Oh coconut oil....

[LadyKT]

I really

really

really

Wish I could like it!

I got unrefined CO (the NOW brand, black canister) and I hated it. It was awful. I had to throw it out. Tried making chocolate CO cups, blech; Tried putting it in my coffee, blech; I just couldn't get over the smell.

But then I hear that REFINED CO is not smelly? Is this true? Also I wonder if certain brands are better than others. I just don't want to pay so much $ and waste if on something I don't like. KWIM?

If weight didn't matter, I could eat my weight in mounds & macaroons - I love that kind of coconut...but it's all sugar.

Oh and ETA - is coconut BUTTER better/different than CO? I know different textures/uses, but taste too? Because i'm thinking maybe i'd like that better?

[Bobby_Boomer]

I think the Nutiva coconut oil (found at Netrition) has a nice, mild coconut odor and taste. Tropical Traditions is good too, but after a couple of jars of each, I find I like the Nutiva better.

[clackley]

Spectrum makes a refined organic that has no flavour. I use it in things that I don't want a coconut taste. I think you may like it much better.

[anglgrl]

I know how you feel. I love coconut but the oil makes me want to puke.
IMHO the coconut butter is worse than the oil. It's like mildly coconut flavored dirt. I think it's revolting.

[clackley]

Originally Posted by anglgrl

I know how you feel. I love coconut but the oil makes me want to puke.
IMHO the coconut butter is worse than the oil. It's like mildly coconut flavored dirt. I think it's revolting.

Wow that just goes to show how different we all are. I find coconut butter to be melt in your mouth fabulousness with no dirt like qualities!

[LadyKT]

Originally Posted by anglgrl

I know how you feel. I love coconut but the oil makes me want to puke.
IMHO the coconut butter is worse than the oil. It's like mildly coconut flavored dirt. I think it's revolting.

Hmmm...then i wonder if I should just avoid it all together. I might be of the weird minority that can't stand 'healthy' coconut.

[Sunny7]

Originally Posted by Bobby_Boomer

I think the Nutiva coconut oil (found at Netrition) has a nice, mild coconut odor and taste. Tropical Traditions is good too, but after a couple of jars of each, I find I like the Nutiva better.

i second that on the Nutivia brand, i can take a spoon and let it melt in my mouth and also have it in my tea every morning---i think it taste great---also use it on my skin

[emel]

Maybe you haven't found a recipe you like yet.
I despise CO in coffee, regardless of the brand or type.
But I like some of my CO recipes for sweet treats.

[LadyKT]

Originally Posted by emel

Maybe you haven't found a recipe you like yet.
I despise CO in coffee, regardless of the brand or type.
But I like some of my CO recipes for sweet treats.

Ive tried it in a lot of different things - maybe i'm using the wrong sweetner for them? I made CO cups and used splenda. Between the coconut oil and splenda, nothing tasted right.

[Mrs S]

Unfortunately, refined coconut oil isn't as nutritious as the more aromatic version. As part of the processing, it's heated to high temps and bleached. It's probably still a lot better than most vegetable oils though.

[emel]

This one???

4 Tbs Coconut Oil
1 1/2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs sweetener of choice (I used powdered Erythritol)
Almond Butter
Mini Muffin Paper Cups

Melt the coconut oil on low on stove top in small sauce pan. Remove pan when coconut oil is melted and immediately add cocoa powder, vanilla and sweetener to hot coconut oil. Mix until all the sweetener is well incorporated into the other ingredients.

With mini muffin paper cups on a plate or small cookie sheet start to fill just the bottom with a little of the chocolate/coconut oil mixture.
When all are filled put in freezer for about 5 to 10 minutes until solid.
Take out of freezer, add a dollop of almond butter to each cup on top of the frozen chocolate and then cover each completely with more chocolate.
Put finished cups back into the freezer, let them get hard again

I'll make it and see how I'd tweak it if that would be helpful to you.
I usually use a mixture of sweeteners, and I think that's a low cocoa to CO ratio for my tastes. But I'd be happy to dink around with it and report back.

[emel]

Here's one. I might as well dink around with this one too.
My life would be easier if I was capable of just doing a recipe as written.
I'm a tweaker.

