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?
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.
You can drink evaporated milk by itself, many people prefer to drink evaporated milk due to its taste, and it doesn't contain extra ingredients you will find in pasteurized fresh milk. It is rare to drink straight out of the bottle, but most people drink it once they've added water.
To use evaporated milk as a subsitute for fresh milk, add one and a half cans of water to each can of evaporated milk. Diluted evaporated milk is a good substitute for milk in coffee, hot chocolate and cooked cereal like cream of wheat or oatmeal.
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.
It is possible to freeze evaporated milk, and it is kept in the freezer for three to six months. You should never freeze it in a can because this may damage the container.
Just like fresh milk or powdered milk, evaporated milk is a healthy choice. It provides nutrients needed for healthy bones: protein, calcium, vitamins A and D. Evaporated milk is sold in cans. It comes in skim, 1%, 2% or hom*ogenized (3.25%) versions.
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.
It starts as plain old cow's milk, either whole or skim. Then the milk simmers at a low heat until about 60 percent of the water is evaporated. The slightly thickened milk is then sealed in shelf-stable cans. The product was invented in 1885 as a way to enjoy milk without the need for refrigeration.
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.)
Evaporated milk may help you gain weight healthily because of its high concentration of nutrients and lack of added sugar, which is associated with the development of heart disease and type 2 diabetes when consumed excessively ( 17 ).
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.
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.
These kinds of richer, denser substitutions can help you whip up a thicker, creamier pudding to set on to the dinner table for dessert. If you're looking for a lighter option without sacrificing the creamy texture, Thrifty Fun recommends using fat-free evaporated milk, which has fewer calories than the full-fat kind.
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)")
