Avoid Buying This Canned Coconut Milk Brand — Our Taste Test Shows It’s The Absolute Worst

Coconut milk is coconut milk — or so you’d think if you’ve never bought any before. There are a few rules to keep in mind when buying this creamy product that is often used in Thai curries or desserts. For example, you should probably avoid buying certain types of coconut milk that cut the fat because the full-fat version has more flavor, and you should avoid buying boxed coconut milk outright. But with those caveats all sorted out, you should be set — or at least you would be if different brands of canned coconut milk were all the same.

It’s a bit of a herculean task to taste test all common canned coconut milk brands and see which ones are better than others, but that’s exactly what one altruistic soul at Chowhound did. When ranking 11 popular canned coconut milk brands, our reviewer determined that Simply Asia’s offering was not up to snuff compared to the other options. Being compared to curdled milk is rarely a good thing, and it certainly was what Simply Asia’s canned coconut milk reminded us of. Add to that the fact that it tasted as if it had already gone rancid, and you’ve got the perfect storm for a certifiably imperfect coconut milk. And considering the price point of many of these cans, there’s really no reason to get this item unless you want to pull some kind of sick, coconut-themed prank.

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How Did This Brand Differ From The Rest?

It’s fair to say that the Simply Asia canned coconut milk didn’t leave a great impression on our taste tester, but it can be hard to contextualize the review of this product in a vacuum. Comparison might be the thief of joy, but in this case it might just help you find the best coconut milk on the market. At the very least, it’ll show you what to watch out for when trying to find a quality can of coconut milk. Unfortunately for Simply Asia, comparison only highlights its shortcomings.

When ranking these 11 cans, we focused on the overall texture as well as the fat-to-milk integration of each can. Where better brands (such as Target’s Good & Gather) were well-emulsified, Simply Asia’s was stubbornly separated and almost oily. Then there’s the texture. In milks that ranked higher, the texture was smooth and creamy, and any solids that were present in the coconut milk quickly melted away. Meanwhile, with Simply Asia, the texture left much to be desired, and the solids were simply too solid — almost to a sickening degree. Canned coconut milk doesn’t actually go bad for a long time, but if it starts out tasting bad in the first place, there’s not much you can do. So, to avoid that problem, we recommend that you skip out on Simply Asia in favor of some better coconut milk next time you head to the store.

Read the original article on Chowhound.