Separating glass shards from coconut oil?

[salt_phoenix]

I don't even know where else to ask this, except a forum trying to be frugal.

I just received a jar of coconut oil through the mail and it didn't make it.
The coconut oil is still in a jar shape, but the jar around it shattered to bits. Is there any way to save the coconut oil? I know there are shards stuck in the oil, but I can't see them all to pick them out, they are the same color, and some of the glass shards are pretty small.
Maybe warm the oil & strain it? What do you think would work, or is my coconut oil just a goner?

TIA!

[Phantaja]

I'd probably toss it. I wouldn't want to risk ingesting or feeding my family glass. Can you contact the company from which you bought it and let them know that it didn't arrive intact?

[sarahmck]

I'd warm and strain it, as you suggest, unless you think the glass is small enough to get through your smallest strainer. And I'd pick it all off as well as I could first.

Won't the company send you a new bottle? Even if you didn't insure it, it seems reasonable to expect that they package their own product sufficiently for it to arrive in one piece. I would call if you haven't already.

[~Boudicca~]

I would toss it but definitely contact the company to see if you can get a new one. Glass can literally break down into dust-sized pieces and there is no way I'd risk putting that in our food.

[Dar]

I'd warm and strain, maybe through cheesecloth or even a paper coffee filter...

dar

[nichole]

I vote to toss it.

[salt_phoenix]

It was a re-pack from a co-op order, unfortunately, and has been shipped to the wrong address TWICE... it's really MY fault it's busted, so I won't/can't ask for a refund or replacement.

I haven't thrown it out YET. I even considered "shaving" the outside of it and only using the core.

More suggestions and opinions are welcome! This turned out to be a very expensive co-op!

[pbjmama]

I was thinking toss for sure but I think this is a great suggestion.

Originally Posted by Dar

I'd warm and strain, maybe through cheesecloth or even a paper coffee filter...

[cristeen]

Pick out the big pieces and then melt it and strain it through cloth - a couple layers of cheesecloth or a flour sack towel or even muslin. You'll lose a bit to the cloth, but it's better than losing the whole thing.

[bramblevine]

I vote for straining.

[kalisis]

I'm frugal, but glass is not something I mess with. I would absolutely never risk feeding anyone glass (and I've been there OP, with something very similar and although I hated to do it, I threw the whole shebang away.)

A visit to the ER is going to negate any savings you might glean from salvaging it.

[sarahmck]

Another thought is to take the still-solid oil, assuming that it really is totally solid, and pick off all the visible glass and then cut off a generous layer of the outside like you're peeling a pineapple. Then my only concern would be that the knife could push some pieces from the top down through as you cut off the sides. So I would cut off the top very carefully and then cut off at least a half an inch all the way around and look in the resulting chunk for any tracks that would indicate that a piece of glass had been dragged through it.

Then melt and strain through cheesecloth. At that point, I can't imagine that the pieces would be worse than anything you might find on the floor. I have to admit to eating food off the ground, don't know about you....

[salt_phoenix]

Originally Posted by sarahmck

I have to admit to eating food off the ground, don't know about you....

I have eaten food off the GROUND after my grill took a spill. Dirt, rocks, whatever else was there... That's why I'm trying to save this coconut oil. I'm pretty sure I've ingested some bad stuff, glass dust included... I just don't want to kill/seriously injure anyone.

I just don't want the glass to do to my stomach what it did to my finger when I grabbed the jar, not knowing it was shattered until it was unwrapped.

[ChetMC]

I would toss it, but that's just me. I'd be so paranoid about getting all of the glass out that I'd take forever to strain and restrain, and I'm not sure it would be worth my time. And the oil not having been properly sealed while in transit would make me paranoid.

[ewp11100]

pick it, strain it, repeat, I'm with you I can't imagine tossing the whole thing

[griffin2004]

Originally Posted by ChetMC

I would toss it, but that's just me. I'd be so paranoid about getting all of the glass out that I'd take forever to strain and restrain, and I'm not sure it would be worth my time. And the oil not having been properly sealed while in transit would make me paranoid.

yes, yes, and yes

[rainbowmoon]

throw it out!

[Ruthla]

I vote for "shaving", then melting and straining, and even then maybe using this particular batch of oil topically and not feeding it to my family.

[Tofu the Geek]

No question, I would toss it.

[artgoddess]

toss and contact the company, they should have ins with the shipper to pay to replace it.