Surely no one in our country needs to be convinced that a home-made product is tastier and healthier than the purchased one. This also applies to such a favorite treat among the people as condensed milk. Gone are the days when, having opened a white and blue jar, we tasted a divinely tasty product. In the present condensed milk, producers just don’t put: palm oil and soy, not to mention stabilizers and preservatives. Even if the list of ingredients means “milk”, it may be a reconstituted product. This means that most vitamins and, most importantly, calcium, in such condensed milk have already collapsed. No use, only dubious cloying. This article is devoted to a very topical question: "How to cook homemade condensed milk?" This process is not difficult, so there is no need to be afraid.
Interesting story of condensed milk
The idea of evaporating liquid from milk belongs to the Frenchman N. Uper. In 1810, he developed the theory that with the addition of sugar in the original product all useful substances will be saved. And even more than that: their concentration will increase. However, Upper never translated the "fairy tale into reality", and even more so on an industrial scale. For him, the American Gail Borden did it. Before milk, this entrepreneurial businessman tried to thicken a variety of products. In particular, he invented meat biscuits. They really were stored for a long time, but were disgusting to the taste. Therefore, Borden became famous not for meat "breadcrumbs", but for condensed milk. His invention was patented in August 1856. If we are interested in condensed milk at home, Borden's recipe is unlikely to be useful to us. However, the essence of its technology remains the same as for industrial plants.
How to make condensed milk in accordance with GOST
Borden built his first milk condensation plant in 1856, and made a fortune supplying his product to the front during the Confederate War. He met a very wealthy old age in Texas, where residents even renamed their town in Borden. But in Russia, the first plant for the production of condensed milk was opened in Orenburg. Sugar and “natural normalized pasteurized milk” act as initial ingredients. It is necessary to explain the essence of the last component - we are interested in how to cook homemade condensed milk. It means that milk should be whole, that is, not fat-free, without any additives and impurities. A lot of sugar is added to this product and boiled in vacuum devices. The water contained in milk evaporates as a result of a boiling boil, only dry matter remains. To cook condensed milk at home, we will adhere to exactly the same production scheme.
The benefits and harms of the product
The lion's share of the positive qualities of natural milk is preserved with boiling technology. Condensed milk contains milk fats, calcium, vitamins A, B, C and E, and of the useful trace elements - iodine, fluorine and sodium. The use of this dessert helps to improve vision, strengthen bones and the immune system. Since the technology according to GOST does not include the addition of yeast, dyes, or flavor enhancers, this product is more useful than other modern sweets. And all the more harmless to health, self-cooked condensed milk. At home, the recipe suggests, of course, using a basin or pan with a thick bottom instead of vacuum units, but this does not change anything. But the harm of the product is only one thing: a lot of sugar. Nothing can be done here - this is the technology. Condensed milk is very high in calories. One hundred grams of the product contains 323 kcal. Therefore, it should be consumed in moderation, best as an additive (to pancakes, creams, tea or coffee).
Condensed milk at home: a recipe for our grandmothers
High-quality milk is the key to the success of the whole enterprise! If we are going to cook condensed milk, we need to take an absolutely fresh and, most importantly, whole product. Unfortunately, now even in the market it is difficult to acquire such milk. Many farmers breed it with a low-fat separation product, and so that it does not sour prematurely, antibiotics are added. But if you managed to get real milk, then the process of turning it into condensed milk is not difficult. You just need to be patient - after all, there was plenty of time for our housewife grandmothers. To make condensed milk at home, you need to take a basin for cooking jams. Dishes should be wide to speed up the process of evaporation of the liquid. Pour a liter of milk into it, fill in half the amount of granulated sugar. Stir until crystals are completely dissolved. We put the bowl on moderate heat and cook for two to three hours, often stirring. Condensed milk is considered ready when the elongated droplet does not spread, but rests on the saucer with a “dome”.
Quick recipe
If you are frightened by the prospect of standing at the stove for three hours, continuously stirring the mixture in a bowl with a spoon, you can speed up the process. How to make homemade condensed milk more quickly? You will suffer forty minutes less if you use cream instead of milk. The fatter they are, the more time spent at the stove will be reduced. But the proportions even for 25-30 percent cream remain the same as with ordinary milk: two parts of a liquid per one part of sugar. By the way, about these crystals, called "white poison" by nutritionists. If you take sugar not half a liter per liter of milk, but, say, 700 grams, the cooking process will also be reduced. But this is not recommended: condensed milk comes out very cloying. Cane sugar (brown) is best used. It has a better taste and is prone to crystallization. With it, your condensed milk will turn out more dense. Also, to speed up the cooking process, milk powder is used (half a glass of powder).
