Coconut oil has numerous health benefits. It is fantastic when used topically on the skin but equally good when used in cooking. Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids, so regular consumption increases “good” cholesterol (HDL) compared with olive oil, butter, and vegetable oil. This potentially decreases the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Coconut oil is rich in MCTs (medium chain triglycerides), which are metabolised quickly by the body into energy. These types of fatty acids are less likely to be stored by the body as fats, so they provide a healthy less fattening alternative. The principal fatty acid in coconut oil is Lauric acid, which is important for health but is rare in other types of food.
Coconut oil is easy to cook with and it doesn’t actually taste like coconut, but it does behave differently from other types of cooking oil.
So let’s check out a few tips to cooking with coconut oil before you start.
1. Coconut is hard and solid when left at room temperature. To turn it back into oil, try slowly heating it up in a saucepan. A few minutes at 76 degrees will be sufficient to bring it back into liquefied form.
2. Once you have melted your coconut oil, you can simply pour it into ice cube containers and either store in the fridge or the freezer. Each cube is then ready for use, and you can either heat it up in a separate saucepan or just add to the pan, giving it a couple of minutes to defrost so that it is ready for use.
3. An added option is to keep your jar of coconut oil in a warm place such as near the cooker hob. That way, it will always be ready for use when you need it.
4. Coconut oil is fantastic for all types of cooking including high temperature frying. It has a smoking point at 350 degrees, so is great for all types of cooking and frying.
5. Always choose good quality coconut oil for cooking. We like Nature’s Way Coconut Oil Extra Virgin, because this good quality oil is perfect for cooking as well as other medicinal purposes (such as a skin moisturizer).
Nature’s Way Coconut Oil is certified as organic and because it is extra virgin, it means that all the vital nutrients and health benefits remain intact and unadulterated. Nature’s Way is a brand you can trust. The company specialises in good quality products and because you can shop the range on the Professional Supplement Center website you can take advantage of price reductions and discounts too.
Whatever your style in the kitchen, coconut provides some great advantages for cooking and for the health care of your family. After all, no other cooking oil has so many additional advantages for skin care, beauty and cooking as coconut oil; a truly versatile ingredient with many different applications.