This morning I noticed a lot of readers heading to a post I wrote in 2006, How to Use Red Palm Oil. That’s great! I love red palm oil, and use it every day. But some things have changed since I wrote that post, so I figured I’d write an update for those who want to learn how to use this amazing oil.
The biggest change since my original post is that you can’t get the oil from Jungle Products anymore. I was really disappointed when it became unavailable, and I spent hours scouring the internet for one last remaining source. Alas, no luck. So, I’ve taken to ordering red palm oil from Agbanga Karite, a company dedicated to importing handcrafted, wild, and fairly traded shea butter and tropical oils from women’s co-ops in West Africa. I had the pleasure of meeting the company’s founder, Olowo-n’djo Tchala, several years ago while I was doing design work for Jungle Products. He’s a wonderful person, and he has worked very hard to contribute to his home country, Togo, in so many amazing ways. I’ll write a separate post about Olo in the future, but for now, check out Agbanga Karite, Alaffia, and Everyday Shea to see the amazing things Olo is doing.
In addition to roasted red potatoes, I use red palm oil in all kinds of dishes. Below is a partial list, just to give you a few ideas of how to use it. If you have an especially great way to use red palm oil, leave it in the comments!
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RED PALM OIL USES
•Use as a base for soups and stews
•Melt and coat root vegetables for roasting
•Spaghetti with meat sauce
•Toss with wedge-cut potato slices and sea salt for baked fries
•Sauté yam cubes until soft, then sprinkle with ground cinnamon and Himalayan pink salt
•Use as a base for spicy recipes like chicken molé or curried dishes
•As a face moisturizer (use very little, and keep away from clothing… it stains!)
•In a variety of recipes I’ve posted here before
Okay, now you tell me: how do you use red palm oil?
Haven’t ever used it…yet! So you like it more than coconut oil?
I use it very differently than coconut oil, I love them both but they’re good fur such different things. I also tend to use palm oil more in the winter, since I love it in soups, stews, and roasted things; but coconut oil I use year round.
I just tried the roasted red potatoes tonite and they were delicious! thanks! Dr Oz recently talked about red palm oil on his show and it’s benefits…may be one reason for all the incresaed traffic. thanks!
Sharon, I’m glad you liked them! It seems like Dr. Oz is indeed the reason for the uptick in interest in red palm oil, thanks for the tip!
I want to take the 2 tsp.? or is it 2tbsp? per day as Doctor Oz suggested but I want to know if I can just take it in my mouth by spoon and swallow to get it over with? He suggested putting it on toast but I think that much oil would make a piece of toast soggy. How about mixing it in a glass of water?
Hi Gail! Honestly, just taking it on a spoon would be way better than on toast or in water. It has a very strong flavor, I like it in certain things, but I don’t think the flavor is appropriate for most things. See the post for uses if you think you might prefer to eat it in food. If you’re looking to put a healthy oil on toast, I strongly recommend a good-quality virgin coconut oil. Much tastier on toast!
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