I've been using coconut oil for a couple years now as a lip balm, moisturizer, ever a face cream (people RAVE about it online as an acne treatment...I find it a good option in the dry winter but only occasionally).

That being sad, obviously I would need a different jar if I wanted to cook with it :) When I first opened it I used it for popcorn and it was every bit as delicious as people say! It smells so good, I sometimes open the jar just for a whiff!

I too love it as a moisturise it, but be careful if you try to cook with it; it has a low smoking point.

I use it in most of my baked goods. The pie crust rolls out like a dream. The molasses cookies are sublime. The Spectrum website has a recipe for food processor pie crust that works wonderfully.

does this stuff need to be refrigerated after opening? Also, what is the shelf life of this stuff (how long before it goes rancid?)???

I just bought some and I have no clue what to do with it. I was actually going to use it for doing baby massage and moisturizer for myself...but I would love some cooking ideas as well.

Coconut oil makes the most AMAZING popcorn. Seriously. Try it.

It is also great for browning meat - especially chicken.

To CaliH - I keep mine in a cabinet and have never had any problems (it does not say to refrigerate on the jar). I have had the same jar for about three years (apparently I need to try some of these recipes!) and have not had any rancidity (is that a word?) problems.

caliH: the jar says "keep in a cool, dry place." i keep mine in the fridge. it keeps for at least a few months: i've always used mine up long before it goes rancid!

Those of us who eat paleo don't need any convincing about the awesomeness of coconut oil.

I've been using coconut oil for everything for over a year (except salad dressing-- EVOO for that). It's fantastic; I especially love fried or scrambled eggs done in it.

also, coconut oil works really good for frosting/creme filling yummmmmmm

Question for all the coconut oil fans - does it impart a coconut flavor (especially in baked goods)? I'm not a huge fan of coconut, but I'm always up for culinary experiments.

I am a huge fan of using coconut oil as my cooking fat when I make Thai or Indian dishes. It also makes a fantastic version of the classic "fantasy fudge" recipe - replace the butter with coconut oil and the evaporated milk with coconut milk and you get a fudge with a wonderful coconut aroma and flavor.

Coconut oil is also great for dogs and cats - you can give them a teaspoon or two every day and even rub it into dry coats to moisturize. Most love the taste.

I love coconut oil, because it's yummy, healthy, and versatile! I use coconut oil on my face every morning as a moisturizer, as a lip balm, and very lightly as a hair serum/shine. I use it to season my cast iron pans and also to oil my cutting boards. It makes amazing popcorn too. I fry a lot of things with it.

Re: low smoke point, if you purchase a more refined CO, it will have a much higher smoke point, but, I think, none of the flavor (whether you think that is good or bad). Cheaper too. I haven't used that because I like the flavor, but it would definitely be useful.

I think the flavor is quite subtle in baked things, and I often sub CO (or butter, whichever I have most of) one-for-one for that icky Crisco whenever using a recipe calling for it.

And as someone who's not afraid of saturated fats, I say bring it on! :)

I love baking with coconut oil. I sub it anytime a recipe asks for canola oil.

I love sauteeing veggies in coconut oil -- it doesn't taste coconutty - more like buttery. I also love it in vegan baked goods (along w/ coconut flour!)

I've used the pictured brand for baking banana bread. I baked half the batch with the standard recipe (butter, etc) and half with coconut oil (for a friend who couldn't eat dairy or soy). The two batches tasted delicious and quite similar. The coconut oil tastes rich, but doesn't really give a "coconutty" taste, at least not in baked goods.

I bought a one-gallon bucket a while back. I don't use it very often when cooking or baking because when I do, I can detect the coconut flavor, which is fine is some things, not in others. My husband says he doesn't notice coconut flavor, so either I'm very sensitive to the taste, or because I know there's coconut oil in there, my brain tells me I can taste it.

It does make an awesome makeup remover. Waterproof mascara is no match for this stuff! I also use it as a moisturizer. I've used it to remove sticky residue left by price tags on glass jars.

I keep my bucket in the pantry--it turns rock-hard in the refrigerator. It's a liquid until the ambient temp drops below 76*F. Or, it's a solid until the temp hits 76*F, whichever you prefer. ;)

Recently I started baking with coconut oil. Even though I couldn't smell anything remotely smokey, every batch of cookies that contained the oil set off my smoke detector.

I don't really notice the coconut flavor when I use it, and I ditto everyone who recommended popping popcorn in it. It's even better than bacon fat!

Not only coconut oil, but I love coconut butter as well. Yummy & healthy fats :)

It's amazing as a moisturizer (body and face.) I use it on my face every night and I love the way my skin looks.

