Review of: Cocavo

This cooking oil by Cocavo is also called Cocavo. I was intrigued by the concept, as I use coconut oil and eat avocados to get the beneficial fats. I wasn't sure about the taste of the two combined; to me, the flavors fit different foods. But it turns out the blend fits many foods just fine.

It has a mild flavor, not an overpowering one, and the chili and lime added to it result in a pleasant taste. I've used it to fry omelets several times. It wasn't until carefully reading the Amazon product detail page to write this review that I discovered the "high smoke point" mentioned on the product label is 400 DegrF.

That's pretty significant. The smoke point of peanut oil is only slightly higher, at 435 DegrF. I use peanut oil to pop popcorn. So this will work also. And it will impart a flavor that enhances the way the popcorn tastes. Next time I pop, it will be with this oil. I already know what to expect, and it's all good.

Olive oil is widely used in cooking, but I reserve it for raw dishes. Why? Its smoke point is only 190 DegrF. Many people pop popcorn with it, generating massive amounts of smoke. I pop it outdoors on an inductive portable stove set up on a glass table, and I set that for 225 DegrF. Not suitable for many of the oils people use for popping.

You can use this Cocavo to "grease" pans for all kind of baked dishes; for example when baking squash or meats. Regular coconut oil smokes at 350 DegrF, meaning you can't set the oven for 375 DegrF. With this blend, you can do that. If you need higher temperatures, then of course use some other oil; avacado oil smokes at 520 DegrF.

This oil is slushy at room temperature, just as regular coconut oil is. So it's easy to work with. The low temperature at which it becomes liquid also has positive health implications.

What I really do not like about this product is the container it comes in. I had a heck of a time getting it open. In frustration, I took it out to the garage and used a pair of pump pliers to pry the lid up. Popping the lid all the way back down means repeating this exercise. If I were to use this regularly (and I might), I would have a glass container dedicated to that purpose, transfer all of the oil into it, and discard the manufacturer's container.

I do appreciate the several points on which the manufacturer shows excellence, for example it's sourced from renewable plantations and there's a focus on quality ingredients. I hope they can apply that same care to designing a decent container for this product. Something that can be opened without so much effort and frustration.

The amount of disinformation about "healthy" oils is staggering. One of the abominations currently hawked as healthy is canola oil. You find canola and olive oil blends in the store; what a waste of olive oil. Canola fails the test of "healthy" in multiple ways.

So I want to stress here that I'm not a person who believes BS just because it's spewed at me. Both coconut oil and avocado oil are known for their health-enhancing properties. And the literature backs up the health claims.

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