8-9 oz of dark chocolate
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup dry unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp coconut extract (optional if you want more coconut flavor)
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
Raw almonds (optional)

In a mini muffin tin, place 12 mini cupcake liners. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute and then in 30 second increments after that, making sure you stir the chocolate after each time until it is completely melted. Place about 1 teaspoon of chocolate in each liner and coat well. Place in the refrigerator to harden. In a small bowl, mix together the coconut oil, dry unsweetened coconut flakes and coconut extract. (You may want to add about a tablespoon of sugar if you like it a little sweeter or using sweetened flaked coconut is another option!) Add one tablespoon of the coconut mixture to each liner and then cover with another spoonful of melted chocolate. If you want to add an almond do so before you add the final spoonful of melted chocolate

[LadyKT]

Originally Posted by emel

This one???



I'll make it and see how I'd tweak it if that would be helpful to you.
I usually use a mixture of sweeteners, and I think that's a low cocoa to CO ratio for my tastes. But I'd be happy to dink around with it and report back.

It was similiar to that but just CO, no PB or anything.

I love PB cups...wonder if I could make them sans CO.

[emel]

PB is a little high in carbs, but almond butter might work. It's kind of expensive, and make sure it is sugar free.

[synger]

I started by using CO to cook things that seem well-suited for an added coconut-y smell. Curried chicken and cauliflower (stir-fry meat and veg in CO, then add curry paste to finish) worked REALLY well, and got me used to the idea of CO.

[Nancypie11]

I like the trader joes co, it's cheap and tastes pretty good, I think the on or almond balances out the flavor and texture so maybe try adding that?

[LadyKT]

Originally Posted by Nancypie11

I like the trader joes co, it's cheap and tastes pretty good, I think the on or almond balances out the flavor and texture so maybe try adding that?

That's actually what I was going to try next! If I don't care for that, I guess I can always use it as a hair conditioner!

[millergirl1976]

Originally Posted by LadyKT

That's actually what I was going to try next! If I don't care for that, I guess I can always use it as a hair conditioner!

And lotion. I have completely eliminated any type of moisturizer, and use straight coconut oil. I wish I would have taken pics of my skin before, and now after using it daily for a couple of months. I cannot BELIEVE the difference!

[LadyKT]

Was having a discussion with a friend about CO - she uses it as a moisturizer/lotion and sometimes has cooked with it. I was telling her you can use it in coffee too...and showed her a link to a BP coffee recipe....

her response....

"How many calories?"



Not that calories don't matter....but....::sigh::

I hate the whole "that's so many calories/fat" comment....

[LoriWants2Lose]

I like the nutiva brand. I didn't like the EVCO at first either, but I made myself drink it in tea. After a while, I started to like it. Now, I crave my fat bombs sometimes. I just use a simple recipe of EVCO, butter, a little vanilla, a little splenda and natural peanut butter.

[PianoAl]

Originally Posted by LadyKT

I got unrefined CO (the NOW brand, black canister) and I hated it.

Coconut Oil Poll :)

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by LadyKT

If weight didn't matter, I could eat my weight in mounds & macaroons - I love that kind of coconut...but it's all sugar.

I don't eat sweets every day, but I made some low-carb macaroons as treats during the Christmas season and they were FANTASTIC! Even my niece was crazy about them, and she is not overweight, not dieting, and doesn't *like* artificial sweeteners.

• 3.25 ounces of unsweetened flaked coconut (Bob's Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes, not the sweetened coconut shreds)
• .75 ounces of almond flour
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup xylitol
• 7 drops of liquid Splenda
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract

I pulsed everything together in the food processor, until the dough formed a coarse but well-blended mixture. Then I scooped generous tablespoons into mini-paper-muffin-cups and put the paper cups onto a cookie sheet and baked them in a 325-degree oven for about 20 minutes, until they were light golden brown.

They were chewy and tasted like macaroons. Initially, I thought I liked them just because I haven't had any sugar for months and have *forgotten* what sugar tastes like. But other people who had them said they were better than my aunt's sugary macaroons. So I think they were genuinely quite good.

[LadyKT]

Originally Posted by Trillex

I don't eat sweets every day, but I made some low-carb macaroons as treats during the Christmas season and they were FANTASTIC! Even my niece was crazy about them, and she is not overweight, not dieting, and doesn't *like* artificial sweeteners.

