If you're a baking enthusiast, you've probably cracked a can or two of sweetened condensed milk in your time—it's a key player in some of our favorite pies, cakes, and sticky-sweet sauces. But few people are as accustomed to cooking with its milder, milkier, unsweetened cousin: Evaporated milk—canned, shelf-stabilized, low-moisture cow's milk—offers the same thick, rich texture of condensed milk without the added sugars, making it ideal for more savory preparations (and a handful of sweet ones to boot). Here's a look at just how handy it can be.
The Best Mac and Cheese
If only mac and cheese were as simple as dumping some cheese in a pan, heating it up until it melts, and adding it to cooked pasta. But if you've ever tried precisely that, you know that cheese breaks—you wind up with stringy, greasy clumps that won't even adhere to each other, let alone your macaroni (here's the science, if you're curious). That's why everything from blue-box mac and cheese to the fanciest-pants preparations requires some kind of stabilizer to help bind the cheese together, keeping it smooth and creamy.
Instead of using a typical flour-and-milk béchamel, though, we make our ultra-gooey 15-minute stovetop mac and cheese with a stabilizing mix of cornstarch and evaporated milk. Those starch molecules thicken the sauce, while the concentrated milk proteins from the evaporated milk add that signature dairy flavor, without all the water you'd get from cream or regular milk.
Translation? Smooth, shiny, perfectly emulsified cheese that doesn't clump, taste floury, or break into greasy pools.
Using evaporated milk will also make the filling for your next batch of jalapeño poppers extra gooey, and you can even add it to your cheese of choice to make melt-ready slices of any cheese you desire—great for your next cheeseburger or grilled cheese.
Enriching... Most Things
Evaporated milk was originally engineered to be rehydrated—which is helpful in places where dairy storage is difficult, like campgrounds, desert islands, or my house when I'm too lazy to run to the grocery store for the fresh stuff. But when left in its thickened, low-moisture canned state, it can also stand in for milk or heavy cream as an enriching agent. Evaporated milk gives body to smoothies, thickens up and sweetens coffee, and adds nuance and richness to creamy soups and chowders, not to mention savory sauces and even oatmeal. If you don't have much of a sweet tooth, you can also use it in place of sweetened condensed milk in plenty of desserts.
Dense, Fudgy Ice Cream
On top of all that, evaporated milk also happens to be the key to our super-chewy New England–style ice cream. For that you can thank its high protein content, which delivers a superior, fresh-churned texture while simultaneously limiting iciness once the ice cream is stored. While milk powder provides that protein in most recipes, we find that it tends to add a chalky sweetness. Evaporated milk, with the help of a few other carefully honed tricks, lends cleaner milky flavor to match the dense, fudgy texture, for a scoop that can compete with the Northeast's very best.
Evaporated milk gives body to smoothies, thickens up and sweetens coffee, and adds nuance and richness to creamy soups and chowders, not to mention savory sauces and even oatmeal. If you don't have much of a sweet tooth, you can also use it in place of sweetened condensed milk in plenty of desserts.
On the savory side of things, evaporated milk is great for making creamy comfort food dishes, like mac and cheese. Plus, you can use it for nacho cheese sauce, one-pot chicken and rice casserole, and Southern creamed corn. Looking for an easy dessert recipe that uses evaporated milk?
Through the process of vacuum evaporation, (a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure) the boiling point of the milk is lowered to 40–45°C. As a result, the milk is concentrated to 30–40% solids and has little or no cooked flavour. The milk is then hom*ogenized by forcing it under high pressure through tiny holes.
As for whether you can drink evaporated milk right out of the can, it's safe to do so. Because the only real difference is the water content, evaporated milk is pretty similar when it comes to nutritional value. However, the taste and texture of evaporated milk can be somewhat off-putting to many people.
Dialing the ratios down to 67 percent evaporated milk and 33 percent water helped only a little. But a 50-50 mix produced results that were close to the all-regular-milk versions in all three cases. It's good to know that we can keep a ready substitute for fresh milk in the cupboard.
Evaporated milk starts out as fresh milk and is heated to drive off more than half of the water. Add water and use it as milk or pour it straight out of the can and use it as half-and-half. Creamy, rich and perfect for baking, custards, soups and even ice cream.
And while milk might only last a week in the refrigerator, unopened evaporated milk that is properly stored can last up to two years. But how can you tell when it's gone bad? In short, by looking at it. If your milk has turned dark yellow or brown, don't use it.
Potential downsides. Evaporated milk may be problematic for people with lactose intolerance or cow's milk allergy (CMA), as it contains more lactose and milk proteins per volume, compared with regular milk. Lactose is the main type of carb found in milk and dairy products ( 20 ).
One of the first concerns about evaporated milk is whether it's safe to drink straight from the bottle. Although you definitely can, and it is entirely safe to do it, you could find it dense and less enjoyable than drinking the traditional milk you're familiar with.
So, now we know that evaporated milk is safe to drink from its container, but just because you can consume it this way doesn't necessarily mean you'll want to. Since evaporated milk is thick and creamy, the consistency will be completely different than a regular carton that you're used to.
On its own, evaporated milk is thick and creamy, making it an excellent replacement for half and half or creamer in your coffee or tea. You can also experiment with adding it to smoothies, milkshakes, soup, or pasta sauces, although you'll want to use less than you would with regular milk.
I've made mozzarella from scratch using dried milk (using rennet) in the past and I've made ricotta cheese using evaporated milk. (And yes, I also have freeze dried mozzarella cheese in my storage.)
Carnation Evaporated Milk is the best for mashed potatoes. I learned this from my mother-in-law in the '70s. She made hers with this, and they were the best I ever tasted. The Carnation Evaporated Milk just gives them a sweetness and great flavor that you can't get from just regular milk or even cream.
Pour evaporated milk into freezing tray. Place in freezing compartment of refrigerator. When tiny crystals begin to form around edges, turn into chilled bowl and whip with rotary egg beater until stiff enough to hold its shape. Sugar and vanilla may be added and whipped in at this stage, if desired.
When stored correctly, evaporated milk can be stored at the temperature of the freezer for up to 3 months. It's safe to use within this amount of time.
Sure enough, Carnation condensed milk comes with a warning: "Do not boil unopened can as bursting may occur." According to Serious Eats, when the boiling water evaporates, leaving the metal exposed, the can may warp, split, or yes, explode.
Address: Suite 592 642 Pfannerstill Island, South Keila, LA 74970-3076
Phone: +9617721773649
Job: Marketing Producer
Hobby: Skydiving, Flag Football, Knitting, Running, Lego building, Hunting, Juggling
Introduction: My name is Tuan Roob DDS, I am a friendly, good, energetic, faithful, fantastic, gentle, enchanting person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2015__10__20151006-stovetop-mac-and-cheese-food-lab-kenji-beauty--2e3e356179d742f8a2871d1d81d2d757.jpg "Everything You Can Do With a Can of Evaporated Milk (1)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2015__10__20100917-cheese-sauce-13-edit-2bec4cca45434f508cfa56d880ca82e5.jpg "Everything You Can Do With a Can of Evaporated Milk (2)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2015__10__20140528-coffee-banana-hazelnut-shake-primary-thumb-1500xauto-403439-c82d47c3b79446d4ae078fd1ed54b39e.jpg "Everything You Can Do With a Can of Evaporated Milk (3)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2015__04__20150408-chewy-new-england-ice-cream-vicky-wasik-3-cce6249938954c4091f4cb1dbeb70e47.jpg "Everything You Can Do With a Can of Evaporated Milk (4)")