It's good in everything. The first time I had it in Mashed potatoes it was weird. I can still taste it in everything but I've grown accustom to it and it no longer competes with the savory on my palate.

I use coconut oil fairly regularly: I bake with it once in a while and use it as a cooking oil occasionally, but I've been using it a lot in granola (particularly a tasty, citrus and coconut-heavy version from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking).

However, since people here seem to know, what is the difference between coconut oil and coconut butter? I've never found the latter sold as such, so I've always thought it referred to coconut oil in its solid state!

I cook with coconut oil all the time! It's the secret ingredient in my chai tea-glazed scones.

http://operagirlcooks.com/2010/11/15/chai-tea-scones-recipe/

i work at an independent movie theatre, and coconut oil is the only kind we use to make the popcorn. it is very good - we have customers come in just to buy popcorn.

There are definite differences between coconut oil and coconut butter. The butter has some of the meat in it and does not have the same melty effect as coconut oil - sort of like peanut oil versus peanut butter.

I've been experimenting with coconut oil for years now. I like to keep a bit in a butter warmer on the stove so that I always have some in its liquid form (any non-plastic container will work). I am not a fan of coconut flavor, but for some reason, love the very slight flavor that coconut oil gives off when roasting and sauteing vegetables.

Baking recipes require a bit of experimentation; I'd recommend trying vegan recipes that use coconut oil and seeing how the baked goods turn out rather than substituting coconut oil 1:1 for oil or butter in your standard recipes.

It seems expensive at the outset, but it lasts a LONG time, and I've never had any go rancid. Vitacost.com is a great place to buy it for a bit cheaper than the health food store - I like the Nutiva Certified Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

Coconut oil should be stored close to 76 degrees.
It has a shelf life of 2 years after opening.

I recently tried coconut oil for the first time in a Norwegian truffle recipe from my husband's family. They were amazing, and coconut oil is quite the secret weapon!

http://cooking-books.blogspot.com/2010/12/konfekt-norwegian-chocolate-and-coconut.html

I use it mostly in scrambled eggs for breakfast.

I purchased a jar to make homemade deodorant - mixed with baking soda, arrowroot powder and essential oils, similar to the recent post on re-nest. I was curious about cooking with it (the coconut oil, not the homemade deodorant), so I fried a couple of eggs. Delish! Will have to try roasting sweet potatoes with it next.

"I love coconut oil, because it's yummy, healthy, and versatile!"

I'm not going to argue that coconut oil isn't yummy or versatile, but HEALTHY? No.

Coconut oil has a very high saturated fat content, 13 grams of fat per tablespoon according to the USDA website.

Don't assume just because this oil comes from coconuts constitutes it as a health food. I would recommended sticking to beauty products with this saturated fat.

For future reference, any fat that is solid at room temperature is usually full of saturated fats (which should be avoided). Try substituting olive oil.

I too have been using coconut oil for a few years. We use it for everything from seasoning cast iron, to popcorn, in place of butter in almost all of my baking, and shaving my legs too!

I haven't ever had trouble with rancidity (and we buy it in a 7lb pail!), and for anyone wondering it doesn't taste like coconut. I don't like coconut either.

@hayleyse you may want to do a bit of research on the topic before spewing anything from the USDA... Coconut oil is in fact very good for you. It IS an oil, and therefore will be high in fat (just as with any other oil) but compared to others it has many positive properties such as those mentioned in the article.

-Kristin, RHN: Registered Holistic Nutritionist.

I love coconut oil! To clear up misconceptions. Virgin unrefined coconut oil does not need refrigerated, It will become soft and then liquid at and above 75 degrees. This is the purest form with the best benefits. Expeller pressed is also good but avoid any that says refined bleached and deodarized(RBD) This has lost many benefits.

As for the acne post, I can attest to that. I use it morrning and night on my face, I rarely get a pimple and if I do, i spot treat it and it disappears in a day..

This oil has a high smoke point, thus the reason it is so great for cooking, I actually burned some tempeh, it was fine! Other oils can become rancid with higher heats,

Try to fry tempeh or cut up sweet potatos, add cinnamon to the potatos, very yummy!

I've been using a coconut oil called Memory Oil, and it is fantastic! Can't go wrong with it, it is only $10 a 14oz. bottle! The value is just as great as a $20-$30 bottle of other coconut oils! I'd recommend it, because it saves you money and tastes great! Here is the link to Memory Oils site! http://memoryoils.com/ Thanks

It is important to address that virgin coconut oil tastes like coconut and refined coconut oil or coconut oil that simply says coconut oil (not virgin) has no sweet / coconut flavour. You can use it on everything - pasta, veggies, etc