• 3.25 ounces of unsweetened flaked coconut (Bob's Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes, not the sweetened coconut shreds)
• .75 ounces of almond flour
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup xylitol
• 7 drops of liquid Splenda
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract

I pulsed everything together in the food processor, until the dough formed a coarse but well-blended mixture. Then I scooped generous tablespoons into mini-paper-muffin-cups and put the paper cups onto a cookie sheet and baked them in a 325-degree oven for about 20 minutes, until they were light golden brown.

They were chewy and tasted like macaroons. Initially, I thought I liked them just because I haven't had any sugar for months and have *forgotten* what sugar tastes like. But other people who had them said they were better than my aunt's sugary macaroons. So I think they were genuinely quite good.

Ohhh that sounds gooooood!

[LadyKT]

Originally Posted by PianoAl

Coconut Oil Poll :)

Ohhhh...

I'm not sure about 'soapy' but the NOW stuff tasted.....gross?

I will add Nutiva to my list to try! thanks Al!

[dawnyama]

Originally Posted by LadyKT

Ohhhh...

I'm not sure about 'soapy' but the NOW stuff tasted.....gross?

I will add Nutiva to my list to try! thanks Al!

If you want coconut oil to not taste like coconuts you need the expeller pressed coconut oil. I tried using my virgin coconut oil for frying my eggs and yuck!!!! Coconutty eggs don't fly in my house. No one likes that. So I buy virgin coconut oil for my supplement (MCTs) that I take by the spoon and I buy the expeller pressed for my baking and cooking. The family doesn't know that I am sneaking in a good healthy oil in their foods because they cannot taste it. I buy my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions and they have a fantastic FAQs that is on the top of their website. I suggest you go there and read. It will tell you about the differences in the coconut oils, what extra virgin really means and stuff like that. And you don't have to buy from them (I have theirs as well as Nutiva's, whihc is fabulous tasting). Just a great research tool.

Anyhow, that all said---I hate coconut bark. I don't like the oily-ness of it and I just cannot get the sweetness right. So, I take my virgin coconut oil by the spoon. The coconut butter, which Tropical Traditions calls coconut cream concentrate, is fabulous. It is the coconut meat ground into a butter, as peanut butter is made. So if you like the inside of a mounds, you will like the coconut butter. Try it and see!!! Everyone's taste is different. I believe you can find a small packet in the health food store---maybe see if yours has that before you get a jar of it.

[TishyLish68]

LadyKT , I have tried to like coconut oil....and nothing has worked. I despise the taste and the smell. I have even tried to use it on my skin and that caused my perioral dermatitis to flare up even worse. I have read about all the benefits and I`m really disappointed that I can`t stomach it...just one of those things, I guess. Kudos to those that use it regularly,though.

[luvmybabyhead]

Originally Posted by clackley

Spectrum makes a refined organic that has no flavour. I use it in things that I don't want a coconut taste. I think you may like it much better.

I second this. No flavor but works great.

[Erinmama]

Hey!
I didnt read all the posts, but I wanted to share my experience with CO. I use the Nutiva brand, and am kne of those that can NOT imagine just putting it in my mouth. In making Fat Bombs with the CO, the first few times I did it with cocoa powder and splenda. A BIG no no. The combo is awful. Recently I switched to using CO, butter, all natural pb, and some unsweet coconut flakes and a teeny dash of salt and splenda. I love them this way. All creamy peanut butter goodness and no wacky aftertaste. By doing this, I usually get in my 2-3 tbs a day quite easily!

[Bobby_Boomer]

Again, it just goes to show you how different we all are.

I don't like CO in my tea or coffee (HWC is for me) but I love it on my salads with some red wine vinegar. I put a couple of tablespoons (flatware, not the measuring kind) on the salad, then lick the remaining CO off the spoon. Mmmmmmmmmmmm! Actually, I wish it had more coconut flavor.

I'm going to have to try the butter next time I order here.

BTW I love the Nutiva Coconut Manna.

Bobby

[jem51]

I use the organic, refined to cook with. It does not stimulate my cold sores the way EVCO does.

If you look at mountain rose herbs site, you will see that the organic, refined is NOT overheated or chemically treated.

I will never ruin my coffee by floating any kind of grease on it!!

If you don't like CO, don't use it!!
Butter is fabulous and healthy and, of course, there's EVOO....which I love.