I never thought I would cook with coconut oil. For many years, I have been hearing and reading only negative things about it. I still every now and again come across such opinions in newspapers and online. But when I hear questions such as: “How do you get oil from corn?”, “Does soy really have oil in it?”, and “What is really canola oil?”. I stopped to think really hard... until I found out about this site on the internet. (If you have not read this you should, it is worth some thought). I also began to think about coconut oil and its many uses.
My grandmother and my wife’s grandmother used coconut oil religiously. Back in the day this was the only oil people used. Besides its use as a cooking oil; coconut oil was treasured by the elderly during my grandmothers’ time because of its health properties. They used it to massage their sore muscles, as hair oil, and as oil for the skin to keep it soft and smooth.
After years of being fooled by the mass media and their propaganda to promote the other so called oils, I finally decided to make the switch. It was really for the better because this oil has proved to be certainly amazing. When I first used it in my cooking, the food smelled really good and the pot was very easy to clean. The oil washed off the pot easier than any other type of oil; even the stove was easy to clean after cooking. What I also noticed from the few years of using it, was that the oil wasn’t easily absorbed in the food. I noticed this when I popped pop corn or fried fish; the pop corn would come out light and fluffy as if it was air popped instead.
I have been cooking with this oil for some time now. As a matter of fact, I only buy two types of oil: coconut oil and olive oil. I like coconut oil because I don’t gain weight when I use it and I have an all round sense of well being now. Many people in countries such as, The Philippines and Bali etc. still use it in their cooking. Here's a site showing how it’s done in Bali.
Inspired by this I decided to make some oil myself just like my grandmother used to make it. You’ll notice how similar it is, to how it’s done in Bali. Enjoy!
Coconut Oil
To make coconut oil for your first try you will need at least 5 medium or large dry coconuts to yield approximately 1 cup of oil. Remove the kernel and chop into small pieces. Place a handful of chopped kernel at a time into a blender with about 2 cups of water and blend until it is fine. More water may be added at times. However, you may have to repeat the sequence about three times.
Strain the mixture through a sieve, squeezing it with your hand to express more coconut milk and allow the liquid to rest for at least 24 hours. The cream and the water will separate. Skim the cream from the top and place it into a deep heavy pot.
Place the pot over a medium flame and allow it to simmer. Slowly the oil appears at the top. The curdled cream (also called "coconut caca" by some) should be scraped to the side. The oil gets clearer. You may begin to skim some of it from the pot and place it in a glass bowl to cool. Allow the cream to 'fry' right down until no more oil could be expressed. (Please note that you should keep the fire very low so as not to destroy the phytonutrients in the oil).
The finished product: Coconut oil
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