How to Make Evaporated Milk?

Evaporated milk, a thick, creamy dairy product, is a liquid food made by partially removing the water from fresh cow’s milk through slow simmering and vacuum evaporation. The resulting product would have an intensified flavor and a richer texture and include regular, skim, low-fat, and filled evaporated milk.
Making evaporated milk at home requires heating milk on low heat until the water is reduced, and the industrial production of evaporated milk relies on advanced heat exchangers and vacuum technology to achieve quicker and more efficient results.

What is Evaporated Milk?

As the name suggests, evaporated milk is a type of dairy product produced by evaporating about 60% of the cow milk’s water through a slow heating process. This canned product is a shelf-stable, concentrated milk form developed back in the 1890s. Once the water from the cow’s milk is evaporated, it is sterilized and homogenized. Evaporated milk as a shelf-stable food was aimed to be an alternative to fresh milk, stored for months and transported easily to long distances.

Evaporated Milk vs. Sweetened Condensed Milk

Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are often mistaken for each other as they resemble in their form. Even though both start with fresh milk and are processed and heated to reduce their water content by 60%, their main difference lies in color and sweetness.

As its name suggests, sweetened condensed milk contains about 40 to 45 percent sugar, while evaporated milk only contains about 10% sugar in weight in the form of lactose.
Evaporated milk has a tan color because of its protein and lactose content, and sweetened milk has a lighter color due to its sugar concentration.
Sweetened condensed milk is a common choice for people worldwide, especially in Asia.

What is Evaporated Milk Used For?

Evaporated milk is a milky, mild, and unsweetened game-changer used in baking, cooking, or as a sweetener. Due to its creamy nature, evaporated milk is widely used in fudge recipes, cheese sauce production, and other recipes.

When evaporated milk is left in its low-moisture, canned state, it acts as a superb enriching and thickening agent. In smoothies, evaporated milk is added to give body and shape to the food, and in coffee, it is added to bring sweetness and thickness.
Some even use it in their soups and chowders to add a hint of richness to their food and make it creamier!

Homemade Methods For Making Evaporated Milk

Evaporated milk comes in ready industrial packages sold in stores. However, you can try to make it at home and even store it for later consumption.
To make evaporated milk at home, you need only one essential ingredient: the milk of your choice!
Pro tips:
– Preferably use cow’s milk with 3.25%-3.5% fat.
– If you wish to use non-dairy, go for it! You can use soy, oat, cashew, or coconut milk.

To make evaporated milk at home, basic equipment, including a saucepan (heavy bottom), spatula, sieve, and a measuring jug, are needed.

Making evaporated milk at home has a straightforward production process. However, there are key points to consider:

1. Pour your milk of choice into your heavy-bottom saucepan.
2. Simmer the milk in the saucepan over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes, whisk occasionally, and ensure you don’t boil it. If the consistency is of your liking, this step is done. This step is done to evaporate the excess water from your milk.
3. What you are left with now is a liquid that is very creamy in color and texture. In this step, you must sieve the skins or curls from the finished product.
4. Last but not least, make sure you cool down the finished product in the air before storing it in the refrigerator.

To properly store your evaporated milk, ensure the milk is cooled at room temperature and refrigerate your covered evaporated milk for up to 5 days.
You can even freeze your leftover evaporated milk to extend its shelf life and use it later. To properly freeze evaporated milk, you must put it in an air-tight container to leave some room for expansion. When you need to use your evaporated milk, thaw it in the refrigerator and mix it before using as the texture might change slightly due to freezing.

A Little Bit of Evaporated Milk Production History

The production of evaporated milk didn’t just happen overnight; and goes way back! It’s interesting to know that, like many other products like instant coffee and Cheetos, evaporated milk is also a by-product of wartime! Back then, technology was not as advanced as now, and Napoleon so ambitiously wanted to feed his expansive army across Europe. However, some foods were perishable, so the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could develop a method to extend the shelf life of those foods.
A confectioner named Nicholas Appert, living on the outskirts of Paris, came into the picture, conceptualizing a stable milk called evaporated milk on January 30, 1810. His innovative approach toward making evaporated milk involved reducing it to one-third of its original bulk by boiling it in an open kettle, sealing it in a corked bottle, and then heating it again in a hot water bath.
However, one problem still existed: fat and water separation due to the evaporation process. As a solution, in 1909, the homogenization process was introduced to take the evaporated milk quality to the next level and be as emulsified as the real milk should be!

How is Industrial Evaporated Milk Produced?

