Knowledge Base > Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Half Hour)

Ask Me Anything (Office Half Hour)

Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Half Hour)

This event was on Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern

Join Chef Char Nolan in her virtual office as she welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to ask anything – from cooking techniques to cou… Read More.

Recorded

Question:

What can I use instead of coconut oil to add solidity at room temperature to the final product?

— Cathy Chapman

Answer:

Sometimes I'll see a recipe for like a yummy scrumptious dessert, and I call it the, I forgot method. I just pretend that I forgot to add that recipe and everything always comes out. Now, if it's the flavor that you're looking for, uh, my friend Anne Essel will use a coconut extract to give it that flavor. But in terms of what it will do, uh, to what you're baking, I personally wouldn't worry about it. I think in the, um, chocolate ganache, I remember when I made the chocolate ganache recipe that I totally skipped, uh, adding the oil, the coconut oil. And what I did was I just kept it in the freezer a little bit longer so that it would solidify and everyone loved it and it turned out great. So sometimes you kind of have to experiment a little bit.
Char Nolan

Char Nolan

Plant-Based Connector/Chef Instructor

@char_nolan