As for flavor, products lost points if the coconut flavor was too mild or had an “artificial,” “sunscreen-y” aroma and taste. “SO creamy, very good, and extra luxe," commented one taster. Instead, the test kitchen’s go-to coconut liquid is coconut milk. While most of the coconut milks were lacking in this department, the best coconut milks had a distinct, fresh coconut flavor. Return chicken to skillet skin side down, add coconut milk mixture, and bring to boil. Before we even got to tasting, though, we were surprised by the dramatic differences among the products when we opened the cans. To many, coconut milk is considered a cornerstone flavor of Thai cuisine. To find out why, and to read about another brand of coconut milk we highly recommend, keep scrolling. Transfer chicken to plate and discard fat in skillet. This recipe is from Christoper Kimball of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen. We put the coconut milks through two rounds of tests. to third parties unless otherwise notified. Coconut Milk. Our least favorite samples were thin and watery or separated quickly and made soups that were thin and dotted with greasy pools of oil. You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials. As one tester wrote, this coconut milk offers “a deep coconut flavor, but still allows the spices to shine through.” Consider this your best bet for an all-purpose canned coconut milk. The coconut milks were sampled in a random order. If your goal is to make the richest-ever soup or stew, then this is your brand. It had an even, smooth consistency—and it was rich, but not too rich. However, It can be surprisingly difficult to track down one of high quality, and … Plan ahead, since these are best when left to mellow for at least a few days in the refrigerator. Discover (and save!) 16 brands of coconut milk entered our blind tasting. The only other product with a similar sugar content was downgraded for egregious textural issues. If there’s one thing I learned by sipping 16 varieties of canned coconut milk pretty much straight from the can (ok, they were poured into another container, and then into tasting vessels) it’s this: Don’t sip 16 varieties of coconut milk straight from the can. Feb 3, 2019 - This Pin was discovered by MeritMade by Kelly Conner. It has gained recent popularity as a sports drink, but we don’t have much use for it in the test kitchen. 3. The cream in some cans was as heavy and dense as Crisco, while in others it had a looser consistency. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. In others, the liquid was cloudy, with little specks of cream. America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. We asked 21 America’s Test Kitchen staffers to sample the butters plain, spread on crackers, and melted over toast. Tasters thought it made an especially "well-balanced," "complex" peanut sauce. First, a panel of Epi editors and staff blind-tasted each brand plain. It offered a balanced coconut flavor when sampled straight, and that bold-but-not-overpowering coconut character still impressed our tasters even when the milk was cooked with Thai green curry paste. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Those are also the ones I’ll reach for in the future to enrich my French toast, braise my cabbage, and to make the best berry ice pops. Because coconut oil solidifies into coconut cream at room temperature, canned coconut milk generally separates into two distinct layers: liquid water at the bottom and solid white cream at the top. You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials. I saw this episode a while back and the cake looked wonderful. We tasted 16 cans of coconut milk to find the best one for cooking Thai curry, whipping into coconut whipped cream, and putting in your smoothies. While chicken is browning, whisk coconut milk, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper into soy sauce. When the results were revealed, it turned out that Trader Joe’s Organic Coconut Milk was our winner. © 2021 Condé Nast. Though it says "no-stir" on the label, this "stiff" palm-oil enriched peanut butter was "weeping oil" and came across as "greasy" to some tasters. We tallied the scores and found that we liked all the butters we tried, but it was clear that some products were in a league of their own. If you crack open a coconut, the thin liquid that pours out is coconut water. Not surprisingly, texture proved important in our tastings. Here are some of the DIY recipes and notes America's Test Kitchen shared with us:. Earlier this week I made an angel food cake that left me with 12 egg yolks and wanted to find a recipe that looked simple and could utilize those leftover ingredients, which put me on the hunt for a recipe.… You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen … It makes about five dozen rum balls that are intense, fudgy, chewy, complex, and balanced. Recipe can be halved or doubled. First, we considered flavor: Can you taste the coconut? It’s made by shredding fresh coconut meat and pressing it to extract liquid, sometimes adding a small amount of water to help the process. Since 1995, Epicurious has been the ultimate food resource for the home cook, with daily kitchen tips, fun cooking videos, and, oh yeah, over 33,000 recipes. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. to identify you for free access to content on the site. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. Our new winner, Aroy-D Coconut Milk ($0.99 for a 14-ounce can), won top marks for a velvety consistency that was creamy but not too thick. While many of the coconut milks we tried were either thin and watery or thick and gluey, Trader Joe’s hit a nice balance in between. We sampled them three times in blind tastings: plain (to get a sense of their differences), and then in coconut rice pudding and Thai-style chicken soup. Prices were paid in Boston-area grocery stores. 4. But when we tasted the coconut milks in Thai chicken soup, we saw big differences. $2.39 for 16.3-oz. Happy Independence Day! Besides being unpalatably "tacky" and "sludgy," this "natural" peanut butter suffered from an awful "fishy" flavor with a "weird acidic aftertaste" that tasters noted in all three applications. