Palm Fruit Oil or Palm Kernel Oil? Experience/knowledge, anyone?

[StrongBeliever]

Soooo... This is my search for a healthy oil to keep around the house for all purposes. Butter is out of season for us(cow is dry, boo hoo!) and we are buying store brand occasionally right now(gotta do what ya gotta do.) Just ran out of lard(crying rivers that my pig won't be ready to butcher until March). And my last blob of coconut oil is rattling around at the bottom of the bucket. Now my instincts tell me I need to get to MountainRoseHerbs and buy another bucket, but my pocketbook is telling me that CO is way out of my league right now.

Shopping around there, Palm Fruit Oil is pretty darn cheap! Something in the tune of $19-20 for a gallon. Palm Kernel Oil was $23/gal I believe. Now that is a little closer to my range at about half the price of CO. Thing is... I am at a loss for which to choose. I have never tried either. Something about the orangey-ness of the Palm Fruit Oil has me a little creeped out. Just psychologically. I understand that there is a bunch of carotene goodness going on there. Palm Kernel Oil really calls to be because the fatty acid structure is so close to that of CO... But then there is the refining and what about the extraction? Dr. Weil(I don't know I how I feel about his info, just quickly perusing) says that Palm Kernel Oil cannot be extracted by any means but chemical solvent. Haven't found anything(yet) to tell me that isn't true. Maybe Mercola has something...(going to look momentarily...)

I'm just hoping someone here has some first hand experience to share.... Flavors, usage in comparison to-s, thoughts on processing and what not. Really curious about hearing the deal on the wacky orange fruit oil. TIA!

[nukuspot]

I'd like to know too! Subbing....

[wife2jason]

Subbing too. I bought a gallon along w/ my last MRH coconut oil order as I'd read great things about it. The orange EV one I understand to be better for savory uses though, as it has kind of a paprika taste? I haven't used it yet and would love some suggestions. I considered the refined version for sweet baking but MRH didn't have is classified as food-grade. Tropical Traditions sells Palm Oil Shortening and our local grocery has it available as "organic vegetable shortenting".

[FireWithin]

We use a great deal of palm oil shortening here from Tropical Traditions. We have food allergies preventing us from using other fats.

I also have the unrefined kind. Warning - the flavor is a little odd, kind of strong and different. I use it in some rice dishes.

Years ago a Nigerian woman told me a recipe and also explained about the red oil. I made the recipe without the oil since I didn't have any. Since I started cooking with it, I could totally see how it would taste nice in that.
I have found it tastes well in rice dishes with meat and veggies in it. I have a cauliflower chicken curry rice dish that goes well with it, plus a few other things.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else to use it in.

[ursusarctos]

We got some unrefined palm fruit oil (the red stuff) after we tasted some wonderful west African food and wanted to try making it ourselves. It actually loses its color when you heat it - I guess the carotenes are heat sensitive or something? I've used it mostly in bean and rice dishes, though I bet any spicy/tropical flavored food would go with it. It does have a very distinct taste that can be kind of overpowering when you're not used to it. Nice, just not ignorable. So I wouldn't buy large quantities of it for an all-purpose oil.

[Nan'sMom]

If you are buying the red stuff buy a small amount and taste it first. To me it tasted awful (very waxy and blech) although my husband said it was fine to him.