jent103 Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Apologies if this has been covered - I searched but couldn't find a definitive response (maybe just end-of-the-work-day scatterbrain!). I know coconut oil has magical health benefits and all. The problem: I really, really hate the taste of virgin coconut oil. (Coconut anything, really. I have a perfectly good jar of coconut butter that I can't bring myself to eat.) It's fine if I use it to, say, saute onions for chili - all the other ingredients cover it up - but cooking eggs or putting it in my coffee is not okay, and even pan frying in it I can taste it. Someone here (don't remember who, not a mod) told me to get refined coconut oil and you can't taste it, and the extra processing is fine. I have a jar of LouAna's in my cabinet right now and that's a-OK - no coconut taste. I thought all was well till I started reading that refined coconut oil is actually not great at all and you need the virgin to get any of the health benefits. So, is that the case? When people are spouting the benefits of coconut oil, does it have to be unrefined/virgin coconut oil? If refined coconut oil is not so great for you, is ghee my best (only?) other option for pan frying and that kind of thing? I tried eggs with ghee during my W30 and the butter taste was too strong - I much preferred them scrambled with olive oil. Apparently I am very picky when it comes to my fats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amberino21 Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 you will lose the health benefits in the refined oil, but it's ok to use for cooking - use unrefined when you can, but use your refined oil in the dishes you can notice the coconut flavour. ghee is your other option - I wouldn't cook with olive oil, only add it after cooking. (for better searches, use google, and add "whole 30" to your search terms) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Here you go: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/2189-refined-vs-unrefined-coconut-oil/ I find it's easiest to search the forum via Google. Type Whole30 followed by whatever you're looking for, and if it's here, Google will present you with the appropriate links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Unrefined Coconut oil and Ghee are both great options; I tend to alternate between them for some variety in flavor and nutrition. That said, those are not your ONLY two options! Animal fats such as lard, beef tallow, duck fat, etc. are also fantastic. You'll want to be careful about sourcing, since toxins (hormones, antibiotics, etc) are stored in the fat, but assuming you have access to fat from properly raised animals, these are definitely worth exploring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jent103 Posted November 8, 2013 Author Share Posted November 8, 2013 Thanks to all of you! So it sounds like the refined version doesn't have all the benefits, but at least it isn't actively *bad* to use, so that's good to know. And missmary, I thought about lard and tallow right after I posted - thanks for the reminder! We have a local butcher that I haven't frequented, but really should more often. I'm pretty certain that if they sell lard and tallow it would be well sourced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoodles Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Could you try half ghee half unrefined coconut oil in the same pan? You never know, the flavours you don't like might magically cancel each other out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jent103 Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 I might, zoodles! I ordered some Pure Indian Foods ghee yesterday - the only ghee I'd tried before was from Trader Joe's. (I did try my own once, but failed miserably!) I'll see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinSpin Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I have found that a bit of salt helps to take the coconutty flavor out of the virgin coconut oil when I cook with it. I still can't do scrambled eggs in it --ghee is the way to go for me there--but sauteing and stir fry and other cooking methods, with the salt, I can't really taste the coconut flavor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jent103 Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 missmary - the local butcher just posted a tweet saying they have tallow. They're on the other side of town so it'll be awhile before I can get some, but that made me happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamH Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I might, zoodles! I ordered some Pure Indian Foods ghee yesterday - the only ghee I'd tried before was from Trader Joe's. (I did try my own once, but failed miserably!) I'll see what happens. I love Pure Indian Foods ghee. I go through a TON of it. I also order a coconut oil/ghee blend for cooking through Green Pastures. I love that, too. It IS virgin coconut oil and grass fed ghee but I honestly cannot taste the coconut. I love that taste so I am not a good person to judge, I suppose. I will eat most anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jent103 Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Ha! I wonder what that would be like. I didn't start liking vegetables till I was 23, with the exceptions of carrots and white potatoes. My ghee should be at my house today or tomorrow - I'm excited to taste the good stuff! The TJ ghee was fine but I read posts saying it wasn't as good as Pure Indian Foods or some of the others. Maybe trying the best will inspire me to try my own again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamH Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Ha! I wonder what that would be like. I didn't start liking vegetables till I was 23, with the exceptions of carrots and white potatoes. My ghee should be at my house today or tomorrow - I'm excited to taste the good stuff! The TJ ghee was fine but I read posts saying it wasn't as good as Pure Indian Foods or some of the others. Maybe trying the best will inspire me to try my own again! Pure Indian Foods' ghee is grassfed sourced. Is TJ's? Repetition is a good way to begin to like new foods. Try roasting vegetables at 425 degrees to bring a new taste and texture to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jent103 Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 I'm good on veggies now. That was ten years ago. good ideas though! I doubt TJ's is grass fed - doesn't say so, and it's awfully cheap to be. That's one reason I'm excited to try something different! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmccoy Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 you will lose the health benefits in the refined oil, but it's ok to use for cooking - use unrefined when you can, but use your refined oil in the dishes you can notice the coconut flavour. ghee is your other option - I wouldn't cook with olive oil, only add it after cooking. (for better searches, use google, and add "whole 30" to your search terms) Why not cook w/ Olive Oil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Why not cook w/ Olive Oil? Olive oil is sensitive to high heat--it breaks down, which makes it taste bitter, but also destroys the phenols that make olive oil healthy. Saturated fats, like animal fats and coconut oil are more stable, and better for high heat cooking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trezkholl0806 Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I just bought ghee for the first time yday! So exciting... is this a good brand? Seems like I saw someone post about this brand before in the forum... Purity Farms Organic Ghee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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