Coconut oil versus olive oil?

[Kristina Poduch]

I am still finishing up the It starts with food book, so this might be a stupid question but I will ask anyway. Why do so many people want to use coconut oil instead of just plain olive oil?? They are both good fats so why use coconut oil? I do all my cooking with olive oil.

[Kirsteen]

Unsaturated fats, including olive oil, are easily damaged, oxidated when heat is applied to them. Saturated fats are stable at far higher temperatures. I use olive in my salads but prefer to cook with coconut oil or beef fat.

[Xandra]

My rule of thumb is cooking temp. Above medium heat, olive oil will start smoking for me, so anything I do on high heat gets coconut oil. Low heat gets olive oil, unless I want the coconut oil in there for flavor.

[Renee Lee]

I just use duck fat all the time

[Fenderbender]

I just use duck fat all the time

That may be the best advice you have ever given!!!!!! LMAO

OH...... AND YUM

[praxisproject]

Don't forget the goose fat

[Susan W]

Or the chicken fat (aka schmaltz)!

[Kim Christensen]

Goodness or bacon fat! Or ghee. But yes, I don't cook with olive oil. I use it on salads like a champ though.

[LibLady]

Since I am not overly fond of coconut oil (especially the smell of it when cooking), I tend to use olive oil for lower heat and ghee for a little bit higher heat. I don't use high heat except to boil water so I'm not too worried about the oxidation.

[Kristina Poduch]

OK thanks everyone... that clears it up. I actually cook everything on lower than medium heat because the expensive pans my mother in law bought me said not to go over medium. I am going to attempt to start using more coconut oil though or maybe even the clarified butter they talk about in the book.

[Sandie Bateman Carlson]

Where would I get Duck fat?

[Renee Lee]

Where would I get Duck fat?

Roast a duck; render the extra fat down

Search the forum for instructions. We guided Robin through it about 6 months ago

[EmilyB456]

Ooh, I just got the e-mail TODAY that US Wellness has started stocking duck fat! You can order it from them, already rendered, which is awesome for me because I have a terrible time finding duck here!

[Wendyland]

Olive oil is not heat stable. I only use it for salad dressing. For cooking, I use mainly bacon grease or ghee. My husband hates the smell of coconut oil, so I usually eat my coconut oil by the spoonful. Here's an article that talks about the olive oil vs coconut oil.

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2010/09/05/coconut-oil-vs-olive-oil/