Coconut Oil/Oil Question

[Debbiefish]

Okay...I like Coconut Oil by the spoonful...I like it in my smoothies...but I DON'T like it for cooking with - like in a pan with veggies. It tastes too much like coconut!

I know I can use olive oil for low heat stuff...like to saute veggies...but what can I use if I fry (not very often)? Like maybe once or twice a year I'll make chicken fried steak (I live in Texas so I kinda have to!)...and maybe twice a year fry okra...but that isn't working so well...and I use Canola oil.

What do you guys think?

TIA

Debbie

[onebzmomma]

Boy, I hear ya! My family loves my fried chicken. I only make it twice a year (first day of fall and New Year's day) because it's soooo bad health wise. But because I only make it twice a year I do it up right-throw caution to the wind! Enjoy your fried okra and chicken twice a year the old fashioned way! We even have smashed potatoes AND gravy with it. Yup, we're rebels.

I will say, though, I used coconut oil to fry my excess of zucchini and it was really good.

[Callicrowe]

If you use expeller-pressed coconut oil it doesn't have the coconut taste to it.

[Debbiefish]

onebzmomma- I hear ya! And yes...when I make chicken fried steak...I make cream gravy and mashed potatoes and green beans (canned...not cooked to death!).

Peggy - I have the Nutiva brand I got off Amazon...will it say expeller-pressed? After reading bunches of posts about coconut oil...that's the one I chose.

Debbie

[TamiR]

Debbie, I'm new to coconut oil, but I'm learning that "expeller pressed refined" doesn't have the coconut flavor. I think if it says "virgin" you get more coconut flavor. I don't know, because I've only bough "refined" so far because I'm not a coconut fan - for me, it belongs with chocolate or in a pie! I've not had a coconut flavor with the refined. It has worked with everything I've done - no deep frying yet, but it makes great popcorn. By the way, I'm originally from Mississippi, and when you mentioned fried okra, I just wilted. Yum!!

[Debbiefish]

Tami - thanks for the info. (as well as everyone else) I'll have to look into the coconut situation again. I like the taste of coconut...mostly in German chocolate cake! But I don't like the taste in veggies or anything like that!
As for okra...I grew up in Washington state and my mom very rarely fried anything nor did she cook veggies to death! I'm not the greatest okra fryer but once in a while in comes out right. My hubbies favorite summer dinner is blackeye peas or pinto beans, cornbread, fried okra, tomatoes, cucumber and Pecos cantelope. :-) I like most of that. Oh...and greens/turnips too!

And is it okay that the coconut oil completely melted during the summer but is now a solid again??

[TamiR]

Debbie, with our last mess of okra this summer, we had it fried, served with a big pot of purple hull peas and salty cornbread. So simple, but so good!

[Callicrowe]

And is it okay that the coconut oil completely melted during the summer but is now a solid again??

That's normal, no problem.

The coconut oil will say "refined, expeller-pressed" on the label. (I must be weird or have non-sensitive taste buds because none of the coconut oil I've used has seemed to have much coconut flavor, but other people can taste it distinctly.)

[ayj67]

I heard Palm oil can stand really high heat for a long time and you can refry for a few times before it goes rancid. It does not taste coconutty.

EVOO cannot stand high heat, it will go rancid. EVOO goes on salad but not for extended high heat cooking.

Animal fat can stand high heat, if it was hot enough the food does not get soggy with oil, it probably is ok, and it is only twice a year. I just don't fry, as I don't know how to handle the left over oil. If I think I will fry, I think I will use palm oil or bacon fat.

[KonaSunset]

Walmart sells a brand of coconut oil called Louana in the section with the other cooking oils/shortenings. It is refined, not expeller pressed but it would be fine to use a couple of times a year and it's cheap. That's actually what I started with a few years ago because I couldn't find anything else locally. Then, I started ordering online. I tried the virgin, but like you, Debbie, I didn't like it for cooking most things. That's when I started buying the expeller pressed online from the same place. I get it in 5-gallon buckets and it lasts a long time. It doesn't get rancid even though they have to put an expiration date on it. I never pay attention to that date and I've never had it go bad.

Happy cooking! Sounds yummy!