Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I see lots of recipes calling for coconut milk (Marks Daily Apple, Everyday Paleo cookbook, etc...). They never specify if it is the canned stuff or the one I can find in the refrigerated alternatives to cows milk section? When I make shakes which am I supposed to use? The canned tastes way better so it makes me worry it's the wrong one. Thoughts?

flag	asked Nov 11 2011 at 22:53 Raclbaby2000 81●1●4

Kewpie · Answer 1 · 2011-11-11 23:00:02Z UTC

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The canned is what you want for recipes. The stuff in the refrigerator section is much more watered down and will not work the same in recipes (and always has a bunch of other additives).

The brand I use is Native Forest. It's organic and in BPA-free cans.

answered Nov 11 2011 at 23:00

Kewpie
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	I didn't realize that BPA-free canning was available yet - nice! All the boxed coco milks also seem to contain additives. Too bad no refrigerated ones exist w/o additives, as it's likely fresher and would be more nutritious. – balor123 Nov 12 2011 at 0:07
	Actually there is a coconut milk made by Goya, called Leche de Coco, which has the consistency of thick milk instead of the gloppy stuff made for sauces. – Nemesis Nov 12 2011 at 0:20
	Gloppy stuff? I guess I just don't look at it that way. I prefer a nice thick coconut milk--for whatever purpose. It's great you found a brand that works for you, but looking at the nutritional info, it has less fat and fewer calories per (same size) serving than Native Forest, so it sounds like the only reason it is less "gloppy" (your words, not mine) is that it is more watered down--although still not to the extent that the refrigerated stuff is. – Kewpie Nov 12 2011 at 0:50
	If you want coconut milk like you find in the refrigerated case, but don't want all the additives, all you have to do is add water to a can of coconut milk until you have the right consistency. Throw in a bit of vanilla if you like and refrigerate. – Kewpie Nov 12 2011 at 0:55

mari · Answer 2 · 2011-11-11 22:55:36Z UTC

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I would go with canned. All of the refrigerated ones I've seen have at least several additives, including carageenan.

Native Forest canned is BPA free too.

answered Nov 11 2011 at 22:55

mari
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Nance · Answer 3 · 2011-11-11 23:01:46Z UTC

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Either way, the label tells the story. Some canned brands are just coconut and water, but others have several other things listed. Be sure you know and understand what you're buying.

answered Nov 11 2011 at 23:01

Nance
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You should definitely always look at the labels, but the refrigerated coconut milk will not be the right consistency for the recipes because it is intended as a beverage. It may work ok in soups (it would just have less body and flavor), but for curries and especially desserts it could give you very poor results. – Kewpie Nov 11 2011 at 23:24

henny · Answer 4 · 2011-11-12 02:14:05Z UTC

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I'm headed to Mexico and will get mine from the trees in the back yard- no BPA's!

answered Nov 12 2011 at 2:14

henny

Canned coconut milk vs. Refrigerated Coconut milk?

4 Answers