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.
Evaporated milk is often used in much the same way that half-and-half is, in custards, cakes, shakes and candies like fudge. When you have a recipe that calls for milk and you don't have fresh milk, you'll be glad you've got that can of evaporated milk in the pantry. Grab it, shake it, open it and make a choice.
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 ).
Production. Evaporated milk is made from fresh, hom*ogenised milk from which 60% of the water has been removed. After the water has been removed, the product is chilled, stabilised, sterilised and packaged. It is commercially sterilised at 240–245 °F (115–118 °C) for 15 minutes.
Is it safe to consume the evaporated version straight out of its container? While a dairy product that can last for over a year without refrigeration may sound a little suspect, it is completely safe to drink it plain — as long as it hasn't gone bad, of course.
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.
Evaporated milk also has a higher concentration of nutrients and energy. This means that one cup of evaporated milk will have more nutrients and provide more energy than one cup of fresh milk.
Evaporated milk gives your coffee a smooth and rich texture. If you are used to adding fresh milk to your coffee, then evaporated milk is a great alternative to it. If you want your coffee to be a little sweeter, there are numerous ways to do it even without sugar.
The shelf life of an unopened evaporated milk is usually between 6 to 12 months, but check the label for a “Best By” date. It will not be harmful after that, but its flavor will have deteriorated. Once opened, it should last similarly to fresh milk held in the refrigerator, about five days to a week.
Evaporated milk is regular cow's milk that's been thickened by evaporation, which removes about 60 percent of the water from the milk. It's then hom*ogenized, fortified with vitamin D and vacuum-sealed into cans. Evaporated milk may also have added vitamin A, and it usually contains 6.5 percent fat or less.
Yes, NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk should be refrigerated after opening. As with any milk, use within a few days. Wipe can top after each use and keep covered or transfer to an airtight glass or plastic container. We do not recommend that you freeze unused products because it becomes very watery when thawed.
In terms of nutritional value, evaporated milk has a higher nutrient concentration than fresh cow's milk and, therefore, more calories. It has over twice as many grams of carbohydrates, protein, and fat – except for the reduced fat and fat-free varieties – and higher mineral content.
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.
Due to its high sugar content, condensed milk will last longer after opening than evaporated milk but use both optimally within five to seven days after opening. Freezing of evaporated milk is not recommended.
Condensed milk - which is really just dairy milk that is reduced or 'condensed' by evaporating the water from it and with added sugar - can be used as an egg replacement. It works especially well in cheesecakes and chilled desserts. You can use evaporated milk, which is similar, only unsweetened, for savoury dishes.
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