Coconut oil has many uses, and not only in the kitchen. While it adds flavor to foods and salads, coconut oil is also used to treat dry scalp and skin, acid reflux, as a base for soaps and is even used to help with weight loss. Pure coconut oil can be pricey, but if you're up for a fun challenge, you can try making your own at home. With a coconut and a few simple tools and a blender, you can produce some coconut oil to use as you wish. The best part is that you will know it is pure, with no additives, as you made it yourself.
Shave off as much of the outer shell of the coconut that you can with a large knife. This will make cutting it in half much easier.
Cut your coconut in half with a large knife and drain the milk into a separate jar.
Cut the coconut meat from the coconut shell using a chisel or a knife. If you are using a blender, cut the meat into small pieces.
Place the pieces in a blender and add water. If you have 2 cups of coconut chunks, add 3 cups of water. Start the blender on a setting such as "Chop," so it breaks the pieces up even more. When it is having no problem with this setting, switch the setting to "Blend." Blend for 2 to 3 minutes or until the coconut is of a smooth and creamy consistency.
Lay out 3 layers of cheesecloth on top of each other. Lay the cheesecloth over top of a large bowl.
Pour the coconut mixture, about 1 cup at a time, into the cheesecloths. Gather the cheescloth around the mixture and strain the milk out of the cheesecloth. Wring the cloth as hard as you can to get as much milk out as you can. (Dispose of the coconut flakes or save them for a food dish.) Continue this process until you have drained all the milk that you can from the coconut mixture.
Pour the coconut milk into a container that has a lid and keep it in a dark place. The milk must ferment for 48 hours.
Now pour the coconut milk into an empty 2 liter bottle. Store in a warm area with the temperature as close to 75 degrees F as possible. Wait 6 to 8 hours for the oil to naturally separate from the milk.
Place the bottle with the oil and milk in the refrigerator for 3 hours. After 3 hours, when the oil has solidified, remove the bottle and cut the top off right above the oil line. This will give you easy access to scooping out the solidified oil.
Place the solidified oil in a jar with a lid and let it sit at room temperature to become liquid once more. Use as you wish.
Tip
Since it is a long process, make a bigger batch of coconut oil by using several coconuts at once.
Always look for the most mature coconut, as it produces better oil.
Tip
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If you must warm up your coconut milk to get the oil to separate, do not warm it up to more than 75 degrees F for 10 minutes as this will adversely affect the nutritional benefits of the coconut oil.
Writer Bio
A certified nutritionist who majored in health, fitness and nutrition, Traci Vandermark has been writing articles in her specialty fields since 1998. Her articles have appeared both online and in print for publications such as Simple Abundance, "Catskill Country Magazine," "Birds and Blooms," "Cappers" and "Country Discoveries."
Image Credit
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