I also do not like coconut milk in curry dishes and always ask at Thai restaurants if any of the dishes contain it. I don't like the sweetness. I've made Thai curry dishes that call for coconut milk, and I simply leave it out. If it needs the liquid, I add a bit of water. A better solution is to find recipes that do not use coconut milk. I've found plenty of Thai curry recipes that do not have it. I improvise lot in curry recipes, and I used to make my own curry paste (when I had lemongrass in the yard), and I would always omit cinnamon in the curry paste, as I do not like it in curry. The result is a dish that I love instead of something that I can only just barely tolerate. Don't feel like you have to be a purist or follow recipes slavishly. Use ingredients that you and your husband like and leave out the ones you don't. Often, you don't need to replace what you omit. IMO, a lot of recipes have too many ingredients and are improved when some of them are left out. Lars

Thanks Grainlady! Everything you mentioned is true. I really appreciate your explanation. I too use kefir grains to make milk kefir. Little man and I love kefir but my husband won't touch it. That's why I still make the regular yogurt. I do pay a lot of attention to temperatures when making yogurt at home. Use a thermometer in the milk while heating and cooling. I always let it cool to 118F, remove from heat before getting the yogurt cultures ready. I usually use 2 - 4 tablespoons of room temperature yogurt from the last batch. You're right, as time goes on the cultures tend to become weaker so I do use fresh cultures (judged by the flavor of the last batch) from time to time. By the time I add a couple of ladles of warm milk into the cultures, the temperature will be between 110 and 115F. I always clean and warm the jars and keep them warm in the incubator that I built until the milk is ready. Once the jars are filled, they go into the incubator immediately. Once again, I keep another thermometer in the incubator to ensure proper temperatures. If the temperature seems not high enough, I throw a large towel over the box. When the thermometer indicates too warm I take off the towel. If everything goes well, the yogurt will set in a bit over 4 hours. If not, I let it sit up to 8 hours before calling it quit. Since the jars are in an incubator that locates in the corner of the kitchen, nobody ever bumped into it. No animals at home so it's a very safe place for making yogurt. I use only milk (sometimes add 1/4 C of powdered milk if 2% or less fat milk is used) and cultures in my yogurt. A year ago when I was the yogurt diva with yogurt turned out like the Old Faithful, I used a can of coconut milk in with 5 cups of cows milk. These days, I am happy as long as I get yogurt instead of milk. I will play with flavors again once I get the consistency back under control. I have a feeling that it's the heating pad that I use in the incubator. It's pretty old. Only the low heat setting works; both med and high are toasted. I have been using the low setting for a couple of years and didn't have problems until last year. I guess I need a new heating pad! LOL Once again, thank you for your advice. Your expertise is definitely a gem to the forum. Al

What did you want to use it for, for your DS? Sure, he can't eat it thick by itself but as Annie said you can sure go ahead and make smoothies with it. Use a half a banana and other fruit and it will be thick enough and tasty, and most important, nutritious. Yup also to baking. I'd probably use some in making biscuits or scones. Even pancakes and such would be good uses. Hey, that's only a little more than a cup, so it will go faster than you think. Next time double check your temps and maybe even add a little more yogurt to start it. It won't hurt.

Coconut cream and coconut milk are about the same but the cream has more pulp/(cream). The milk usually has a bit of cream that settles on top so i shake the can... "cream of coconut' has added sugars and such. I don't buy that since I can add my own sweetener to taste. (check your labels). I think it is used for adult drinks and pies/cakes but you can add your own sweet to coconut cream and get the same thing. I have a few cans staring at me above my coffee grinder in the pantry. Milk and water. Labels can be deceiving. My coconut milk says 98 calories but the serving is 7 for 11oz. The coconut water is 130 calories for the 11oz can. (one serving) My husband does not care for it much. He prefers plain rice, not my coconut rice even with curries. (unless i tell him ahead of time...he expects plain brown rice, nice and nutty.) I love coconut milk and may have overdone it last year...i actually like pure rice, its own flavor. Anywho, i'm using it tonight. I have leftover 'plain' rice and rich savory chicken thighs. I'm having the best garden season ever with the rain, sun, and high heat. Usual veggies are bolting so i have a tiny one of everything. Cuke, zuke, a tiny eggplant and a giant bag of thai basil. Even the broccoli bolted but i have a bit. (sounds dismal but the tomatoes, salads, fruits, and others are so much appreciative of the unusual heat) I shook my can and split it. Made a dressing with half a habanero, green onion, garlic, half a lemon, ev olive oil, thai basil...and the coconut milk. So good. I'll use just a bit on tender salad greens. (my dressing for the rest of the week) The other half of the can...saute a shallot, 2 cloves garlic, the other half of the habanero, diced celery, my 6 tiny halved tomatoes,lol, (soon i will have bushels of toms), the 6 peas from pod, 4 snap peas and the other tiny veggies ...add the coconut milk and chicken meat that i will pick off the bones...simmer on low 20 min, add a big squeeze of lemon...serve with the rice and top with that beautiful thai basil. (if i have company i add a thin slice of lemon on the serving) I don't have the recipe on hand...but it is called 'Summer-Curry-In-A-Hurry'. Not a traditional curry at all. Just using fresh early crop when we have a tiny mix of so many 'everything'. If shopping in a grocery, just buy one of everything. Black seedless grapes halved are a good substitute for crap out of season tomatoes. Expensive usually but just take a small stem of a few dozen out of that bag. Sold by weight. Just buy what you want....a peeve of mine about per item sold/vs. selling by weight. -My husband will like this with the citrus and the habanero heat...and the thai basil. (i hope so)