Coconut cream and milk

eljayv, Dec 18, 12:46pm
Why does it look like gray sludge? Even the ayams brand which is additive and BPA free . I want to make coconut ice cream but expect it to look nothing like photos that accompany recipes.

davidt4, Dec 18, 1:51pm
How old is it? I've never seen coconut cream other than pure white.

socram, Dec 18, 2:41pm
Never had a problem either. Trident.

eljayv, Dec 18, 2:50pm
I purchased and opened it yesterday. It’s something I’ve noticed before.
Well maybe the additives keep it white?
This has none, had to check a lot to,find one without.

eljayv, Dec 18, 2:59pm
So I found this on the Ayam site

WHY IS THE COCONUT MILK/CREAM NOT PLAIN WHITE IN COLOUR?
Coconut milks and creams are not always plain white but can have a slightly grey shade, which can be corrected by adding chemical whitening agents. Being 100% pure and natural, and free from whiteners, AYAM™ Coconut Milk and Cream may have a slightly off-white colour.

jan2242, Dec 18, 3:03pm
So if the coconut cream is white it's got additives?

buzzy110, Dec 18, 9:08pm
I look longingly back to the days when coconut cream and milk were allowed to be liquid. Now they are 'beefed' up with guar gum and comes out of the cans in a greyish lump bathed in a watery liquid.

Guar gum may be fine for vegetarians and vegans but it is truly unkind on the stomach in the long term. There used to be a brand sold in UHT packs that was still almost the same as it used to be but that also seems to now have guar gum added.

I no longer use coconut milk or cream.

davidt4, Dec 18, 10:08pm
Not necessarily. I buy Aroy-D coconut milk in a 1 litre tetrapak and it has no additives at all. It is always pure white.

buzzy110, Dec 18, 10:10pm
Oh. That is the coconut cream I used to buy. I have shifted and can't find it locally which is why I thought they didn't make it anymore. The only types I can find are thickened or stabilised with additives that I don't want or need.

davidt4, Dec 18, 10:26pm
It's not easy to find, but some Chinese food markets have it, and sometimes Gilmours has it. I buy several packs whenever I see it.

holly-rocks, Dec 18, 10:31pm
I use Ayam brand which is 100% coconut milk / cream and the grey (sometimes pulls purple) tone is totally normal :)

nauru, Dec 19, 1:27am
Kara coconut cream in the tetra packs is great and very thick

davidt4, Dec 19, 2:09am
Kara ingredients list:

Fresh natural coconut cream (99.9%), Stabilizers (Xanthan Gum E415, Guar Gum E412, Carrageenan E407).

eljayv, Dec 19, 2:24am
Ceres website suggest making your own using coconut chips in the same way as almond milk. 1 cup coconut chips to 3 cups water.

steve0061, Dec 19, 4:42pm
I only ever put coconut cream in the fridge until the thick cream forms at the top, pure white. I never use the light liquid at the bottom as it isn't creamy enough anyway. I just made some simple coconut icecream a few days ago only using the thick cream. Most recipes for the icecreams suggest using only that as well. I had added icing sugar and vanilla extract as I was making whipped cream for a cake and had some left over. It was really nice.

bottynoodle, Dec 19, 6:27pm
Aroy d available online from generation health $4.95 for a litre tetra pack.Google is your friend

punkinthefirst, Dec 19, 9:35pm
Maggi used to make a coconut milk powder, which could be made up to milk or cream consistency by using more or less water to make it up. I haven't seen it around for a while, but have bought generic coconut milk powder at Bin Inn (which doesn't seem to be as good, but does the trick, more or less, in curries).

buzzy110, Dec 19, 9:49pm
Those gums are certainly not what I want to find in coconut milk/cream. Carrageen, in particular, is a known carcinogen.

buckeye63, Dec 20, 12:21am
Um, what? carrageenan is not a known carcinogen. It is perfectly safe in the levels used in food.

davidt4, Dec 20, 12:32am
Carrageenan is associated with gastro-intestinal cancer in particular. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/

buckeye63, Dec 20, 12:47am
davidt4 wrote:
Carrageenan is associated with gastro-intestinal cancer in particular. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/[/quot
You need to do better. Experimental study not on humans from nearly 40 years ago!

nauru, Dec 20, 1:36am
Yes, I'm well aware of the ingredients list. It's not something that I use a lot of so I don't think I need to worry about the small amount of additives it contains. It's also a case of each to their own.

sarahb5, Dec 20, 7:58pm
Is this in a can or a carton? I notice sometimes it looks grey in the can but not when I pour it out - I assumed it was just a reflection of the colour of the inside of the can.

nauru, Nov 16, 12:11pm
Sarahb5, I get the carton. Tried the can and prefer the carton, it seems thicker. As I said earlier, I don't use it a lot but always have some in the pantry.