stuff floating around in my coconut oil

[Arduinna]

ok I bought a new bottle to store coconut oil in and keep on the counter with a pour spout a la olive oil about 6 weeks ago. It's green glass and isn't stored in direct sunlight. It's developed these opaque irregular things floating in it. It smells fine and the coconut oil was from a new bottle I purchased in June by Nutiva. The stuff in the original jar I poured it from is clear and normal. Both are stored in the kitchen so it can't be a temp thing.

So what the heck is it and is it still safe? I cooked with it anyway the other day to no ill effect. I've never had this happen before so I'm stumped.

[Llyra]

It's possible the new jar insulates or conducts heat just a bit differently, so that the coconut oil is at a slightly different temp than in the other jar. When coconut oil is JUST AT the temp where it moves from solid to liquid, you often get little bits of solidified oil floating in the rest of the liquid oil. I've seen it happen to mine.

[sillysmile]

I'm totally confused.. I thought that coconut oil was solid at room temp. I'm new to using CO, but the stuff I just bought (from tropical traditions) is definitely solid.

Sorry I couldn't answer your question!

[Llyra]

It liquifies somewhere around 80 degrees-- I can't remember the exact number, but it's around there. So if your house is warmer than that, it will be liquid. Mine is, all summer, because we don't normally air condition our house.

[tallulahma]

mine has done this as well. usually when it is going from liquid to solid after a warm couple days....

[Arduinna]

I've had coconut oil for years and I've never seen it do this. Yes I've seen it solidify in the winter but it looked nothing like this when it did. Plus I'm in the gulf south, it's still quite warm here, and the oil in the jar has not changed, both are stored in the kitchen.

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

I've had coconut oil for years and I've never seen it do this. Yes I've seen it solidify in the winter but it looked nothing like this when it did. Plus I'm in the gulf south, it's still quite warm here, and the oil in the jar has not changed, both are stored in the kitchen.

I'm sorry-- I have no idea...