Condensed milk and evaporated milk are often confused because their names sound so similar. After all, doesn't evaporation condense/concentrate what it leaves behind? Actually, yes. Unsweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are the same thing. To make it, 60% of the water in the milk is removed by evaporation in a high-heat environment. The heat causes some of the natural sugars in the milk to caramelize, so it is often slightly darker in color than plain milk. While the original evaporated milk was made from whole milk, it also comes in nonfat and low fat varieties. It is sometimes used in baking, but is most often suggested as a lighter version of cream for soups and coffee drinks. It is shelf-stable, so it's a great thing to keep around the house in case a recipe calls for it.
The difference between condensed and evaporated comes in to play when you have sweetened condensed milk, which cannot be substituted for evaporated milk. Sweetened condensed milk contains a very large amount of sugar. In fact, at least 40% of what is inside a can of sweetened condensed milk is sugar. It is therefore very sweet, in addition to being shelf-stable. Sweetened condensed milk, in addition to being used in baking and candy-making, is a popular addition to drinks like Vietnamese coffee and Thai iced tea. Its most popular use at the moment is for making dulce de leche, which is a heavily caramelized version of sweetened condensed milk. Again, it is shelf stable, so rather than wondering about substitutes, it is best to pick up a can and stick it in the back of the cupboard in case it is needed.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-12-2006 @ 6:27PM
jmchez said...
Of course, the best use of sweetened condensed milk is to make flan but I know that some of you at Slashfood don't like flan. Odd how an American invention rarely used in mainstream American cooking is so popular in Latin America and Asia.
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5-12-2006 @ 6:29PM
Bestvnteas said...
An very informative article. One learns something new every day. Interesting articles like this one are great resources that make slashfood.com worth visiting.
http://www.cookies-in-motion.com
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5-12-2006 @ 6:33PM
Bestvnteas said...
A very informative article. One learns something new every day. Interesting articles like this one are great resources that make slashfood.com worth visiting.
http://www.cookies-in-motion.com
Reply
5-13-2006 @ 9:17AM
Jason said...
No no, the best use of sweetened condensed milk is garlic donair sauce. Mmmmmmmmm.
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5-15-2006 @ 10:37AM
Cindy said...
My favorite use for it is in making Tres Leches cakes. There are a few recipes out there for making it at home if you don't happen to have a can.
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5-25-2006 @ 6:53PM
Mindy said...
So, to be clear, if I have a baking recipe that calls for sweetened condensed milk, I cannot use evaporated milk? Is it because of the density of the sweetened condensed milk? If it's just a matter of the amount of sugar, couldn't I just add more sugar with the evaporated milk. Actually, I'd be using Splenda.
Sorry for any confusion, but obviously I'm confused!
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5-25-2006 @ 7:58PM
Nicole Weston said...
Hi Mindy. Basically, the answer to your question is yes. You cannot substitute evaporated milk for sweetened, condensed milk.
The best solution to a problem of this kind is to keep several cans of both at the back of your pantry, since they'll last just about forever.
More specifically, it's a matter of flavor and volume. First, it tastes very different from evaporated milk, so the flavor of your final dish would be adversely affected.
Second, if you simply added sugar to evaporated milk, you would have far more liquid than the recipe calls for. You would have to add sugar and then reduce the mixture back down to the original volume.
Splenda could not be added in any case because sweetened condensed milk has been cooked so caramelized sugar, not just plain sugar, is a major component. Splenda cannot caramelize in this way.
I hope that helps!
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