Cream of Coconut

• Coconut milk and its kin are made by shredding coconuts and steeping them in hot water. The water extracts a mixture of fats and proteins from the nut, which look and act much like dairy milk. The fattiest portion of the milk even rises to the top, like cream. This "coconut cream" is rich, and is used in a number of Asian dishes. It can also be sweetened to produce cream of coconut, which is similar to sweetened condensed milk and is ordinarily used in mixed drinks such as pina coladas. Cream of coconut is subject to the same natural color variance as plain coconut milk, but certain color changes can signal problems.

The Seal's the Thing

• Canned goods are among the most durable of foods, but they're not completely impervious to spoilage. Mishaps in the manufacturing process, dents caused by poor handling or corrosion from splashes and moisture can all cause the can's seal to fail over time. If that happens, mold spores and bacteria can begin to find their way into your can of cream of coconut and render it unsafe to use.

Common-Sense Testing

• If you use the same brand of cream of coconut regularly, you'll soon become accustomed to the normal variations in color. If your latest can has a decidedly pink tinge it might just be an extreme example of that normal variation, or it might indicate spoilage. The quickest way to find out is simply to sniff the contents. Cream of coconut is high in natural fats, and if the seal on the can has failed, those fats will become rancid and develop a strong, unpleasant odor. If you have any doubt of the can's safety, throw it out. It's inexpensive to replace, and substitutes can be improvised.

Substitutions

• There are two ways to substitute for cream of coconut in beverages and in baking. The first option begins with coconut cream, the thick portion of coconut milk. It can be bought on its own, or skimmed from a can of high-quality coconut milk. Sweeten the coconut cream to your taste, and puree it with a blender or immersion blender for the smoothest possible texture. Alternatively, you might find it easier to substitute sweetened condensed milk, which already has the correct texture and level of sweetness. Give it a coconut flavor with a few drops of coconut extract, which you can find in the supermarket's baking section.