From the beginning of commercially produced evaporated milk in 1885, the industry has increasingly grown and developed to the point that there are various brands of this product for customers. According to the Washington Post, it has become the largest single canned food sold in the United States, and an average of 5,000 cans are opened every minute!Raw Materials

The primary ingredient used to produce evaporated milk is cow’s milk itself. The evaporated milk processors get the raw material for production from the nearest dairy farms. Adding salt, like potassium phosphate, is another way to prevent the milk from breaking down during the process, which acts as a stabilizing agent. Food processors in this industry also fortify the milk with Vitamin D with direct exposure to ultraviolet light. One other magic trick food processors use is the addition of powdered lactose crystals to the concentrated milk to stimulate lactose production, increasing milk’s shelf life.

Step-by-Step Manufacturing Process of Evaporated Milk

1. Pre-Treatment
   As mentioned, raw milk gets transported from the nearby dairy farm in refrigerated tank trucks to the plant. The milk then goes through a test for its odor, taste, bacteria, sediment, and fat and protein composition. Fat and protein composition in milk is inspected by exposing the milk to infrared lights.
2. Pasteurization to Eliminate Harmful Bacteria and Impurities
   To eliminate harmful bacteria and impurities, processors pass the raw milk through filters and pasteurizers, where it is heated in two various ways:
   The High-Temperature Short Time (HTST), in which the milk is exposed to temperatures of 161 °F (71.6°C) for 15 seconds, and the Ultra High Temperature (UHT) method, in which the milk is heated to 280°F (138°C) for two seconds.
3. Vacuum Evaporators and Heat Exchangers
   The milk, which is now warm, is piped to vacuum evaporators. Vacuum evaporators expose the liquid to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure and as a result, the milk is concentrated to 30-40% solids.
4. Homogenization of Milk
   By forcing the milk under tiny holes, the fat globules in milk break down into little particles and homogenized. This step is crucial to maintain and improve the color and stability of evaporated milk.
5. Addition of Stabilizing Salts and Vitamin D,
   In this step, a premeasured amount of stabilizing salt, such as potassium phosphate, is added to the milk to give the evaporated milk a creamy and smooth texture.
   To fortify the Vitamin D, milk undergoes a series of ultraviolet light.
   Once everything is done, the milk is passed down to the sterilized cans and vacuum-sealed.

Conclusion

Evaporated milk, whether homemade or industrially produced, offers a versatile and essential ingredient for cooking, baking, and food manufacturing. While homemade evaporated milk provides a fresher version for small-scale use, industrially processed evaporated milk ensures consistency and a longer shelf life.
Understanding the differences in production methods, from simple stovetop reduction to high-tech vacuum evaporation, allows you to make informed choices based on your preference, to make it at home or buy a canned one in your local store.

FAQ

1- What can I use instead of evaporated milk?
There are several substitute options to use instead of evaporated milk, depending on the recipe and your dietary needs. For example, heavy cream is a perfect substitute for your recipes if you expect a richer texture. Half-and-half, on the other hand, has almost the same consistency but with less fat content and is suitable for those individuals concerned with their dietary intake. Those who seek non-dairy options can use plant-based evaporated milk, like soy, almond, or oat. If you are looking for a quick fix and are in a hurry to have evaporated milk, you can also mix the regular milk with cornstarch or a small amount of butter. Cornstarch or butter can help thicken the milk and mimic the real evaporated milk’s thick consistency.
Another alternative, which is known to have a denser texture, is powdered milk reconstituted with less water.
Of course, whichever substitute you choose has to go with the dish you’re making, as every recipe requires different adjustments for the ultimate results.

2- What’s the difference between regular milk and evaporated milk?
There is a noticeable difference between regular and evaporated milk. The primary difference between the two lies in the processing method and moisture content. Regular milk, which you might consume in your house, is simply pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria and then packed into proper packages for consumption. With 87% water content, regular milk has a fresh, standard flavor and texture.
Evaporated milk, on the other hand, as the name suggests, undergoes a specific process where about 60% of its water content is removed, giving the milk a thicker, creamier texture with a slightly caramelized taste due to its exposure to extreme heat. To make the evaporated milk shelf-stable, it is then homogenized and canned, ready to be sold.
Regular milk and evaporated milk’s use cases also differ from one another. While regular milk might be ideal for everyday consumption, evaporated milk is often used as a substitute for heavy cream or in sauces to introduce a needed creaminess to the recipe without the added fat of cream.

3- Can I make evaporated milk from powdered milk?
Matter of fact, yes! You can make a substitute for evaporated milk and use powdered milk to mimic the evaporated milk’s characteristics. However, to reach the richness and concentrated texture of evaporated milk, you need to execute a simple method:

1. Mix Powdered Milk with Less Water: Every 1 cup of evaporated milk calls for 2/3 cup of powdered milk and 1/3 cup of water, giving the evaporated milk a thicker consistency.
2. Blend Carefully: Because you’re using powdered milk, you must stir well to avoid having any lumps in your mixture and ensure the texture is smooth and homogeneous.