What is the deal with coconut oil? - Page 2

Greg Battaglia · 10-24-2006, 12:57 PM

No, read carefully. You cannot, under any circumstances, ever convert any normal oil or fat into a trans fatty acid just by heating it up in a skillet, ever. Fats are turned to trans fatty acids by a process known as hydrogenation. You cannot perform hydrogenation in your kitchen. It is a process that is done in a factory. Basically, to hydrogenate a fat, it is heated to a very high temperature and, like Charlie said, pressurized hydrogen and a catalyst (nickle or platinum, but nickle is usually the norm) are used to add extra hydrogen atoms (hence the name hydrogenation) to the unsaturated double bonds of an unsaturated oil. This CANNOT be done by simply heating the oil! When you simply overheat an oil in your kitchen you're just oxidizing it (the double bond breaks and it loses electrons) which, inside of your body causes the formation of free radicals, which in turn cause damage to the cells of your body. Saturated oils (coconut for example) do not have any double bonds and therefore can't lose an electron due to heat oxidation. So when you cook with coconut oil the fat never oxidizes, and you don't have to worry about free radicals. Take home message, don't eat hydrogenated fats (trans fats), don't cook with predominantly unsaturated oils (virtualy all commercial vegetables oils), and DO cook with saturated oils like coconut and palm.

P.S.
Macadamia nut oil is monounsaturated, making it prone to oxidation, but not nearly as prone as most polyunsaturated vegetables oils. Most nut oils and olive oil are ok to cook with as long as the oil doesn't begin to smoke while cooking with it. If the oil smokes, then you've cooked it for too long or at too high of a temperature.

(Message edited by greg_battaglia on October 24, 2006)

10-24-2006, 05:43 PM

"Some oils can tolerate high heat without causing carcinogenic compounds. Avocado 520° F Almond 495° F Coconut 450° F"

and this
http://www.hormel.com/templates/know...emid=42&id=571
list of smoke points of all fats

Never cook Flaxseed Oil, and never high heat Oilve Oil if you want to keep it's antioxidants.

Neal Winkler · 10-24-2006, 05:54 PM

LOL @ coconut and palm oil being on the avoid list because they have saturated fats in them.

Nate Marlar · 10-24-2006, 06:08 PM

Coconut oil adds a very nice flavor when you use it to cook food in a skillet. Or when you bake something and grease the pan....definitely a change from the ordinary, I think it's worth it to give it a shot. I haven't noticed any negative effects over the past couple months I have used it...but not sure about long term. I'm sticking with it for a while though.

(Message edited by natro on October 24, 2006)

Jared Buffie · 10-25-2006, 11:02 AM

Awesome! I get to tell my wife that she doesn't know what she's talking about!

I'll get back to you guys and let you know how that conversation went.

Jibreel Freeland · 10-25-2006, 11:17 AM

LOL that's funny. I don't know about your wife but with mine that conversation would not go over very well.

"Honey, you don't know what you're talking about."

If you found a woman who takes kindly to that type of statement then I commend you.

If a man says something in the middle of a forest, and there's no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?

10-25-2006, 12:04 PM

Jared, before you ask...No you can not use my couch to sleep on.

Scott Kustes · 10-30-2006, 08:38 AM

You may just wish to let her go on with that thinking, lest she switch back to polyun vegetable oils.

10-24-2006, 05:43 PM	#12
Mike ODonnell Profile: Posts: n/a	"Some oils can tolerate high heat without causing carcinogenic compounds. Avocado 520° F Almond 495° F Coconut 450° F" and this http://www.hormel.com/templates/know...emid=42&id=571 list of smoke points of all fats Never cook Flaxseed Oil, and never high heat Oilve Oil if you want to keep it's antioxidants.
Mike ODonnell Profile: Posts: n/a

10-25-2006, 12:04 PM	#17
Mike ODonnell Profile: Posts: n/a	Jared, before you ask...No you can not use my couch to sleep on.
Mike ODonnell Profile: Posts: n/a

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10-24-2006, 12:57 PM	#11
Greg Battaglia Member Profile: Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Springfield PA Posts: 468	No, read carefully. You cannot, under any circumstances, ever convert any normal oil or fat into a trans fatty acid just by heating it up in a skillet, ever. Fats are turned to trans fatty acids by a process known as hydrogenation. You cannot perform hydrogenation in your kitchen. It is a process that is done in a factory. Basically, to hydrogenate a fat, it is heated to a very high temperature and, like Charlie said, pressurized hydrogen and a catalyst (nickle or platinum, but nickle is usually the norm) are used to add extra hydrogen atoms (hence the name hydrogenation) to the unsaturated double bonds of an unsaturated oil. This CANNOT be done by simply heating the oil! When you simply overheat an oil in your kitchen you're just oxidizing it (the double bond breaks and it loses electrons) which, inside of your body causes the formation of free radicals, which in turn cause damage to the cells of your body. Saturated oils (coconut for example) do not have any double bonds and therefore can't lose an electron due to heat oxidation. So when you cook with coconut oil the fat never oxidizes, and you don't have to worry about free radicals. Take home message, don't eat hydrogenated fats (trans fats), don't cook with predominantly unsaturated oils (virtualy all commercial vegetables oils), and DO cook with saturated oils like coconut and palm. P.S. Macadamia nut oil is monounsaturated, making it prone to oxidation, but not nearly as prone as most polyunsaturated vegetables oils. Most nut oils and olive oil are ok to cook with as long as the oil doesn't begin to smoke while cooking with it. If the oil smokes, then you've cooked it for too long or at too high of a temperature. (Message edited by greg_battaglia on October 24, 2006)

10-24-2006, 05:54 PM	#13
Neal Winkler Member Profile: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Shiloh Il Posts: 613	LOL @ coconut and palm oil being on the avoid list because they have saturated fats in them.

10-24-2006, 06:08 PM	#14
Nate Marlar Member Profile: Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pensacola FL Posts: 49	Coconut oil adds a very nice flavor when you use it to cook food in a skillet. Or when you bake something and grease the pan....definitely a change from the ordinary, I think it's worth it to give it a shot. I haven't noticed any negative effects over the past couple months I have used it...but not sure about long term. I'm sticking with it for a while though. (Message edited by natro on October 24, 2006)

10-25-2006, 11:02 AM	#15
Jared Buffie Member Profile: Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Winnipeg MB Posts: 106	Awesome! I get to tell my wife that she doesn't know what she's talking about! I'll get back to you guys and let you know how that conversation went.

10-25-2006, 11:17 AM	#16
Jibreel Freeland Member Profile: Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 527	LOL that's funny. I don't know about your wife but with mine that conversation would not go over very well. "Honey, you don't know what you're talking about." If you found a woman who takes kindly to that type of statement then I commend you. If a man says something in the middle of a forest, and there's no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?

10-30-2006, 08:38 AM	#18
Scott Kustes Member Profile: Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 1,252	You may just wish to let her go on with that thinking, lest she switch back to polyun vegetable oils.