Condensed milk is one of those things that loads of recipes, especially sweeter ones, call for, which forces you to have to keep a can in your cupboard at all times, just in case you need one for a recipe you want to make.
However, instead of having to pay over the odds to Carnation just to keep one of their little cans in your cupboard at all times, why not just learn how to make it yourself?
How Can I Use My Homemade Condensed Milk?
Condensed milk is an incredibly versatile ingredient, and is a key ingredient in adding a luscious, sweet creaminess to basically any recipe.
You can use your homemade condensed milk as a direct replacement for the canned stuff in all kinds of sauces and desserts, but you could also eat it on its own with a drizzle of honey and some fruit to make a sweet, delicious sweet treat!
What Kind Of Special Equipment Do I Need To Make Condensed Milk?
Condensed milk is essentially nothing more than sweetened milk that has been reduced to a silky texture, so the only thing you need to make it is a heavy-bottomed saucepan!
However, to help make it a little nicer in its finished texture, a fine-meshed sieve can really help to ensure that everything is smooth and homogenous and that there are no burnt bits of milk that sneak their way in.
Ingredients
1 cup full-fat milk
½ cup granulated sugar
Tiny pinch of baking soda
How To Make Homemade Condensed Milk
Step 1 – Combine your milk and sugar in a heavy-bottomed, wide saucepan that doesn’t burn easily, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 2 – Once at a gentle simmer, reduce the heat to medium, stirring with a spatula to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of boil over, and continue cooking until the whole mixture has reduced by half and it is thick and luscious, around 20-30 minutes.
Step 3 – Turn off the heat and stir in the very small pinch of baking soda, and then leave to cool until the whole thing is room temperature.
Step 4 – Store your condensed milk in a sealed container in the fridge for one month.
Troubleshooting Tips
• Little bits of milk burning onto the bottom of your saucepan are definitely the biggest problem that you might run into when making this. Milk just loves to overcook and accidentally burn, which can add a huge amount of that unpleasant, darkened burnt milk flavor. To best avoid this, just keep stirring the condensed milk mixture, either with a spatula or a whisk, pretty much constantly as it cooks.
• If your condensed milk just absolutely refuses to thicken, then you simply aren’t cooking it down enough. Remember that making condensed milk is essentially evaporating out around half of the total volume of liquid, and then letting the rest emulsify with the sugar and turn thick and luscious. If your condensed milk isn’t thickening, it just needs more time on the heat.
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Nutritional Facts
For the health-conscious out there, here are the nutritional details for 1 tablespoon of condensed milk.
Calories: 124
Total Fat: 1.3 grams
Saturated Fat: 0.8 grams
Cholesterol: 5 milligrams
Sodium: 29 milligrams
Total Carbohydrates: 28 grams
Dietary Fiber: 0 grams
Sugars: 27.8 grams
Protein: 2 gram
Potassium: 35 milligrams
FAQs
Condensed milk is a surprisingly good thing to have on hand, but when you make it fresh, it isn’t going to last an exceptionally long time in your fridge. While it could last up to one month in your fridge, you could absolutely also just freeze it instead, so that you always have it on hand!
Just make sure that, when you defrost it, you give it time to thoroughly defrost all of the way, and to really intensely stir it after it has been defrosted, just in case any of the sugar has crystallized and separated out.
The addition of a touch of baking soda to this recipe does two useful things: firstly, it stops skin forming on the top of the condensed milk, because the little particles of baking soda act as an aggregate to break up any skin that threatens to form.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it helps to neutralize some of the acidity of your milk. Milk is inherently a little bit acidic, and since you are basically concentrating this milk by evaporating so much water out of it, you need to also balance out the relatively high amounts of acidity that is left over.
This recipe makes for a simply flavored, yet very sweet, condensed milk that can be used in all kinds of different recipes.
However, if you want to add a few flavorings yourself so that it is always exactly as you like it, go ahead! A touch of vanilla extract, some orange or lemon zest, or even a few simple spices could make this an incredibly rich and decadent condensed milk that could be eaten all on its own!
How to Make Your Own Condensed Milk
Ingredients
1 cup full-fat milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Tiny pinch of baking soda
Instructions
Step 1 – Combine your milk and sugar in a heavy-bottomed, wide saucepan that doesn’t burn easily, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 2 – Once at a gentle simmer, reduce the heat to medium, stirring with a spatula to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of boil over, and continue cooking until the whole mixture has reduced by half and it is thick and luscious, around 20-30 minutes.
Step 3 – Turn off the heat and stir in the very small pinch of baking soda, and then leave to cool until the whole thing is room temperature.
Step 4 – Store your condensed milk in a sealed container in the fridge for one month.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
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