Coconut oil in sweetened condensed milk doesn’t melt???

[SlowCook66]

Hi,

I bought a jar of coconut oil and put it in the fridge.

When I pulled it out of the fridge it was hard. So I was still able to scoop out 2 table spoon clumps and mix it in a bowl with sweetened condensed milk.

I then put the sweetened condensed milk bowl and the coconut oil in the microwave and no matter how much I heated it the clumps of coconut oil wouldn’t melt.

Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Thanks

 

[Kathleen]

I've never mixed these two things together. I'm sure there is someone who might advise.

Will it melt when you heat it on a stove?

 

[blissful]

Microwaves only heat water, they don't heat oil/fat and they don't heat ice. So for it to melt, the surrounding moisture would have to be hot and transfer it's heat to the coconut oil to melt it. Stir.

 

[SlowCook66]

Microwaves only heat water, they don't heat oil/fat and they don't heat ice. So for it to melt, the surrounding moisture would have to be hot and transfer it's heat to the coconut oil to melt it. Stir.

So then I should melt on stove in pan first and then add it to the mixture right?

 

[SlowCook66]

I've never mixed these two things together. I'm sure there is someone who might advise.

Will it melt when you heat it on a stove?

I just tried it and it melted on stove. I guess I’ll do it that way ! Thanks

 

[pepperhead212]

Microwaves definitely will heat fat! Coconut oil has a relatively low melting point - 75° or 76° - but is hard in the fridge, and fairly firm just in the 60s. I put it in the MW to soften it, watching closely, as it can overheat quickly. I just heat a pint jar, maybe 15 seconds, to soften it enough to scoop out easily.

I'm thinking maybe the mixture was not getting over 75° in the short time in the MW (or a little lower, should soften it). It should eventually melt, but I'm just guessing.

 

[blissful]

@pepperhead212 you're right, it does heat fat. I think I was remembering that I don't heat fat in the microwave because of the over heating too easy issue. Thanks for straightening that out.

 

[SlowCook66]

Microwaves definitely will heat fat! Coconut oil has a relatively low melting point - 75° or 76° - but is hard in the fridge, and fairly firm just in the 60s. I put it in the MW to soften it, watching closely, as it can overheat quickly. I just heat a pint jar, maybe 15 seconds, to soften it enough to scoop out easily.

I'm thinking maybe the mixture was not getting over 75° in the short time in the MW (or a little lower, should soften it). It should eventually melt, but I'm just guessing.

You hit it on the head Pepperhead

That’s exactly what’s happening. Thanks so much. I think I will melt it alone first and then add it to the mixture ! Again thanks so much!

 

[Kathleen]

Slightly off-topic, but I got a set of these items to melt things in the microwave. Butter, chocolate, fats, etc. Each holds about a third of a cup and they clean beautifully in the dishwasher. It's one of a few items I call "Things I never knew I needed and now cannot live without." Love them at twice the price.

 

[Jusa]

Coconut oil melts in my hands, why not in the microwave? Butter melts easily in the microwave and it's a fat.

 

[pepperhead212]

I can see someone saying that the 20% of butter being water in the milk in it, being what heats up, but ghee is another thing that's hard in the fridge, and I soften it quickly in the MW, just to get some out, and it doesn't take long - 10 or 15 seconds.