Coconut split in half with coconut milk flying in the air
FOOD NEWS
How To Store Leftover Canned Coconut Milk So It Won't Taste Like Metal
By Christina Garcia
Fresh coconut on wood block with glass of milk.
Keeping canned coconut milk on hand is useful for countless recipes, but its typically short shelf life of only one week can make this ingredient a little inconvenient.
Can of coconut milk.
Not only can it be challenging to use up your coconut milk before it goes bad, but the way you store it can give it a metallic flavor that gets stronger over time.
Grocery store shelves filled with canned products
You may have noticed a metallic flavor in canned food, which is made worse the longer the food stays in the can. Luckily, there's a way to stop your coconut milk from tasting tinny.
Silicone ice cube tray with frozen milk cubes.
Stir your leftover coconut milk until emulsified, then pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. You can then transfer the cubes to airtight freezer bags for long-term storage.
Different glasses of non-dairy milk.
This both extends the shelf life of the milk and stops it from absorbing metallic flavors. The milk will still separate when frozen, and there are a few ways to deal with this.
Blender sitting on kitchen counter.
Some recipes work fine with un-emulsified frozen or defrosted coconut milk, and you can also toss the frozen coconut milk cubes right into smoothies and drinks.
Cook stirring orange pot of soup with a ladle
For soups and curries, however, you should defrost the cubes and take the extra time to mix and re-emulsify them, giving the milk a like-new texture for successful cooking.