Re: Coconut milk and meat

[Guest guest]

Pratick wrote:

> Maybe I already know this, but exactly what is coconut milk?

> Is it the water that you get when you crack open a coconut?

> If so, why is it called milk?

The liquid that comes out when you crack open a coconut is called

coconut water - at least in North America. Coconut milk is made my

grinding up the meat with water, then straining out the meat.

>

> Also, what is coconut meat?

> Is it the white solid inside for a coconut that you can cut out and

> eat?

Yes.

>

> Thanks, and sorry for the silly questions

There are no silly questions here - well, at least not pertaining to

nutrition. :-P

Steph

[Guest guest]

>>Maybe I already know this, but exactly what is coconut milk?

Is it the water that you get when you crack open a coconut?

If so, why is it called milk?<<

~~~Generally speaking, the liquid you get when you crack open a coconut is not

coconut milk. If you buy coconut milk at the store in cans, you get a very

creamy liquid,(about like heavy cream in consistency), that is more white than

milk. I love the 'Lite' version, which is about the same consistency of half n

half. I think they make it by grinding some of the coconut 'meat' and mixing it

with the liquid that's in the shell, but I'm not positive about that process.

>>Also, what is coconut meat?

Is it the white solid inside for a coconut that you can cut out and eat?<<

~~~Yes.

Carol

[Guest guest]

Pratick-

>I would like to know if it is possible to make it at home.

>I wonder what kind of preservatives they would be adding to it and what

>kind of

>thickeners?

Provided you have a robust enough juicer, it is possible to make coconut

milk (and cream) at home. I don't have a juicer myself, so I can't offer

specific recommendations, but I think the one Mercola touts is supposed to

be good for coconut.

As to preservatives and emulsifiers and thickeners, yes, commercial coconut

milks and creams generally have them. Sometimes starch is added, sometimes

sugar, often a gum like guar gum, and sometimes there are preservatives

too. Even Wilderness Family Naturals coconut cream has some guar gum, and

their long-promised " pure and natural " coconut cream has yet to see the

light of day.

-

[Guest guest]

>>I would like to know if it is possible to make it at home.

I wonder what kind of preservatives they would be adding to it and what kind of

thickeners?<<

~~~I have heard of people making it at home. I think they use their juicers,

but not all juicers will do coconut well. I haven't tried it in mine. If you

can believe the label on the can of the coconut milk I buy, there is nothing

added. (I buy it at the health food store.)

Carol

[Guest guest]

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 11:10:11 -0800 (PST), Pratick Mukherjee

<pratickmukherjee@...> wrote:

>

> --- Carol <cah@...> wrote:

> > ~~~Generally speaking, the liquid you get when you crack open a coconut is

not coconut

> > milk. If you buy coconut milk at the store in cans, you get a very creamy

> > liquid,(about like heavy cream in consistency), that is more white than

milk. I love

> > the 'Lite' version, which is about the same consistency of half n half. I

think they

> > make it by grinding some of the coconut 'meat' and mixing it with the liquid

that's in

> > the shell, but I'm not positive about that process.

>

> I would like to know if it is possible to make it at home.

> I wonder what kind of preservatives they would be adding to it and what kind

of

> thickeners?

you can also use a normal food processor to make it. you end up

blending the chopped meat with some water and then straining it

through cloth. the first squeeze gives you the cream, with the next

two yielding successively thinner milk (you add water after each

squeeze and let it sit for a while). i can post a method tomorrow if

you like (from madhur jaffrey's fantastic world vegetarian cookbook),

as i haven't done it in a while and don't remember the

proportions/etc.

eric

[Guest guest]

@@@ Pratick:

> I would like to know if it is possible to make it at home.

> I wonder what kind of preservatives they would be adding to it and what kind

> of

> thickeners?

@@@

Hi Pratick and others,

I've made coconut milk at home many times. It's incredibly

delicious. I take a young coconut, drain the water, and drink it.

After returning back to earth from cloud nine, I then scoop out the

meat with a spoon and put it in the blender. I add whatever amount

of water (plain water, not coconut water) I want to give the desired

thickness and blend. That's it.

Almost every canned coconut milk or cream I've seen--and there are

often as many as a half-dozen brands side-by-side at Asian shops--has

no thickeners or emulsifiers and the only preservative is a sulphite

preservative. The ingredients are almost always " coconut milk,

water, potassium meta-bisulphite [or some variation on that term] " .

I usually keep a stash of canned milk and cream at home for

" emergencies " , like if I want to make a dish for guests and don't get

a chance to buy fresh coconuts in time.

Mike

SE Pennsylvania

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. --Alan Kay

[Guest guest]

Pratick wrote:

> Steph --

>

> --- hoosinsc <flybabysteph@b...> wrote:

> > Coconut milk is made by

> > grinding up the meat with water, then straining out the meat.

>

> Is that something that can be made at home using a regular food

processor?

>

Here is a synopsis of the recipe from Nourishing Traditions:

Take the meat from 2 coconuts. Cut the meat into quarter inch

pieces. Place in food processor and process until well broken up.

Add 1 cup (8 oz.) warm water and process until fluffy.

Line a strainer with a kitchen towel and place processed coconut meat

in the strainer. Drain coconut milk into a glass container,

squeezing out all liquid with the back of a wooden spoon or with your

hands. Use immediately or refrigerate and use within 2 days.

Yields 1 1/2 cups.

I made it once and it worked well. I'm lazy, though, and don't mind

guar gum, so I just buy organic coconut milk. :-)

Steph

[Guest guest]

Mike-

>Almost every canned coconut milk or cream I've seen--and there are

>often as many as a half-dozen brands side-by-side at Asian shops--has

>no thickeners or emulsifiers and the only preservative is a sulphite

>preservative.

Actually, many canned coconut milks and creams include an emulsifier like

guar gum in quantities small enough not to require inclusion on the label

(Thai Kitchen recently started listing its guar gum after years of not

doing so) and I believe coconut products fall under the same regulations

which allow vendors to add enough sugar to " normalize " the sugar content of

other canned fruits and vegetables without listing the added sugar at all.

-

[Guest guest]

Actually, many canned coconut milks and creams include an emulsifier like

guar gum in quantities small enough not to require inclusion on the label

(Thai Kitchen recently started listing its guar gum after years of not

doing so) and I believe coconut products fall under the same regulations

which allow vendors to add enough sugar to " normalize " the sugar content of

other canned fruits and vegetables without listing the added sugar at all.

-

-------------------------------

I just bought a jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate.

It lists no ingredients, and their website says no additives, not even

water. Is this a good product, or does it have *issues* I might like to

know about?

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Deanna-

>I just bought a jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate.

>It lists no ingredients, and their website says no additives, not even

>water. Is this a good product, or does it have *issues* I might like to

>know about?

I don't think there are any additives, but I don't know whether it's a good

product, as I haven't tried it. Tropical Traditions makes pretty good

coconut stuff, though, so it's probably good. I prefer WFN, though.

-

[Guest guest]

>>I just bought a jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate.

It lists no ingredients, and their website says no additives, not even

water. Is this a good product, or does it have *issues* I might like to

know about?

Deanna<<

