5 Tips on Baking with Coconut Oil 5
Why Millions Use Coconut Oil to Bake Nowadays, with the hectic work schedules and less physical activity, people are trying to maintain a stable health standard by cooking food using coconut oil. normally, coconut oil is a preferable cooking medium owing to its antimicrobial properties, fluidity as well as preparing all types of dishes such as vegan diet, paleo diet, dairyfree food items, and healthy desserts. In addition, people use this natural super food for baking purposes as well and it has become a popular item in the kitchen pantry for many people. One of the important questions people raise about the usage of coconut oil is that whether they should use coconut oil in its liquid state or in the solid state for baking purposes. Moreover, how would you choose the best variety of coconut oil for baking? This article will clear your doubts as five tips have been mentioned about how you can use coconut oil for baking purposes.
Substitute of Dairy Products Are you worried about baking food with excessive butter? Do not worry as the natural substitute, i.e. coconut oil comes to your rescue. Coconut oil helps in retaining the moisture content of your baked food items such that they do not crumble. There are different products of coconut like coconut butter that you can use while baking. Coconut butter is a better option because it will help in binding the food particles together and give a sturdy shape to the fibers in the food item. But, why is coconut butter preferable? Because coconut oil contains fat whereas coconut butter adds to the density of the food particles and adds to the thick texture of the food item.
Equal Proportions You must replace equal proportions of butter with coconut oil to maintain a stable consistency of the cooking medium in your dish. Suppose you wish to bake a dish that has very low fat content, you can add other alternatives such as pumpkin, bananas, applesauce etc as a replacement of the fat content in lard or butter. Unlike vegetable oil or canola oil, coconut oil is a better cooking medium because it contains several healthy nutrients that improve the essential body functions. Even when you add just two tablespoons of coconut oil to your dish, you actually add 180 calories to your diet including 3 gm protein and 6 gm fiber. The best thing of consuming coconut oil is that you increase the level of good cholesterol in your body. Use melted coconut oil Coconut oil is available in solid as well as liquid state. However, when you are using the natural product for baking purposes you must melt the solid coconut oil first in order to experience its rich benefits for your health. Suppose your baking recipe requires the inclusion of one tablespoon of butter, you must replace it with one tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil. However, you can also substitute ½ tablespoon of
butter with the same quantity of coconut oil in case you do not like the flavor of coconut oil. Secondly, while baking you can modify the quantity of salt, depending on the amount of coconut oil that replaces the quantity of salted butter. One tablespoon of salted butter is roughly equal to ½ teaspoonful table salt. Another point you must remember while baking using coconut oil is to add the oil at a temperature equal to one in which you used to add lard or butter. If you are using melted butter for baking, you must replace it with melted state of coconut oil. Similarly, if you use butter at the normal temperature, you must replace it with coconut oil at room temperature or in the solid state. It is advised to use coconut oil for baking when the oil is at normal temperature because you will find it difficult to bake using hard coconut oil. The preparation time for the recipe should be equal whether you use butter, lard, or coconut oil. A change in the baking time may affect the consistency and flavor of the food item. Methods to use coconut oil in baking Melted form of coconut oil is the best cooking medium if you are preparing cakes, cookies, or brownies. The tips to use coconut oil are – take out the necessary amount of oil and smear the baking dish with it. As the oven becomes warm, place the baking dish inside the oven. The coconut oil will melt quickly and add a smooth touch to your cakes, brownies, cookies, and muffins. When you prepare bread, crumbles, or pastry, you can use coconut oil as the cooking medium. However, for such desserts you must use coconut oil in its solid state so that it can be mixed with the dough itself. The coconut oil should be at the room temperature when using it to prepare bread or pastry. Baking on a nonstick pan When you use cooking spray on a nonstick skillet for baking, you expose your body to several harmful chemicals. Instead, you can try to bake using coconut oil that has several healthy benefits. Why so? Because cooking sprays comprise of nonedible processed foods that can harm you.
Apply little coconut oil on the baking dish according to your recipe. Sometimes while baking a cake, the bottom layer sticks to the baking dish. Coconut oil helps in treating those kinds of baking problems. You may also combine a tablespoon of flour and coconut oil to grease the baking dish so that the cake does not stick to it. Once the dish is completely smeared with the mixture, you need to discard the flour. Baking Fat Coconut oil is a great alternative to the usual baking fat such as margarine, lard, and butter. Coconut oil serves an excellent purpose of shortening or adding a butterlike flavor to your dish. In order to prepare piecrust, you must use the solid form of coconut oil for best results. You may also combine the oil with herbs, garlic, and other spices to add additional flavor to your recipe. Another alternate use of coconut oil is to prepare crumb toppings of pizzas with coconut oil. Coconut oil is a healthy substitute for butter and your recipe will taste the same even after replacing butter with coconut oil. Why don’t you try it?