooking, it’s not always a flavor that people appreciate. I know that many people get used to the flavor of coconut oil and don’t really notice it, but my family does notice and guests would too. I like that I can use the deodorized oil for just about anything, such as:
- Making popcorn
- Baking breads, muffins, cookies, and bars
- Sauteing meat and vegetables
- Roasting vegetables
- Frying anything
When I first tried Tropical Traditions oil, I bought the quart jar. I found I was using enough that purchasing a one-gallon tub made sense. Recently, I decided that since it keeps well, I would save a little more money (in the long run) and purchase five gallons of coconut oil.
Do you use coconut oil? What’s your favorite brand?
A few recipes that use coconut oil:
- Chocolate Coconut Candy
- Banana Walnut Coconut Flour Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Walnut Snack Bars
- Paleo Apple Coffee Cake
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Coconut
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