Evaporated milk is thick concentrated and unsweetened milk made by evaporation of about 60% of the water from fresh whole milk. Evaporated milk is sold in cans and has a longer shelf life than normal milk. It’s also called dehydrated or concentrated milk.
Typical ingredients in evaporated milk are: concentrated milk, disodium Phosphate and carrageenan. It can also be enriched with vitamins, A, C or D.
Disodium phosphate is used to adjust pH and prevent coagulation in evaporated milk. Carrageenan is an extract from red and purple seaweeds, used as a thickening, emulsifying and stabilizing agent.
How is evaporated Milk Made?
The process of making evaporated milk involves evaporation of water from fresh whole milk, homogenization, fortification with vitamins, stabilization, canning and sterilizing.
How much fat in evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk has at least 6.6% milk fat and 25.5 percent milk solids. It is also available in low-fat, and fat-free versions so the milk fat content will be variable depending on the brand and whether it’s whole or fat free. Fresh whole milk has 3.4% milk fat.
What is the difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk?
Condensed milk is thick concentrated and sweetened milk made by evaporation of fresh whole milk. it has about 40-45 percent sugar added, to increase the shelf life. Condensed milk is sweet, sticky and pale yellow in colour. It’s also marketed as sweetened condensed milk.
Evaporated milk is also a thick concentrated milk made by evaporation of fresh whole milk but it’s unsweetened. No sugar is added to it. It’s not sweet, nor sticky and is paler in colour, comparatively.
Culinary Use of Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk is used for making desserts, custards and for baking due to its unique flavour. It can also be used as substitute for cream and as a rich substitute for milk.
To use as a substitute for fresh whole milk for drinking or recipes, dilute with an equal amount of cold water and chill in the refrigerator.
Use as creamer for coffee or tea, instead of using half and half.
Storage of Evaporated Milk
- Store in a cool dry place and use by “sell by date”
- Shake well before use and refrigerate after opening in an airtight container.
Composition of Fresh Milk
Fresh whole milk is made up of approximately: 87% water, 4.9% carbohydrate in the form of lactose, 3.4% fat, 3.3% protein, vitamins, minerals, and minor biological proteins & enzymes.
Points to Note
homogenization of milk: means that the milk fat globules are reduced in size and dispersed uniformly through the rest of the milk.
To fortify means to add vitamins, usually vitamin D, in the case of milk.
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Liz, I love evaporated milk in my puddings, ice cream, and sausage gravy, but I noticed the addition of carrageenan to it recently. I have no idea how long it has been added, but I resent the additions of such additives. I’m sure it wasn’t added 50 years ago, more or less. Are the phosphates really necessary also?
The phosphates are added to balance the pH and prevent coagulation so it gives it a longer shelf life. Of course all additives can be avoided but the milk would have a shorter shelf life. Pasteurized milk in tetra packs without preservatives lasts about one week in the fridge. I don’t use evaporated milk very often. Have a great week.
Liz