Is coconut oil good for frying and baking foods?

In the Kitchen:


Cooking with Coconut Oil





Coconut oil used to be difficult to find, but not any longer. Health food stores now stock several brands; even mega-retailer Wal-Mart carries it in the food section. Semisolid at room temperature, coconut oil has a buttery consistency that makes it great for stir-frying or baking, and it's mild enough that you won't notice a pronounced coconut taste. Here are suggestions for using it.





Store it safely: Coconut oil's stability makes caring for it a cinch: Just keep it out of the sun. ';It doesn't need to be refrigerated, and will stay fresh for at least two years,'; says Bruce Fife, a nutritionist and author of The Coconut Oil Miracle. ';If kept cool, it will last even longer, about six years.';





Read the label. Some food manufacturers, now under pressure to get rid of trans fats (aka partially hydrogenated fats) in processed and baked goods, are replacing them with the far healthier coconut oil. When shopping for the oil itself, look for brands labeled ';virgin,'; since they're the least processed. It's the only way to know that the oils you're buying have not been refined, deodorized, or bleached.





Keep it on simmer. With coconut oil it's best to keep the cooking temperature below 350 degrees (the typical temperature, say, for stir-frying vegetables); any higher and the oil will start to oxidize and smoke. For high-temperature tasks such as pan-frying a chicken, go with peanut oil, which contains monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fats; its smoke point is 440 degrees. Other oils that can take the heat because of their high smoke points include almond, avocado, canola, sunflower, and walnut.





Bake with it. Despite its low smoke point, you can bake with coconut oil at temperatures above 350. That's because the moisture content in cakes, breads, and casseroles keeps the food's interior temperature much lower. Add shredded coconut, too; it's delicious and also adds moisture.





Learn the lingo. Confused about which ingredient to choose? ';Coconut milk'; is a pure white liquid derived by cooking coconut in water and is usually sold in cans. ';Coconut cream'; is similar, but has less water (or sometimes contains milk) and is therefore thicker. ';Sweetened cream of coconut'; contains added sugar. Cut the high calorie content by opting for ';light'; versions whenever possible.





Embrace the taste. Unadulterated coconut oil has a very mild taste. For a more pronounced coconut flavor and creaminess, try making dishes with coconut milk or coconut cream.Is coconut oil good for frying and baking foods?
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