Should I keep my coconut oil in the fridge?

[mamatowill]

I have been keeping my coconut oil in the cupboard and I took it out last night and it was completely liquified. It is very hot here and I do not have a/c. Should I keep it in the fridge? Leave it in the cupboard? Thanks ladies!

[Pinky Tuscadero]

I keep mine on the counter. There's nothing wrong with it being a liquid. I find it easier to use that way. I'm glad it's finally warm enough for it to be liquid rather than solid.
I do love coconut oil!

[desertpenguin]

i leave mine in the cupboard, usually get Tropical Traditions or Spectrum brand. heard from someone else that they get Nutiva and it seemed to go rancid pretty quick for them (thought that was strange, since i always hear it's supposed to be good as far as being shelf stable for a year or two...) so she keeps hers in the fridge.

[Pogonia]

I keep mine in the cupboard over the refrigerator so it will stay liquid. Easier to use that way and it stays stable. Remember, in the tropics, where it is hot, they didn't have refrigerators and have have benefited from CO for a long time.

[saratc]

I have Tropical Traditions and leave mine in the cupboard. I like it liquid -- it's easier to measure. I've tried other brands and although I haven't had any for as long as 2 years, I've had them for awhile and they've never gone rancid on me. The container usually states a 18 month to 2 year shelf-life.

[mamatowill]

Thanks ladies! Now that it is cooler my CO is now partly solid and partly liquid. I am guessing that it will be ok to use even if it keeps going through these changes.

[momto5girls]

I was wondering about keeping one container of CO in the fridge just for use as a shortening substitute in recipes. Does anyone do this?

[guestmama9916]

Originally Posted by momto5girls

I was wondering about keeping one container of CO in the fridge just for use as a shortening substitute in recipes. Does anyone do this?

IME, It gets too hard if you put it in the fridge. I tried it once and could hardly get any out. It was like a brick!

[tempestjewel]

Originally Posted by momto5girls

I was wondering about keeping one container of CO in the fridge just for use as a shortening substitute in recipes. Does anyone do this?

I like the Spectrum Organics Palm Oil shortening. Its melting point seems to be a bit higher then the CO. CO in the fridge gets really, really hard and may need to be set on the counter a bit if you firm it up that way if you want to sub it for shortening and have it be the consistency of shortening.