~~~According to Dr. Mercola, it's the very best. He says that he and his staff

went on a search to find the best coconut oil and Tropical Traditions met all of

their specifications, which were really detailed. I would think it would be

about the same deal for their other coconut products. But, that's all I know

about them. I haven't ordered any of it.

Carol

[Guest guest]

~~~According to Dr. Mercola, it's the very best. He says that he and

his staff went on a search to find the best coconut oil and Tropical

Traditions met all of their specifications, which were really detailed.

I would think it would be about the same deal for their other coconut

products. But, that's all I know about them. I haven't ordered any of

it. - Carol

Thanks, Carol. I bought it at the ranch. I think fresh food is best,

of course. I am a fresh, whole, local in season foods, no supplements,

type of gal. But having said that, coconut products, olive oil and CLO

are things I just can't do fresh all the time, yet may benefit from year

round. And we all have unique needs too, don't we? I'll let you know

what I think about it when I open it.

When is it best for fresh young or old coconuts in the US for purchase?

Sometimes they are moldy when you drill and crack them. And it seems to

me retrospectively, that this is a seasonal phenomenon.

Thanks and good health!

Deanna

[Guest guest]

>>Thanks, Carol. I bought it at the ranch. I think fresh food is best,

of course. I am a fresh, whole, local in season foods, no supplements,

type of gal. But having said that, coconut products, olive oil and CLO

are things I just can't do fresh all the time, yet may benefit from year

round.<<

~~~You can get them at a ranch? I'm confused....maybe I've lost track of the

thread.

And we all have unique needs too, don't we? I'll let you know

what I think about it when I open it.

~~~That's for sure. I realize that more every year. (Sometimes, every day!

:-)

When is it best for fresh young or old coconuts in the US for purchase?

Sometimes they are moldy when you drill and crack them. And it seems to

me retrospectively, that this is a seasonal phenomenon.

~~~I have thought and wondered the very same thing.

Carol

Thanks and good health!

Deanna

[Guest guest]

I have used a lot of the different oils and I also like the WFN oil.

Right now I have the TT oil because I ran out of WFN and the TT was

at the HFS so I bought it. What I don't like about it is that it

smells like coconuts but taste like smoke, which indicates that it

was contaminated in the heat processing. I also use it as a

moisturizer and it smells like smoke on my skin, ugh! I have ordered

my next batch of oil from coconutoil-online.com. It is one of the

oils that Bruce Fife uses so it must be good. I have used it before

and it is good! In the end go with an oil that looks and tastes good

to you. Even if it is refined, bleached and deodorized it is better

than no coconut oil at all.

Del

Idol wrote:

> Deanna-

>

> >I just bought a jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream

Concentrate.

> >It lists no ingredients, and their website says no additives, not

even

> >water. Is this a good product, or does it have *issues* I might

like to

> >know about?

