coconut oil brand recommendation

[sionkali]

Lately I've been wanting to test my coconut allergy with either some coconut oil/butter or a young coconut. I was wondering if anyone had a recommendation on a decent (it doesn't have to be "out of this world" fantastic) brand of oil that I could buy in the stores. If I find out that my allergy is nonexistant then I'm definitely going to look into a much better brand (more than likely I'll order what Alissa sells), but for now I'd rather get something inexpensive just to try. Any ideas?

Thanks so much!! :)

[Angelina]

This is the brand I use; I like it ~ decent flavor,not too overpowering.

http://nutiva.com/

[exurb]

for now I'd rather get something inexpensive just to try Unfortunately from what I've seen, there's no inexpensive option that is also raw. Most of the ones that are cheaper have used heat, and they're not virgin, etc...

Most raw foodies I know like the virgin oil de coco creme. I think that's what alissa sells, but not sure.

I recently bought another brand (I think Omega?) of raw coconut oil, and it's pretty good too.

You have to be really careful with coconut oil, IMO you have to get the good stuff or forget it, because the cheaper grades are usually not raw and virgin, etc...

[sionkali]

Perhaps I should just get an actual coconut and see what happens. I know of one store that sells them in the area, but I don't know if they're organic or not; and I'm not sure about that stuff they dunk the young Thai coconuts in (I can't quite remember, but I know that it wasn't good at all).

Good idea? Bad idea? What do you think?

[TA]

Virgin Oil de Coco-Creme (r) brand sells a small jar, its either 6 or 8 ounces. The HFS near us, Mother's Market & Kitchen, sells it for $4.95. Its wonderful with a very light taste and has been a superb moisturizer. This is the brand that Alissa sells on her website.

[Joyce111]

I use coconut oil from Tropical Traditions. I wrote to the company asking whether their oil is raw. According to their reply, no coconut oil is raw and it does not need to be raw because there are no engymes in the oil. Part of their reply is as follows.
***********************************
FAQ

22. Is your coconut oil heated in its processing?

Yes, Tropical Traditions VCNO is slightly heated at the end of the
processing prior to packaging. This is to ensure that no moisture is
present, and to draw all the oil out of the curds that are formed by
the fermentation process. This heat is very low (less than boiling
temperatures), and is for a very short duration (10-15 minutes).
Commercial coconut oils, by contrast, undergo steam deodorization at
temperatures of around 400 degrees. Traditional methods of making
coconut oil naturally have always used heat in the process, and we
are committed to honoring time-tested traditional methods that have
nourished populations in the tropics for thousands of years. More info.

23. Is VCNO destroyed by heat? What about enzymes?

No, coconut oil is NOT destroyed or changed chemically in anyway from
its original form by using low heat. Unlike other plant oils, the
medium chain fatty acids are very resistant to any change via heat.
Even commercial oils heated to a very high temperature have their
medium chain fatty acids kept in tact. This makes coconut oil one of
the best oils to use in cooking, because it does not break down easily.

Many have expressed concern that even low-level heat can destroy
enzymes and other beneficial nutrients in coconut oil. But one needs
to consider that this is a tropical oil from a tropical plant grown
in a very hot climate. The oil inside an airtight coconut still
growing high up on a coconut tree will already see temperatures well
above 100 degrees F. during its growing season. Laboratory tests done
on our VCNO, for example, have shown levels of Vitamin E that are 30
times more than commercial RBD coconut oil. As to enzymes, they are
present in the coconut meat but not in the oil. One would not want
enzymes in the oil as it would break down the oil and cause it to go
rancid. So there is no coconut oil on the market that would contain
enzymes. You need to eat a coconut fresh off the tree to benefit from
plant enzymes. All plant-based oils are separated from the plants
they grew in, and do not contain appreciable amounts of enzymes. More
info.

So it is a myth that there are coconut oils on the market that are
"live" and "see no heat." Coconuts are native to the tropics, where
temperatures are very hot. Any coconut oil distributed anywhere in
North America has "seen heat." Shipping containers used to ship the
coconut oil to the US by sea from the tropics reach temperatures of
over 130 degrees. If you have a truck deliver coconut oil to your
home in the summer time by any of the major carriers, temperatures
inside that truck will reach up to 125 degrees. In the winter time
coconut oil turns solid and MUST be heated in order to be repackaged
into retail size containers from drums. Tropical Traditions uses
large insulated containers that hold many drums and keep a steady
temperature of between 90 to 100 degrees F. in the winter time to
keep our stored oil liquid so it can be repackaged. It does take
longer to liquefy 55 gallon drums this way (a few days) in the
winter, but it more closely resembles ambiance air temperatures in
the tropics. Many other repackagers use electric drum bands to melt
the coconut oil more quickly, and temperatures inside the drum become
much hotter, closer to boiling temperatures. So any coconut oil you
buy will have "seen heat." But the good news is that coconuts are
designed by our Maker to grow and thrive in hot climates, and the oil
is not harmed in any way by these low-level heats.'

[sweetgoddess]

I can tell you, I always bought the most inexpensive option for coconut oil until at Alissa's I tried a scoop of the brand she sells on her website. There was a tremendous difference in flavor and quality!