How to Process Virgin Coconut Oil
Coconut oil has been used for centuries in Southeast Asian countries for health and beauty purposes. Coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer for hair and skin, and it has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Coconut oil can be incorporated into many recipes. Virgin coconut oil can be extracted at home using a fresh whole coconut and your stove. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 3 coconuts
- Paring knife
- Grater
- Large bowl
- Non-stick pot
- Ladle
- Sterilized jar with airtight seal
Instructions
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Processing Virgin Coconut Oil
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1
Crack open the coconut shells and use a paring knife to pry the white coconut meat (also called the kernel) away from the shell.
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2
Place a grater over a large bowl and grate the chunks of coconut into fine shreds. Repeat until all the coconut meat has been shredded.
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3
Add a little water to the shredded coconut. Start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed.
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4
Squeeze handfuls of shredded coconut above the bowl. A white liquid should come out when the coconut squeezed; if it doesn't, add more water to the bowl in increments of a tablespoon. This white liquid is coconut milk. After each handful of shredded coconut is fully squeezed and no more milk can be extracted, discard the coconut.
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5
Pour the liquid into a pot set over low heat on your stovetop. Let the liquid come to a slow simmer, stirring occasionally. After approximately an hour, a thin layer of golden fat will form on top of the coconut milk. This is the coconut oil. Let the coconut milk boil on the stove for another half hour after this, stirring occasionally.
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6
Using a ladle or large spoon, skim the surface of the coconut milk to remove the coconut oil. Spoon the coconut oil into a jar and seal it tightly.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Three coconuts will produce about 1.5 liters of coconut milk.
References
- Photo Credit coconut image by citylights from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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coconut vendors grate then use juice extractor. put the milk in a refrigerator to solidify then in room temp to thaw. oil and milk separates. no heating required. It's clear like water. put oil back in the ref for future use.