>

> I don't think there are any additives, but I don't know whether

it's a good

> product, as I haven't tried it. Tropical Traditions makes pretty

good

> coconut stuff, though, so it's probably good. I prefer WFN,

though.

>

>

>

>

> -

[Guest guest]

Carol-

>~~~According to Dr. Mercola, it's the very best. He says that he and his

>staff went on a search to find the best coconut oil and Tropical

>Traditions met all of their specifications, which were really detailed. I

>would think it would be about the same deal for their other coconut

>products. But, that's all I know about them. I haven't ordered any of it.

I'm sure TT's religious orientation helps as far as Mercola's concerned,

but I think low-temperature centrifuged CO is probably even better than

TT's fermented and briefly heated CO.

-

[Guest guest]

I have used a lot of the different oils and I also like the WFN oil.

~~~Is WFN just the brand name?

Right now I have the TT oil because I ran out of WFN and the TT was

at the HFS so I bought it. What I don't like about it is that it

smells like coconuts but taste like smoke, which indicates that it

was contaminated in the heat processing.

~~~I understood that it was not heated.

Carol

Del

[Guest guest]

>>I'm sure TT's religious orientation helps as far as Mercola's concerned,

but I think low-temperature centrifuged CO is probably even better than

TT's fermented and briefly heated CO.

-<<

~~~I didn't know he was religious! Also didn't know TT was heated. In fact, I

thought it wasn't. So, which one is low-temperature centrifuged CO? (I still

have not settled on one.)

Carol

[Guest guest]

Carol-

>~~~I didn't know he was religious! Also didn't know TT was heated. In

>fact, I thought it wasn't. So, which one is low-temperature centrifuged

>CO? (I still have not settled on one.)

Mercola's very religious, to the point of discriminating in

employment. Tropical Traditions is also very religious, to the point of

censorship. WFN, also a Christian business but not, AFAIK, in any kind of

unpleasant way, sells unheated centrifuged CO, as does Coconut Oil Supreme,

but COS ships the oil in plastic containers and WFN ships it in glass. (I

think it's actually the same oil, and they both get it in large plastic

drums, so there's no escaping plastic, just reducing the oil's exposure to it.)

-

[Guest guest]

Carol-

>~~Is WFN just the brand name?

Sorry, yes. Wilderness Family Naturals. Available online.

>~~~I understood that it was not heated.

No, Tropical Traditions CO is definitely heated. First it's fermented, and

then it's heated to about 120 degrees to get rid of virtually all the

moisture in it.

-

[Guest guest]

Doesn't TT carry a couple of different grades of CNO?

120F doesn't sound like that much heat to me. I mean there

aren't even any enzymes, which could be destroyed, in the pure

oil anyway. There might have been enzymes in the coconut

meat, but not the oil.

That's strange if it smells smoky. That almost sounds like smoke-

dried copra, unimaginable as that

sounds.

Darrell

[Guest guest]

>>Sorry, yes. Wilderness Family Naturals. Available online.

-<<

~~~They have two versions - centrifugal and fermented. Is one better than the

other, as far as you know?

Carol

[Guest guest]

Carol-

>~~~They have two versions - centrifugal and fermented. Is one better than

>the other, as far as you know?

Nutritionally, I don't know, though all else being equal centrifuged and

completely unheated is better, but gustatorily, there's no question

whatsoever that the centrifuged oil tastes much, much better.

-

[Guest guest]

> > Deanna-

> >

> > >I just bought a jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream

> Concentrate.

> > >It lists no ingredients, and their website says no additives,

not

> even

> > >water. Is this a good product, or does it have *issues* I

might

> like to

> > >know about?

> >

> > I don't think there are any additives, but I don't know whether

> it's a good

> > product, as I haven't tried it. Tropical Traditions makes

pretty

> good

> > coconut stuff, though, so it's probably good. I prefer WFN,

> though.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > -

[Guest guest]

A young coconut is different from the mature brown coconuts...But

you can make an awesome coconut cream from the hard, brown coconuts

if you have a good juicer, like a Champion or Greenstar. Just juice

the white meat and out comes the glorious cream!! It goes bad in

several days, but you can freeze it. Then I take the coconut fiber

and dehydrate it. Great for all sorts of recipes.....

Getting the coconut open is the hardest part, but once you master

that, making the cream isn't too hard. The only cream I've bought

that tastes like fresh coconut cream is Wilderness Family's coconut

milk and cream sold in those little boxes. Great stuff!!

Hope this helps,

Becky

> @@@ Pratick:

> > I would like to know if it is possible to make it at home.

> > I wonder what kind of preservatives they would be adding to it

and what kind

> > of

> > thickeners?

> @@@

>

> Hi Pratick and others,

> I've made coconut milk at home many times. It's incredibly

> delicious. I take a young coconut, drain the water, and drink

it.

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Del Eaton " <deleaton@d...>

wrote:

>

> I have used a lot of the different oils and I also like the WFN

oil.

> Right now I have the TT oil because I ran out of WFN and the TT

was

> at the HFS so I bought it.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is WFN, TT and HFS?

Thanks,

Connie H.