How to Cook With MCT Oil

All parts of the coconut are useful.

Medium chain triglycerides oil (MCT) is a product that people who have difficulty digesting other types of fat can use. These oils are found in coconut and palm kernels. Cooking with coconut oil or palm kernel oil is similar to cooking with any other naturally occurring oil. The smoke point of coconut oil is 350 degrees Fahrenheit, making it unsuitable for high-temperature deep frying in recipes that call for high fat temperatures. Palm kernel oil can be used for frying since it has a smoke point at 446 degrees. The smoke point refers to the temperature an oil has to reach before it starts to smoke.

Instructions

1. Use coconut oil or palm kernel oil as a substitute oil for recipes that call for vegetable oils like canola, safflower oil or corn oil. You can replace coconut or palm oil for light olive oils that have little flavor. Light olive oil refers to flavor, not calories. Some cooks make cooked salad dressings when using eggs, and MCT oil is a suitable replacement for other oils the recipe specifies.

2. Substitute some of the melted butter for popcorn and homemade cereal snacks with the MCT oil.

3. Exchange these oils in baked goods that call for melted or liquid oils in recipes like cakes or cookies. Recipes that use solid fat like shortening, lard or butter may not turn out as well when substituting oil because the creaming process of the fat and other ingredients incorporates air, something that liquid oils do not do as well as solid fats.

4. Replace the oil you use for deep frying or making popcorn with palm kernel oil. Its smoke point is among the highest of all food-safe cooking oils.

Tips & Warnings

• When deep frying, use a thermometer to make sure you reach the recommended temperature the recipe states for the best results.

• Exercise a great deal of caution when deep frying because the temperatures of the oil can cause serious burns.

References

• What's Cooking America: Types of Cooking Fats and Oils - Smoking Points of Oils
• Nestle Nutrition: Nutrition Expert Articles
• University of Missour Extension: Fat---From a Stick, Tub, Can or Bottle. Which Works for What?