How to Make Coconut Oil With the Boiling Method

Coconut is delicious in cakes, candy and cookies, but did you know that coconut is also full of beneficial acids that support your heart, liver, kidneys, immune system, digestion, teeth and bone strength? It helps combat pancreatitis, diabetes and infection and builds up viral resistance in patients with HIV and cancer. With its antioxidant and moisturizing properties, coconut oil is also useful as a beauty product. It soothes and pampers skin and hair and is found in many creams, lotions, soaps, shampoos and conditioners. Homemade coconut oil is a bit time consuming, but the healthy end result is well worth the effort.

Things You'll Need

• 5 large, dry coconuts
• 2 large bowls
• Meat cleaver
• Dull table knife or spoon
• 2 cups water
• Large, medium-depth pan
• Strainer
• Large spoon
• Small bowl
• Coffee filter
• Clean glass jar with airtight lid

Instructions

1. Hold one of the coconuts in the palm of your hand over a large bowl (the bowl will catch the juice when the coconut splits). Locate the seam that runs between the "eyes" of the coconut. With the dull side of the meat cleaver, firmly tap along the seam as you rotate the coconut in the palm of your hand. Continue to rotate and tap along the seam until the coconut splits in half. Repeat with the other four coconuts.

2. 

   Use a dull table knife or a spoon to scrape the meat from the coconut halves into a large bowl.

3. Add 2 cups of water to the coconut meat. Knead the meat and water together for about 5 minutes.

4. Pick up a handful of the coconut mixture and squeeze hard, allowing the milky juices to fall back into the bowl. Repeat the process handful by handful until you have squeezed out all the milk that you can.

5. 

   Hold a strainer over a large pan of medium depth, and pour the milk through the strainer. Gather the remaining coconut meat from the strainer in your hand, hold it over the pan and give it one more hard squeeze to harvest the last drops of milk. Set the coconut meat aside; you can use it for baking.

6. Place the pan on the stove over medium high heat and allow it to boil. Stir the milk constantly. The oil will begin to separate from the curdled cream.

7. 

   Continue to stir as the clear oil separates from the cream. The "bits" of curdled cream will begin to turn hard and brown. Continue to stir until the clear oil is completely separated from the toasted cream bits.

8. Hold the strainer over a glass bowl and strain the oil. Place the toasted cream bits in a small bowl and allow them to cool. You can use them later to top a cake or ice cream sundae.

9. 

   Strain the oil one more time through a coffee filter into a clean glass jar. Allow the oil to cool, then place the lid on the jar.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are uncomfortable using the meat cleaver, or you are unable to open the coconuts using this method, try wrapping each coconut in a thick towel and firmly tapping them with a hammer. After you open the coconuts, if they smell sour or moldy, do not use them or eat them.

• Be very careful when opening the coconuts. Maintain steady control of the cleaver. When you are splitting the coconut, it may begin to open and then snap shut again, so be careful not to let your fingers get caught in the seam.

Resources

• Grandmother's Homemade Coconut Oil
• Making Coconut Oil Like Mom
• Jamaican Coconut Oil
• How to Open a Coconut
• Benefits of Coconut Oil