limejuicy Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 So I made some coconut whipped cream a few nights ago and didn't make a note of what brand of coconut milk I used. I stuck a can of Thai Kitchen organic (full fat) in the fridge last night so I could make some more today, and it separated, but it didn't firm up at all like the previous one did. Do any of you have a particular brand you recommend that always firms up well? I don't understand why there would be such a difference in consistency between two brands, but I guess there is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmuthig Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 The same thing happened to me with a can on Thai Kitchen full fat. At first I though I diddnr leave it in the fridge long enough but I opened a new can this morning and it was firm. I don't know if it was just a bad can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adagio Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I use Native Forest brand organic, or Whole Foods 365 brand. Never had trouble with it firming up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karacooks Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I have Goya right now and it gets so thick in the fridge that I have to microwave it for a few secs to get it liquidy again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derval Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I know when I'm comparing diff brands they have varying % of coconut extract, maybe this is why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllieBellie Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I have had good and bad experience of extracting cream from a tin of Goya. I wonder if I just had a bad/old tin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limejuicy Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Interesting, maybe it was just a bad can? It tasted fine, it just didn't firm up. Surprisingly, I found a brand called Golden Star at Walmart (ugh, I hate that place, but when you are poor, you gotta do what ya gotta do.). It has only coconut and water in it - no guar gum. Anyone tried it? Hopefully it tastes as good as the Thai Kitchen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 LimeJuicy - We have been getting both Golden Star and Thai Kitchen (the Thai Kitchen for when I need it to be firmer). Golden Star is great tasting (to me) but didn't really firm up in the fridge. Lately, though, my Thai Kitchen isn't even firming enough to separate! Perhaps there's been a change in their production process that over-homogenizes the milk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle888 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I've never been able to get Native Forest to firm up. What did work though was chilling it, whipping it until it gets thicker, then putting it back in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I had a more "whipped cream" consistency. I did have success with Goya firming and whipping, but it tasted awful. We ended up scraping it off our berries. I'll take the Native Forest sauce over the Goya any day. In my opinion, Native Forest is by far the best tasting...and it is on sale at Vitacost right now for $1.98 a can. If you are a new member, you also get a $10 credit. (If you use this link: http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralCode=3488913, I'll get a $10 credit too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrshudson Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 i also have had problem with getting coconut milk to firm up lately both Thai kitchen and Whole foods. It takes several days to firm up in the fridge. In the past, all they needed was a few hours in the fridge. So weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limejuicy Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Love all the feedback on this. I may try Native Forest one of these days. I left the Golden Star in the fridge overnight, and when I opened it tonight, it was SUPER firm, and very little water left (maybe 1/4 of the can). I almost couldn't whip it. It tastes pretty good, though it isn't all that smooth - almost gritty, but coconut grit. I will take that over the non-firming Thai Kitchen though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pudgytopaleo Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I know I'm late to the party but I bought some Thai Kitchen and put it in the fridge, per usual, to make my whipped cream. I drained it and then opened the top to find very little to almost no coconut cream. I've made coconut cream tons of times before with this same brand and never had an issue with it. I was pretty disappointed and I'm curious if they changed how they make their coconut cream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy H. Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I have had the same experience with Thai Kitchen brand. I use Native Forest now. Savoy also makes a product that is Coconut Cream. It is all cream and really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnab Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I had the same experience with that brand-- thought it was just me! I buy the Whole Foods 360 brand-- cheaper and whips up better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrustdc Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 I think it varies from batch to batch and may have to do with the coconuts themselves or the length of time they sit on the shelves. Reviews of various brands on Amazon indicate that it's not uncommon to have problems with some cans but not others. it's so frustrating because there's no way to tell from looking at them. We use Natural Value, and usually have no problem with it. But the last bunch of cans we bought has been bizarre. The top layer is already separated, and it's SUPER-separated - it's coconut oil that split out altogether. There was a small amount of cream under that, and then the watery stuff. However, I dumped it all into a big jar and used my immersion blender to re-emulsify it. I did this two days ago and it has stayed creamy. I can't whip it, but it's usable for cooking and putting in coffee. Unfortunately, it took until the 4th bad can to figure this out. (And I buy this brand wherever I find it so I don't know which store it came from and can't return it.) I may try the shelf-stable stuff on Amazon when these cans are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffpaolone Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Please forgive the newbie here, but why do we need the coconut milk to firm up? Or is this really related to how you intend to use it? thanks! -JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 It's all about intent. I prefer mine solid on berries or because of the way it works in my coffee. Others like it homogenized for soups, sauces, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidib Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I think I found out why it's not separating - after 2 days in the fridge, my Thai kitchen is not separating - Ingredient: Guar gum - it is used as a stabilizer in this brand, meaning it is keeping it from solidifying - most average folks don't need or want it to separate....I will buy Native Forest - or at least make sure the ingredients don't contain stabilizers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 We get very different coconut products in Australia, but the variables I find in our local products are fat content, fibre (coconut meat) and water. The really liquid and thin coconut milks are lower in fat, have very little fibre and added water (lots of them have weird additives and are a freakishly bright white colour). Coconut cream on the other hand is really thick in the can without being in the fridge and has much higher fat (about 29%) and fibre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharynF Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I blitz the contents of a can of coconut milk with my Bamix stick blender. It mixes solids and liquid together well and also froths it up a bit. The frothy bit is light and fluffy and great on fruit once it was been in the fridge overnight and set a bit (although the rest will probably have separated again by then). I find this happens with any brand that I have used so far (in UK) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallulah Wolf-Angel Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I use Trader Joe's coconut cream because I really like it thick (easier for spooning and feels so rich and decadent ). It is variable too, usually super thick, but sometimes it hardly gets firm. I'm thinking there must just be some natural variations among the coconuts themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtracyb Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Trader Joe's coconut cream has guar gum as a thickener. I have been putting it in my morning coffee. I tried to pour it from the can but it was too thick and I had to spoon it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amberino21 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Trader Joe's coconut cream has guar gum as a thickener. I have been putting it in my morning coffee. I tried to pour it from the can but it was too thick and I had to spoon it out. I thought it was to stop it separating? I buy a coconut milk with it because if I want to use it on its own, not cooked in to something, I don't like how the ones without separate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtracyb Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Well I assume that too. I bought it for the same reason - I didn't feel like pouring out half my can of coconut milk (water) after I used the cream off the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharynF Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Well I assume that too. I bought it for the same reason - I didn't feel like pouring out half my can of coconut milk (water) after I used the cream off the top. I blitz the water into the solids in a bowl and keep it covered in the fridge. Are we supposed to throw away the water? The solids are almost to hard to spoon in the ones I have tried . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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