How do I use coconut oil?

[Jan Kates]

If cocnut oil is uniformally solid throughout the jar can I weigh it by scooping some out or do I need to melt the entire jarful first? And if I do have to melt the lot, can I do it in the microwave? And if so, how many times can it tolerate being treated like that? Will it go rancid in the jar after multipler melts - if I have to do it that way?

 

[Deborah Long]

Hi Jan! I'm a newbie, and had the same question. Here's what I found out - 8 oz of solid coconut oil is the same as 8 oz of microwaved CO, so you can just scoop it out and then nuke it! That's what I do, any ways!

 

[CaraBou]

Yes you can just scoop it out. It’s really hard in my cold climate, so I use an ice cream scoop. A regular spoon will bend!

 

[Hendejm]

Yes you can just scoop it out. It’s really hard in my cold climate, so I use an ice cream scoop. A regular spoon will bend!

Love that idea!!! I’ve bent a lot of spoons!!

 

[TeresaGG]

Coconut oil is okay to scoop out. however palm oil unless it is especially homogenized you need to melt it

 

[shunt2011]

Coconut oil is okay to scoop out. however palm oil unless it is especially homogenized you need to melt it

I purchase palm in 50 lbs in a bucket. I never melt it. I just scoop down the middle. Even when I bought it in smaller amounts I only melted it to get it out of the bottle. I mostly use lard these days but still make non-animal soap with palm. They also sell homogenized palm in 50 lb cubes. Thad doesn’t need to be melted either.

 

[cmzaha]

Like Shunt, I never melt down my palm, although I use palm shortening now. But I did use palm in 35 lb buckets in the beginning and just scooped out of different areas of the bucket.

 

[Jan Kates]

Hi Jan! I'm a newbie, and had the same question. Here's what I found out - 8 oz of solid coconut oil is the same as 8 oz of microwaved CO, so you can just scoop it out and then nuke it! That's what I do, any ways!

Thanks Deborah. I had not even considered the weight vs volume aspect! I was concerned that different parts within the CO might not solidify at the same rate therefore my solids might not contain all parts equally hope that makes sense.

 

[Jan Kates]

Coconut oil is okay to scoop out. however palm oil unless it is especially homogenized you need to melt it

Thanks Teresa, yes "homogonised" is the word I should have use.

 

[Deborah Long]

I also copied Carolyn (who is OMG so helpful!) and use palm shortening. Just like the coconut oil, I just measure it as if it is liquid... It's worked so far! (Yes, I know I haven't been soaping for very long...)

 

[Complexions]

Weight will always be the same, regardless if it's solid or liquid