Jim Walsh wrote:

> Are coconut oil and coconut milk the same thing?

Coconut oil is IN coconut milk, but you can also get it separately.
It is hard to find in the stores these days because of the hysteria
about saturated fats.  You can mailorder it.  I have been ordering
the Mt Banahaw virgin coconut oil, which is so yummy I sometimes eat
it from a spoon.  Check out their web site:

http://www.coconut-info.com/purchase.htm

> Does the heat of frying do nasty things to the fatty acids?
> Is animal fat okay for frying?

Because coconut oil is saturated, it holds up under frying much
better than less-saturated fats.  It's never good to bring a fat to
the smoking stage, however.

On animal fats, you need to be concerned with 1. the diet of the animal,
2. the chemical load of the animal, 3. the method of processing.
So grass-fed organic beef suet, rendered at a low temperature, should
be fine; commercial pork lard with preservatives, not fine.  Duck and goose fat
are good (delicious in fact), but I wouldn't use a high heat with them.

my 2c worth,
    Lynnet