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Coconut Oil: How to Make at Home
The markets are flooded with several types of cooking oils, but when it comes to picking the perfect oil, you might find making a choice difficult. Earlier, people used to make oils at home, while nowadays due to commercialisation, the use of factory-made refined oil has become common. But if you're someone who's particular about the quality and the health benefits of your cooking oil, then in this article we'll be sharing a few steps that will help you to extract pure coconut oil or virgin coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil is different from the conventional oil in many ways, this homemade oil has a stronger taste and a higher amount of vitamins and proteins.
Recipe to Make Coconut Oil at Home
You can follow some easy steps mentioned below to make coconut oil at home:
- Step 1: Collect the flesh from the coconuts according to the quantity of the oil that you need. Rub the flesh into small pieces and extract the coconut milk from the flesh by squeezing it with your hands. Filter the coconut milk through a muslin cloth into a bowl, add a little amount of hot water to squeeze out all the milk from the cloth.
- Step 2: Filter the coconut milk through a soft cloth again to remove its impurities. Pour the coconut milk into a brass vessel and put it on the stove. Let it cook for about 2-3 hours and make sure that the heat is kept low.
- Step 3: Stir the coconut milk every 15 minutes till the colour changes to brown. Be careful that it doesn't burn as coconut oil has a delicate texture. Once it becomes concentrated, remove the heat and allow it to cool for some time.
- Step 4: Put the thickened milk in a muslin cloth and squeeze out all the oil in a bowl. You can store the oil in an airtight container. The virgin coconut oil has its own benefits, and it can easily last for about a year.
Benefits of Cooking with Coconut Oil
Coconut is one of the most nourishing foods. Coconut contains lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid found even in human breast milk, making it good for your health. We are all pretty much aware of the benefits of coconut oil. Coconut oil is considered a super-food because it has many positive effects on your health, including weight loss, heart health, and brain functions. Some of the benefits are:
Heart Health
One of the many benefits of using coconut oil in your food is that it is good for your heart. People who consume a substantial amount of coconut oil not only have good overall health but also have a very low probability of heart disease. Experts believe that coconut oil may boost heart health as compared to other oils.
High Smoke Point
Coconut oil has a high smoke point and can be used for cooking at high temperatures. It can be used in baking recipes, for frying, and as a replacement of butter or vegetable oil in various recipes.
Reducing Stress
Virgin coconut oil has antioxidant properties, which help in reducing stress. It is believed that coconut oil can be used in treating some kinds of depression as well.
Contains Healthy Fatty Acids
Coconut oil is high in saturated fats, which provide quick energy to your body. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) tend to go to your liver, and your body uses them as a quick source of energy.
Boosts Good Cholesterol
There are two types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HPL) or good cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDP) or bad cholesterol. Coconut oil is high in MCTs which are responsible for many health benefits of coconut oil, including boosting levels of good cholesterol in your body, which further improve your metabolic health. Hence, reducing bad cholesterol in the body.
Weight Loss
Weight loss is one big concern for people nowadays. Coconut contains MCTs, which increase the number of calories that your body burns. Due to the presence of fatty acids, coconut oil reduces appetite and increases fat-burning, which reduces the chances of chronic diseases as well. However, coconut oil contains calories and can lead to weight gain if consumed in large amounts.
Dental Health
Coconut oil can be used for oil pulling, which is an oral treatment similar to a mouthwash. Coconut oil can be used to protect cavities, improve gingivitis, and kill harmful oral bacteria, and reduce bad breath.
Prevent Liver Disease and Asthma Symptoms
Coconut oil is said to have certain elements that can help in preventing liver disease. It is also believed that it could help in reducing asthma symptoms while consulting a doctor is a must in any case.
Shiny Hair and Healthy Skin
Coconut oil is good for your hair, it increases the shine and protects your hair from damage. You can also apply coconut oil directly to your hair as it penetrates the scalp better than mineral oils.
Coconut oil may help boost skin health. It can also be applied directly to your skin as a moisturiser, eye makeup remover, or a refreshing body scrub.
Best Coconut Oils You Can Buy From the Market
Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is one of the best oils that you can buy from the market. It is pure, smooth, virgin and vegan oil and is never deodorised or refined. This edible oil can be used for baking, to enhance the flavour of your food and also for body-care. The oil has a rich aroma coupled with the smell of fresh coconuts. It is chemical-free and has great health and nutritional benefits. Many people love using this multipurpose oil, and you can buy this particular product without giving it a second thought. The 444 ml pack is available on iHerb for ₹ 980.00.
Khadi Organic Cold-Pressed First Coconut Oil
Khadi Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is made from freshly picked and organically grown coconuts in Kerala. This oil is a multi-nutritional qualities that work well for both your skin and hair and also as an excellent cooking and baking oil. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties and contains 49% lauric acid, which can help you stay healthy inside-out. It adds incredible flavours to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes and is best for low heat baking. It smells great and is the best high-quality product at this price – available on Carethy for ₹ 1,106.00.
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Be Mindful of Your Cooking Oil
It is important that you are extremely wary of the cooking oil you use because it is consumed daily in some form or the other and has a severe impact on your health. We hope this BP Guide would have convinced you about not just the benefits of cooking with coconut oil, but also the tremendous benefits it has for your skin, hair, etc. and you will immediately switch over to using coconut oil instead of the other harmful oils. Stay connected with us for more such engaging content