Cooking with Coconut Oil

From choc chip cookies to smoothies and chicken stir fry to even coffee creamer, chocolate hazelnut spread, refried beans, popcorn and fried bananas. Coconut oil is the obvious choice in the Phillipines!

Coconut oil has been used in tropical countries for thousands of years. “Copra” is an industry-defined term used in the Philippines to refer to dried coconut that has been removed from the coconut shell. It’s inedible, and needs to be pressed and refined to produce coconut oil. Copra can be produced in several ways, including smoke drying, sun drying, kiln drying, or a permutation of these methods.

A refined coconut oil is technically referred to as “RBD coconut oil”. RBD stands for “Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized”. The “bleaching” is generally not a chemical process, but rather a filtration process to remove impurities. A “bleaching clay” is used for this filtering. Steam is used to deodorize the oil.

Although coconut oil comprises 90% saturated fat, three of the component acids (lauric-, capric-, and caprylic acids) are claimed to offer countless health benefits.

Coconut Oil is great for topical use (in your hair, as a natural nutrient) or on one’s skin as a massage medium. Coconut oil also offers anti-fungal and antibacterial qualities (inter alia). RBD Oil is also favoured as an ingredient in making soap. Although it has minimal coconut flavour, it’s got a popular “mouth-feel.”