Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (Review)
Popcorn is a favorite in our house. As snacks go, it’s pretty darn healthy, and it’s simple to make. For me, it’s a way to feel like I’ve had a ton of food without completely ruining my diet. I adore the taste of movie theater popcorn, but I’m not so fond of all the junk that goes with the salt, butter, and other random flavorings. So when I made our popcorn with Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and healthy the recipe and process really was.
When I received the palm oil, I was a bit confused. It was very orange, and it seemed way too thick to work as any sort of oil for food. I’ve heard of palm oil before, but I’d never cooked with it.
Being the nerdy gal that I am, I needed to read up a bit on palm oil. I worry for my mom who is allergic to many nuts, so I wondered if this would be a good fit for her. After a bit of research, I learned that unless she is specifically allergic to palm oil, this particular ingredient does not fall under the tree nut category. Score!
Another cool bit about palm oil is its sustainability. A oil palm tree (reads a bit backwards, but that’s what it’s called!) can live for up to 20-30 years. That’s an amazing amount of years and oil!
The Malaysian Palm Oil that I had the chance to try is also non-GMO and trans-fat free. It’s also high in nutrients (hellloooo Vitamin E!), and is really amazing for cooking.
We decided to do popcorn because we love it so much. I received not only the palm oil but also a container of kernels. The recipe called for cooking the popcorn on the stove top — a concept I’d only ever heard of with those nifty in-a-tin-foil-container you find in the store (and something I’d never used).
The boys and I went right to work and put the oil in the pan. It was very orange, which seemed strange to me, but there was no overpowering odor.
We were instructed to use 3 kernels in the pan. Once those popped, we were to take them out, add the 1/4 cup of kernels, and then remove from the heat. The directions said we should wait 30 seconds to 3 minutes. I’m not sure if I did something incorrectly or not, but we barely needed 45 seconds before all of our kernels were ready.
Below is video of us trying again. We did much better this time, and I added salt to the oil before popping. DELICIOUS!
The first time, I made the mistake of adding too much butter to the finished product. I was excited to relive my childhood when we used this super old popper and it melted the butter for us. That’s my only regret with the recipe. I am certain that this popcorn would have tasted fabulous with just the palm oil and perhaps a bit of salt for my taste buds as it did the second time we tried!
The only part of the original recipe that I didn’t follow was the addition of the herbs. Since I was making this for the kids, I didn’t want to spoil anything by adding something they wouldn’t like. Perhaps the next time I make popcorn for myself, I’ll add herbs and spices that are a little different.
If you’re looking for a healthy oil to use in your cooking, I highly recommend Carotino Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil. For so many reasons, I know I can count on this product for my family.