Condensed milk using kitchen devices
It is good that we do not live in the age of our grandmothers, and kitchen machines come to our rescue. For example, how to make homemade condensed milk in a slow cooker? Yes, easy, it will take about half an hour. We use the ingredients in the proportions 1: 1: 1. We mix sugar and milk powder in a bowl, dilute with liquid. Turn on the "Soup" mode. Bring to a boil, stirring all the time. Then switch to the "Baking" mode. Hold for another quarter hour, constantly stirring with a spoon. The result is an amazing, cream-colored condensed homemade. For 15 minutes of work, such an excellent result! Sometimes condensed milk crystallizes too much. It turns out unpleasant lumps. To prevent this from happening, add a little bit to the mixture - literally on the tip of the knife - drinking soda.
Condensed milk in a bread maker
A slow cooker is not the only device that can make our life easier in the long and stubborn process of boiling milk. By the way, our grandmothers knew two ways of making homemade condensed milk. We already talked about the first - long cooking in a bowl over an open fire. And the second way is a condensation of milk in a water bath. The process is also long and troublesome ... But now, after all, many housewives have double boiler! The process will take an hour and a half, but there is no need to interfere. The bread maker will do everything herself too. We only boil a liter of milk. Pour it into the bowl of the unit, add 350 grams of sugar and (optionally) a bag of vanillin. We insert a spatula for stirring, close and turn on the jam mode. If the drop spreads, turn on the bread maker again.
Aerogrill boiling
For this device, we use the same proportions as in the classic recipe, that is, we dissolve a pound of sugar in a liter of milk. We put the pan in the grill. The first half hour we cook under the lid at maximum speeds and temperatures. Then set the middle mode. We cook it for an hour or even a half at a temperature of 200 degrees. The process must be watched. Do not increase the cooking time, otherwise you will get homemade boiled condensed milk. To change the structure of the product that is too dense, beat it with a submersible mixer while still hot. Then the dessert will come out homogeneous, without lumps.
Homemade condensed milk in 15 minutes
Is this really possible? Yes, if butter is included in the ingredients, and sugar is replaced with powder. The proportions are as follows: 1: 1: 0.1. For example, take a glass of milk or cream and dissolve 200 grams of powdered sugar in it. Throw 20 g of oil and put the saucepan on a slow fire. Stir intensively to quickly get a homogeneous mass. As soon as a foam appears, indicating a boil, we switch the fire to the middle level. Here you need to be especially careful - milk, as you know, has a tendency to "run away." Therefore, stir especially intensely. Cook after boiling exactly 10 minutes. If we continue the process, we get at the output a home-made boiled pot. Turn off the fire, immerse the whisk of the mixer in a saucepan and beat. Everything - homemade condensed milk is ready in 15 minutes. At first it will seem to you too liquid, but do not worry: when it cools, it will thicken. Place the saucepan in a wide bowl of cold water and stir.
Product storage
In this matter, homemade condensed milk (done in 15 minutes, in an hour or three - it does not matter) is significantly inferior to the store product. This tin can can wait several years until it is opened. Yes, and uncorked, such condensed milk does not spoil in the refrigerator - because it was made in vacuum conditions at high temperatures. But a home product can be procured for future use. To do this, prepare (wash and sterilize) banks. Hot condensed milk is poured into containers that must be rolled up immediately with metal caps. But even with such a careful approach, the product can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than two months. If you open the can, condensed milk should be taken out with a dry, clean spoon.
How to make a "boiled pot"
Many love this taste, so reminiscent of a toffee! In addition, boiled condensed milk is often used for confectionery purposes - for creams, mousses. You can also make delicious Cow sweets from it. As you probably already guessed, boiled condensed milk at home is done exactly the same as ordinary. Just increase the cooking time until the mixture changes color from white to beige, and then to caramel or even light brown. This option allows you to adjust the density of the product yourself. But boiled condensed milk, cooked at home, should cool in a special mode. Put the dishes in which it was prepared in a wider one, filled with very cold water. Stir the boiled pot constantly. If this is not done, cooling will take place unevenly, layers will form, which will then create lumps.