differences between Coconut: water, milk, cream & butter

From my reading of this forum I see a lot of people talking about using various coconut products and it seems like there might be some confusion as to the differences, I know I'm a little confused. I've read about people adding cream in place of water for the lye mix. That just seems plain wrong imho, especially at the rates I read.

From what I have read, the water is what is inside the coconut, the liquid that flows out when cracked open.

Coconut milk seems to be either a mixture of the coconut water and coconut cream (the milk seems to be fairly high in fat compared to animal milk). I've read that some milk is just the cream and plain water mixed at different levels depending upon brand.

Coconut cream seems to be made from the coconut flesh, much like butter and oil, but I don't know how it is different besides concentration and processing. Is this stuff part of what is left after pressing the oil out (some of the fats removed as oil, rest left in flesh and extracted as "cream"???)

Coconut butter is probably much like animal butter, made from cream in a whipping process.

Coconut oil, pressed from the flesh of the fruit. IDK if it comes out fairly clear with just pressure or if there is extra processing..

If anyone here is a coconut expert I'd love to hear if what I wrote is correct or if I'm off track. I'm also interested in coconut milk powder and how well that works in making milk for a lye mix. Does it have fats in it? Also coconut flour is interesting but don't know if it has any place in soap making.

Who knew the coconut tree could produce such a wide range of products (didn't mention activated charcoal from the husks - good for water filtration and coloring!!)

Coconut water is the water from the center of the coconut.

Coconut milk is made from coconut flesh cooked down in water or milk, then strained.

Coconut cream is made from coconut flesh cooked down in water or milk, then strained and allowed to sit so that the "cream"(higher fat portion) rises to the top. What is skimmed off is the "cream".

Cream of coconut is sweetened coconut cream.

None of these are interchangeable in soapmaking due to the widely differing amounts of fat.

Coconut oil can be virgin, or non-virgin, depending on the amount of processing. Just like olive oil.

Coconut coir is used in hydroponic gardening, and is made from the fibrous husk.

I don't know anything about coconut milk powder, sorry.

I make my own coconut cream and/or milk, and my own coconut butter as well (all for cooking and eating purposes, not for soap). I use canned and/or powdered coconut milk or cream for my soap instead because it lists the fat content (which is good to know for super-fatting purposes). I never mix it with my lye, though. I mix my lye with water and mix my milk in with my oils (the split method).

For what it's worth, the powdered coconut milk I buy is full-fat. I reconstitute it with water or canned coconut milk for my soap before adding it to my soaping oils.

To make coconut cream, I take full-fat, unsweetened coconut flakes (as opposed to sweetened and de-fatted) and throw them in my Vitamix with enough water to cover, then blend and strain through a nylon paint strainer or fine, muslin cheesecloth. To make coconut milk, I do the same, but just add more water. Fresh coconut meat can be used instead of the flaked kind, but I just use the flaked kind for convenience sake.

To make coconut butter, I place the unsweetened, full fat coconut flakes in my Vitamix with a tablespoon or so of virgin coconut oil and blend on high for about 3 minutes, until it's as smooth as I can get it. It's similar in consistency to peanut butter, but with a little fine coconut grit in it (it's nearly impossible to get it 100% totally smooth). It's great served on toast, or just eating it off a spoon. Sometimes I add a little vanilla extract and honey to it for a nice flavor combo.

Coconut is awesome. You can even buy coconut sugar. I use it in some of my bread and dessert recipes.


IrishLass

differences between Coconut: water, milk, cream & butter

When I make coconut milk from a coconut, I drain the coconut water out of the nut and set it aside. The. I remove the meat of the coconut. I then blend in a blender the coconut water and the coconut meat and add additional filtered water if needed to get the right consistency. I then strain the fiber out with a fine strainer. I usually get 3 cups (24 oz) of
Edit to add...(accidentally posted before I was done)
Coconut milk. I do not heat the coconut milk what so ever. Once the milk is made, I put it in a jar and store it in the fridge. After several hours, the creamy fat rises to the top of the jar. If I want a swig of coconut milk, I shake the jar and once again have coconut milk. If I want the cream, I just spoon it off the top.