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. How we use your email address America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Coconut Milk Whipped Cream (dairy-free) When we heard … “It tastes like coconut, but somehow allows the flavor of curry to shine way better,” one tester noted. You will also Coconut oil is sold in two forms, both solid at room temperature: refined, which has virtually no taste or aroma, and virgin, which retains a strong coconut flavor. Panels of 21 tasters sampled each plain (stirred gently before portioning), in coconut rice pudding, and in Thai-style chicken soup. Recipe by septfair. Testers thought Trader Joe’s was creamy—then, they tasted Aroy-D. Our favorites had fresh, vibrant coconut flavor and a smooth, creamy texture. In fact, coconut oil may even have health benefits such as boosting metabolism and strengthening the immune system. Saved by America's Test Kitchen. Representatives from both companies told us the labels were updated per the latest information from their suppliers, but that the products have not been reformulated. (There are also no standards for how ingredients appear on the label. Get FREE ACCESS to every recipe and rating from this season of our TV show. After the story went to print, we noticed changes in the nutrition information listed on cans of coconut milk manufactured by Roland and KA-ME. And, to our surprise, the ratio of cream to water differed in each product. Epicurious may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Flavor was hardly an issue. Our top three scorers have some of the largest amounts of naturally occurring sugar per serving, between 1.8 and 2.7 grams per ⅓-cup serving. How we use your email address America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Discover the best Coconut Milks in Best Sellers. All rights reserved. Some factors (such as the amount of water added) are easy for manufacturers to adjust, but Dr. Nattapol Tangsuphoon, a professor of food science at Mahidol University in Thailand, told us that some factors, such as the variety and age of the coconuts, are harder to control. We evaluated each product on its flavor, consistency, and overall appeal. We also tend to stay away from cream of coconut, the extra-thick and sweetened stuff, unless we’re making a tropical cocktail. And have I mentioned coconut milk whipped cream? The inclusion—or exclusion—of stabilizers or emulsifiers didn’t track with our results. Coconut has plenty of natural sugar, and all the products were slightly sweet with tropical, nutty notes. When sampled plain, this coconut milk tasted bright and fresh in a way that other brands just didn’t. Here at America’s Test Kitchen, we put products from stoves for camping to shredded cheddar through rigorous testing, and it’s about time we did the same for reusable face masks. The colors ranged from gray to snowy white. Every coconut milk we tasted had the same main ingredients: coconut and water. Made with just coconut and water, this Thai import was “clean,” “aromatic,” and “balanced.” Best of all, it was the least expensive product in our lineup. © 2021 America's Test Kitchen. In some cans, it was opaque and smooth in consistency. This coconut milk–based stew has such big flavor yet comes together so quickly that it sounded too good to be true—until we made it for ourselves. Most companies were unwilling to disclose information on coconut variety or harvest and manufacturing methods, and the packaging offered few clues. Your email address is required How we use your email address America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Our favorites were smooth and thick, but still pourable. Jan 12, 2019 - Jack Bishop, from America's Test Kitchen, explains what to look for in a good coconut milk and gives us a list of recommendations for use in our own kitchens. You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials. In a contest that hinged on texture, tasters thought this "smooth, "creamy" sample was "swell" and gave it top honors, both plain and baked into cookies. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until chicken skin is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Ad Choices, The Best Canned Coconut Milk You Can Buy at the Store. For the most part, the rice puddings all came out acceptably thick and creamy. Today is 4th of July and that means BBQs, food and fireworks. Learn real cooking skills from your favorite food experts, The iconic magazine that investigates how and why recipes work, American classics, everyday favorites, and the stories behind them, Experts teach 200+ online courses for home cooks at every skill level, Kid tested, kid approved: Welcome to America’s Test Kitchen for the next generation. Find the top 100 most popular items in Amazon Grocery & Gourmet Food Best Sellers. Only full-fat varieties of canned coconut milk were used in this test. To find the best unsweetened shredded coconut, 21 America’s Test Kitchen staffers tasted four products plain, in toasted coconut icing, and in our Cook's Country French Coconut Pie. To find the very best canned coconut milk, the Epi team blind-tasted every full-fat brand we could get our hands on. It turns out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t regulate the term “coconut milk,” and each manufacturer is able to set its own standards on how concentrated and/or fatty its product might be. Although we think of it as a single ingredient, coconut milk is technically an emulsion of coconut oil, coconut protein, and water. The inclusion of flax seed oil, an unsaturated fat that's highly susceptible to rancidity. When we separated the two components, some had a roughly 50/50 balance, while others contained almost no liquid. Sweetness was a better indicator. America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. All rights reserved. How we use your email address America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Here are the two we'd buy again. Coconut milk is a key ingredient in many puddings and pies and a staple in Southeast Asian soups, sauces, curries, and stir-fries. Our tasters much preferred samples that were creamy, full-bodied, and didn’t separate too quickly. When we last reviewed coconut milk, we preferred regular, full-fat versions to light alternatives and named Chaokoh, an ultracreamy