Tropical Traditions

Tropical Traditions

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil

I was so excited to be given the chance of testing out Tropical Traditions

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, I had always heard about the benefits of coconut oil and how many people are switching from many of the usual oils, but had never tried it myself. 

When I had first received the 32oz jar of coconut oil, I was unsure of what I should do with it, I didn't really know what coconut oil could be used for. After a little researched I found out there are more ways to use coconut oil then you can imagine! Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil is food grade and certified organic, so it's perfect to cook with, and you can substitute coconut oil for just about any oils and some "fats".

I loved that the Tropical Traditions website is not only for buying coconut oil, but for learning about it. You can tell they have done their research and truly care that their customers get all the info they want or need including recipes! Here are some helpful links about coconut oil:

How to Use Coconut Oil:  There are hundreds of uses!
Buy Coconut Oil: A guide to buying coconut oil online 
What is Virgin Coconut Oil? 

From the Tropical Traditions website:

"Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss.

Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body’s immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother’s milk.  Dr. Mary Enig suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet to take in an equivalent amount of lauric acid that a nursing infant would receive from breast milk."

I have loved testing this product and have used this coconut oil for many things so far. At first while I was trying to figure out what I should do with it, I found out that many people use coconut oil as a health and beauty product, for both skin and hair. I tried a little on my chapped lips, it really helped with moisturizing the dry skin, and the subtle taste of coconut was definitely a bonus! I even used it on my hands a few times as a simple lotion. I read that some people use it in their hair as an extra moisturizer, I tend to have oily hair already, so i never tried it myself, but would love to find out if it does in fact work.

On top of health and beauty, I did use the coconut oil to cook and I still am using it almost daily. I use it for anything I would usually cook with butter, olive or vegetable oil. I love that it has a higher melting point then butter so I never get chunks in my food or have to wait long for it to melt. You also don't need to refrigerate the coconut oil, therefor not needing to warm it up or "soften" it while baking.  The first thing I did with the coconut is see how well it would handle frying food. I put a few large scoops into a deep pan and heated it up, I learned that because it has a lower melting point, it also has a lower boiling/frying temp. Unlike the normal high setting you'd cook vegetable oil on, I only needed to set the coconut oil on medium heat. Even at medium heat the coconut oil fried food really well and quick at that!  I was surprised at how fast the oil cooked some of the foods. Aside from frying I have also used the oil to bake/roast veggies like potatoes and carrots, scramble eggs, and saute veggies. I am very impressed by the amount of cooking you can do with coconut oil, I have yet to bake with it, but that will be my next task!

Overall I have to say that I am head over heels for coconut oil and the quality and pride that Tropical Traditions has for their product. I am definitely interested in switching over my oil use for good with all of the benefits and uses of coconut, it's hard not to. I think the only down side to the Gold Label Coconut Oil is that it does have a coconut taste and smell to it, if you or anyone in your house does not like the flavor you might want to think about a lower quality oil that wouldn't have these qualities.

Buy it:

If you are interested in trying coconut oil for yourself you can buy it straight from the Tropical Traditions website. They have a wide variety of sizes and quality coconut oils depending on your needs most varieties come in:

32 oz. glass jar - Retail: $40

1 gallon pail - Retail: $120

5 gallon pail - Retail: $370

And they are currently having a very good sale right now on many of their products.

Win it:

Tropical Traditions is kind enough to let one of your lucky readers win your own 32oz jar of Gold Label Coconut Oil, That's a $40 value! Just enter the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product 
to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I 
under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in 
return for the free product.