Expeller Pressed Archives - The Paleo Network

Coconut oil is like wine – there are lots of great ones if you know where to look, just as there are some very disappointing ones out there! So make sure you get what you’re paying for.

We all know by now how good coconut oil is, it’s a great way to get more fat in your diet, it’s really stable at high temperatures and it’s really good for cooking in. But if you’ve recently searched for coconut oil, you’d be forgiven for feeling completely overwhelmed and confused at the choices available.

So, what do you need to consider?

Choice One: Refined or Unrefined.

Coconut oil is either refined, or unrefined. A refined oil won’t have that coconut taste or smell, so it can be a good one to have on hand for cooking more delicate dishes, that you don’t want to take on that distinct coconut flavour. Refined coconut oils will still have a great fatty acid profile (and full of those great MCT’s). If the label doesn’t specify, assume it’s a refined oil. Of course to refine the oil is to process it. So if you can, stick with an unrefined oil – but this is great to have on hand for a particular recipe that demands it, or if you’re cooking for someone who can’t stand the taste of coconut.

Unrefined oil is a staple in my house. It does have the distinct coconut flavour, however, between brands there is a huge variation. Some taste way milder than others, so it’s best to try a few until you work out which is your favourite.

Choice Two: Virgin or Extra Virgin.

You’ll likely only see these labels on unrefined coconut oil and unfortunately there seems to be a lot of ambiguity about what they actually mean. As a base assumption, virgin and extra virgin should be a lot purer, and from the first pressing of the coconut.

Choice Three: Expeller-Pressed, Cold-Pressed and Centrifuged

Your next option is how the oil was extracted from the coconut. The less heat used in the process, the more raw the final product – the milder the flavour will be. If the extraction process did heat the oil, it’s not too much of a concern as coconut oil is so stable at high temperatures.

Choice Four: Bulk, Jar or Spray

Your next choice is how you buy the oil. If you use a lot of it, you’ll do far better buying in bulk, instead of individual jars. And as I’ve written about before – I strongly suggest you avoid buying a spray can of coconut oil!

Choice Five: Where to buy

I find it so expensive to buy coconut oil local unfortunately – it’s also hard to find it in bulk quantities. I buy mine from iherb, who ship internationally (get $5 off using code DUV741). It works out far cheaper and they’re got such a big range you can experiment with a few, to work out which you prefer.

And if you do buy a bad one? Don’t throw it away – there are loads of non-edible uses for it!

Coconut Oil is a huge staple in my house. I generally order a large tin in from my local health food shop, but having realised I’m getting through 700ml in under three weeks, I've started researching and comparing costs of coconut oil. I've been spending $36 on a 700ml tin of Melrose Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil every three weeks – which is about $900 a year – If I could make savings on this it would make a big difference! I've got no intentions of using less to save money, as Coconut Oil is such a great source of fat. I've never seen Coconut Oil sold in any of the major supermarket chains in Australia, like Coles or Woolworths, but perhaps this will change as it gains popularity.

Having looked at various online sources, buying from health food stores isn't as expensive as I expected. It’s convenient in that I can buy some the same day I realise I've run out – but it is a lot to carry home from work. I think I'm going to try ordering online next time.

I often visit Healthy Life which has stores across Australia. They mainly stock Aclara Health Coconut Oil which is all Organic. The Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Oil is between $10 and $24.95 for 250 to 700ml. Their other variety is refined, which I used to buy as I didn't like the coconut taste. Now however, I don’t used refined, as I’ve got used to, and quite enjoy the Coconut taste. Mainly though, I think refined is too processed and many of the benefits of the oil are lost in the processing. Aclara Health Refined Coconut Oil is $17.95 for 700ml, or $65.52 for 4 Litres, which is actually one of the lowest prices I've found, at under two cents per ml. The other brand Healthy Life stock is Fijian Gold, who make an organic Coconut Oil at $12.50 for 500ml. I’ve still got a bottle of this at home, which I like taste wise, but to be honest it comes in a bottle and I find it really hard to get the solid oil out! I realise I can warm it to make it liquid, but I’d much rather just buy a better packaged oil that I can spoon out!

I've recently found the “Pure Health” store in Sydney, which stocks Melrose, Spiral & Wild Harvest Coconut Oils. This is where I order the Melrose Oil from. Their smaller sizes work out really expensive on a cost per ml basis, but perhaps this is good for the very occasional user as 300ml starts at $7.95

You need to make sure you do your research before buying online. I found one store, Chemist Direct charging between 6 and 16 cents a ml for Nui Wild Harvest Virgin Coconut Oil, including $7.95 shipping to Australia (shipping to New Zealand is an extra $19.91!)

I was expecting the online store Kokonut Pacific to be really expensive, but it actually works out at under two cents a ml, including shipping to Australia. The draw-back however, is that to get the better deals you need to buy their large packs – up to 20 litres at a time! Perhaps if you have a large family and an enormous amount of kitchen storage this might be an option for you? Their shipping costs to Australia are reasonable (up to about $20), but for New Zealand the shipping is about double.

I'm going to order my next supply of Coconut Oil through iherb, as they seem reasonable, including shipping and have the best range I've seen. Most of their Coconut Oil is shipped to both Australia and New Zealand for $4 or $6, which seems fairly reasonable (it’s calculated on weight). They carry a lot of brands I’ve never seen in the shops in Australia, such as Artisana, Garden of Life, Harvest Bay, Jarrow Formulas, Jungle Products, Natures Way, Now Foods, Nutiva, Organic Fuji, Quantum Nutrition, Source Naturals & Spectrum Essentials. When I finish the Melrose, I'm going to try the 858ml Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, which should work out at about $23 shipped to Australia. I’ll let you know what it’s like! Iherb also offer $5 off your first order using the code DUV741 , which just about equates to free shipping.

I would love to hear which brand you use and where you get it from? I'm sure there must be lots of other sources of Coconut Oil that can be shipped to Australia or New Zealand for under two cents per ml – let me know if you've found one! Or perhaps you've found such a good brand that it is worth the extra cost? Let me know your thoughts and I’ll update this post.

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