Thai import, our winner. It turns out that many, many brands of canned coconut milk taste bitter and sour before they’re mixed into smoothies or doctored with galangal, chiles, and lemongrass. America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Two products listed “coconut extract” instead of “coconut milk” on their labels, but after talking to experts we concluded that these were one and the same.) )*, All Foolproof Recipes on America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated, and Cook's Country, Complete TV Show Video Library—watch entire episodes or individual clips, Up-to-Date Taste Tests and Equipment Reviews, Save Favorites, Print Shopping Lists, Share Comments. On the one hand, this organic peanut butter produced cookies that were "soft and sturdy" yet "moist," with "knockout peanut flavor." Browse thorough and unbiased reviews for 1794 coconut milk. After the majority of coconut milks were deemed “too bitter” or “too watery” by Epi staff, the top contenders were cooked into Thai green curry and tasted blind. Best Coconut Milk. America's Test Kitchen Cook's Illustrated Cooking School Cook's Country ATK Shop ATK Kids Storing Leftover Coconut Milk We found a simple technique for bringing frozen, leftover coconut milk … Best Coconut Milk It’s also gaining popularity with vegans as a nondairy butter substitute. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/taste_tests/1794-coconut-milk Temperature abuse during shipping and storage is also a “major reason for inconsistent appearance,” according to Dr. Tangsuphoon, because it can cause crystallization and break the emulsion of oil and water. There’s less than a gram of carbohydrates per serving, so this is a great source of fat energy if you are on a ketogeni… Or watery? The only other palm oil-based peanut butter to make the "recommended" cut, this contender had a "looser" texture than its winning sibling but still won fans for being "super-smooth." Although it had a less vibrant coconut flavor than the can from Trader Joe’s, testers enjoyed how well Aroy-D’s sweet and savory notes paired with the spices. America's Test Kitchen Coconut Layer Cake. The winners had no grittiness when cooked. You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials. jar (15 cents per oz. We selected seven varieties of full-fat canned coconut milk. Results of the pudding and soup tastings were averaged, and products appear in order of preference. Sign up for our cooking newsletter. Coconut milk can transform a variety of dishes, so we set out to find an all-purpose coconut milk that would work well in any recipe. receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials. The creamiest stew of your life is just one can away. To revisit this article, select My⁠ ⁠Account, then View saved stories. your own Pins on Pinterest Another thing I learned—which is probably more relevant to your actual life—is that the coconut milks with the highest fat contents make the creamiest, most luxurious Thai curries. On the other hand, eating it straight from the jar was nearly impossible; its "loose," "liquid-y," and "dribbly" consistency had one taster wonder if it was "peanut soup.". Ultimately, six coconut milks had the full, fresh coconut flavor; natural sweetness; and rich, thick consistency required to earn our full recommendation. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. Younger coconuts contain less fat, resulting in a leaner coconut milk. With its only additive a negligible amount of salt, the only truly natural peanut butter in the lineup elicited comments ranging from mild dissatisfaction ("needs enhancement with salt and sugar") to outright disgust ("slithery," "chalky," "inedible"). Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. However, it turned out a respectable batch of cookies—"chewy in the center, crisp and short at the edge"—and made "perfectly good" satay sauce. Coconut Milk Whipped Cream Is the Only Dessert Topping I Care About, Trader Joe’s Organic Coconut Milk, $2 at local Trader Joe’s. The liquid also varied. To find out if any new contenders could best our old favorite, we rounded up seven products, priced from $0.99 to $3.29 for a roughly 14-ounce can. Cookies were "dry and crumbly" with a "hockey puck" texture, and the satay sauce was "stiff," "gritty," and "gloopy.". Although Aroy-D didn’t have as much fresh, coconutty flavor on its own (some found that it tasted slightly bitter and “tinny” when sampled plain), it really impressed our tasters when it was cooked into Thai green curry. Its rave reviews even compensated for a slightly "weak" nut flavor that didn't come through as well as that of other brands in the pungent satay sauce. Check price at Amazon Coconut Dream is a great choice if you want an unsweetened full-strength coconut milk that still has the nutrients you’d get in cow’s milk, like calcium and vitamin B12. This is what peanut butter should be like, " declared one happy taster, noting specifically this product's "good," "thick" texture and "powerful peanut flavor." In satay sauce, however, some tasters felt that heavier body made for a "pasty" end result. Our own chai blend plus coconut milk and vanilla: This cocktail made for a pantry-friendly, highly gluggable spirit-free cocktail for any time of day or night. Nutritional information was obtained from product packaging and, where necessary, converted to a standard 1/3-cup serving size. https://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/8391-french-coconut-pie We generally preferred products with more fat per serving, but that didn’t track perfectly either. Plus, as the top-rated palm oil-based sample, it was "creamy," "thick," and better emulsified than other "natural" contenders. Why so different? I have not tried this yet but I am adding because I plan on trying it and wanted to have it here for safe keeping. Our best guess as to the culprit? Our tasters loved it most of all for its vibrant, coconutty flavor. Additionally, we graded each coconut milk based on its texture: Is it smooth or gritty? The big favorite in satay sauce, this peanut butter's "dark, roasted flavor"—helped by the addition of molasses—stood out particularly well against the other heady ingredients, and it made cookies with "nice sweet-salty balance."