Several different ingredients are extracted from the coconut.
Many fruits and vegetables give more than one product, each of which have unique flavors and are used in different situations. This can make deciding on the right one very difficult. This is especially true of items which are not used every day. A good example of this is coconut, which is used a lot in Asian cuisine, as there are a variety of coconut products available which are not interchangeable. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Coconut Water
Coconut water is the natural juice found inside the coconut when the shell is broken open. It can be bought on its own or extracted from a whole coconut. It is a lot cheaper than other coconut products, as it does not go through any kind of refining process.
Coconut Milk
The milk does not actually exist in the coconut, but is a product manufactured by combining equal amounts of coconut water and coconut flesh. Coconut cream is a variation on this which uses one part coconut water to four parts coconut flesh. Both products are usually found in cans.
Taste
Coconut milk has a very subtle flavor and can be purchased unsweetened or sweetened. The sweetened variety has added sugar which takes away the slightly bitter taste of the water. Coconut milk has a much stronger coconut flavor, as the flesh is the part of the fruit which people most associate with its taste. Both the milk and cream are much richer in taste than the milk.
Where It Is Used
These two products are not interchangeable, although they can be used in the same recipe. Coconut milk and cream are used to make sauces and are added to Asian curries to add a distinctive coconut flavor. Coconut milk is added to dishes for a very subtle coconut flavor, so it does not overtake the other elements of the dish. Coconut water is also used in cocktails.
Tags: coconut flavor, Coconut milk, coconut flesh, coconut products, Coconut water, extracted from, milk cream