Evaporated Milk

With the wide range of milk available to us nowadays, it’s easy to overlook evaporated milk.  It was a popular substitute for cream in the 1970s and was often poured over tinned fruit as a dessert.

But as our tastes become more sophisticated over the years it was largely forgotten. However, with shrinking household budgets, evaporated milk is showing a surge in popularity. And it’s not surprising because it’s extremely versatile and there are a multitude of different cooking uses for evaporated milk.

It was originally developed as a method of preserving milk without using sugar. Fresh milk is evaporated until it’s been reduced to around 40% of the initial volume and the resulting milk becomes concentrated leaving a much richer and thicker consistency.  With its long shelf life you can store it at room temperature for months or years. Once you’ve opened it though, it has to be treated as fresh milk and kept in the fridge.

Evaporated milk usually comes packaged in tins or more recently cartons, and in addition to the original full cream variety, it can now be found in light or reduced fat versions. Because evaporated milk is unsweetened, you can use it in both sweet and savoury dishes.

The uses for evaporated milk extend to wherever you’d traditionally be cooking with regular milk or single cream. If you want to use it as a replacement for fresh milk, you can reconstitute it back to the equivalent consistency of fresh milk by adding water. And great news for calorie counters is full cream evaporated milk has around half the calories of single cream.

Breakfast

Unfortunately, reconstituted evaporated milk doesn’t taste the same as fresh milk, so if you like pouring milk on your cereal, it may not be to your taste. But if you’re cooking something like porridge, try substituting part evaporated milk instead of your regular milk to introduce a lovely rich creaminess. It’s also delicious poured on top of your porridge instead of milk. And why not make scrambled eggs into something more memorable by adding evaporated milk instead of regular milk. Kids love it.

Drinks

If you enjoy pouring cream into your coffee, then evaporated milk compliments this drink perfectly. It’s also particularly tasty when used in milkshakes and smoothies, but make sure you’ve reconstituted and chilled it beforehand. Evaporated milk can't however, be used as a substitute for fresh milk for children aged 12 months or under.

Desserts

If you slightly freeze your evaporated milk, it can be whipped up to make a light and inexpensive substitute for regular whipped cream. Use it to top desserts, cakes or even hot chocolate. Just make sure you whip it just before serving as it does tend to collapse quickly.  If you make your own custard, either the traditional way with eggs and milk or with custard powder, swapping to evaporated milk makes a delicious change. You may need to use less sugar in your recipe as evaporated milk is sweeter than regular milk due to its concentration. Adjust the creaminess to suit your taste by adding more or less water.

For a slightly indulgent alternative to regular jell-o, add a little evaporated milk instead of water when making it up. It will set to produce a delicious milk jell-o. And for a quick and easy dessert, why not take a trip down memory lane (if you were around then) and hark back to the 70s by pouring evaporated milk over your fruit. It doesn’t have to be tinned. Any fruit will do.

Savory Dishes

When it comes to savory dishes, evaporated milk is equally as useful. Because it can withstand high temperatures, it doesn’t curdle like cream or coconut milk. It’s especially flavorsome when used in making creamy sauces and has the added benefit of making them a little less sinful by reducing the calorie content. Pour it into a curry instead of cream and add it to the eggs instead of milk when making a quiche.

As you can see, evaporated milk is extremely versatile and can be used in place of regular milk in most instances. It’s not expensive, it keeps for ages unopened and tastes delicious. So don’t hesitate experimenting and enjoy your cooking.