I don't know what that is, but as long as it is really coconut oil, refined if you don't like the flavor, virgin if you do, it works. I am in financial straits enough I have to go with the least expensive here, which is the LouAna brand...

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

I don't know what that is, but as long as it is really coconut oil, refined if you don't like the flavor, virgin if you do, it works. I am in financial straits enough I have to go with the least expensive here, which is the LouAna brand...

Appears to be an Indian brand of coconut oil. http://www.klfcoconad.com/products.html

And I have to laugh, they have coconut oil vending machines! Seriously, how awesome is that?!

jmzz1 wrote: »

How to identify whether coconut oil is real or fake?

Coconut oil is pretty unmistakable and not generally faked, unlike the issues with counterfeit olive oil. The one thing I'd look at is whether it solidifies below 72F. If it doesn't, I'd be wary of it. Likewise, if it's solid above 72F and not at least starting to melt, I'd also be concerned. Pure coconut oil's melting point is 72F, so if it's liquid below that, it's either not coconut oil or it's so refined you probably don't want it for most purposes. If it's solid above that, it's probably had some hydrogenation done to it, which is really bad and you want to avoid that one like the plague.

There is some disagreement on whether refined is as healthy as virgin, though. I'm of the opinion that virgin has some phytochemicals and other compounds that break down in the refining process, but the lauric acid is the primary source of coconut oil's claim to fame, so even if you just get refined coconut oil, you're getting like 90% of the health benefits.

I personally get Trader Joe's coconut oil when I can, because it's actually the cheapest I've found, especially for virgin coconut oil. It beats out even the bulk prices from Tropical Traditions. Second to that, I get the Kroger store brand, Simple Truth, which is about a dollar more, but I pay that because I'm at Kroger more than I am at Trader Joe's and would have to go out of my way most of the time (making the savings moot).

Sounds fine to me. Mine would be liquid at that temp, too!

And vending machines? I'm seriously tempted to look at relocating. That's AWESOME.