Thanks everybody! Wow there's such good information here!
Fiona, I'm getting a different oil than you use, for a different reason. I usually mix coconut oil with drain cleaner. It's just that I have so much coconut oil on hand, why not use it for cooking too? I'm using mine just because it's on hand, and I've begun exploring coconut oil cooking. Even in the small quantities I get (1 gallon) my price is substantially lower than consumers get in stores. My price is equivalent to paying $4 for 20 ounces. That's primarily why I don't buy coconut oil for cooking.
My coconut oil is refined and deodorized. It's really about as pure as you can get and my supplier primarily sells their products to the cosmetics industry, so you can see why it must be pure.
So one way is to look at it as a problem that my coconut oil has as little coconut flavor as you can get, or the other way to look at it is that I get a really good price on a less than ideal cooking coconut oil.
Bakechef, I've seen coconut oil all over the place, TJ's, WFM, even my new Super King international supermarket. I kind of snort and chuckle every time I see how marked up their prices are.
I just can't bring myself to paying those prices for coconut oil. Not when I get it as inexpensively as I do.
I think you really know your stuff man! I bet the word "bake" in your monicker is not for no reason.
Yeah I think you nailed it, the oven. I'm driving past BBB in a few minutes so I'll drop in and pick up a new oven thermometer and then we'll really find out what temperature my oven is at.
I bet my oil is as light and non-greasy as it gets. It's had everything taken out of it that isn't oil, or as much as you can get out economically. But it's pretty pure too.
Jessecar, my coconut oil isn't exactly processed although it is refined. There's nothing fake about it, just pure coconut oil, nothing else. Whether it's as good for making banana bread is hard to say. I've squished a lot of bananas into my batter so I can't see how it would make any difference if the coconut oil was unrefined.
Interesting comment about nuking the bananas, I think I'll try that. Cooks Illustrated has a great staff that I really respect, and when they say something you can bet it's a damned good idea.
Taxy, I was in a hurry because dinner was advanced on me and I had to get it done ASAP. There was zero time between mixing it up and baking it.
My recipe uses both double acting baking powder and baking soda.
CWS, feel free to go off topic in any of my topics, assuming I have any right at all just by being the OP, but I don't care. I like interesting topics, not topics with rules.
I'd try it for popcorn but I don't eat popcorn. I regard it as empty food although of course I don't mind other people eating it.
I'll be happy to hear any other suggestions about how I can best use my refined, deodorized coconut oil to its best advantage in cooking. Please avoid the use of anatomic references.
