Evaporation milk is an industrial product of canned milk made from fresh milk. The fresh milk used will be reduced in water content. This type of milk is also known as sugarless condensed milk. The process of making evaporated milk itself begins by evaporating the water content up to 60 percent followed by the homogenization process. After going through the two processes, the milk is then packed in cans and heated to 115-118 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes for sterilization purposes.
Reducing the water content in evaporated milk aims to extend the expiration date. Through this process, milk will last several months or even several years longer. The duration of this endurance will depend on the fat and sugar content in it.
Milk that has gone through the production stages as above still does not experience shrinkage, meaning when viewed from the side of the important nutrients. The process of making evaporated milk still makes the protein and fat content can be digested by the body. The mineral content of calcium, phosphorus, and other compounds in this type of milk can also be digested, just like fresh milk.
Every 100 grams of evaporated milk has 74.04 grams of water, besides that, there is still:
- 134 kcal of energy;
- 6.81 grams of protein;
- 7.56 total fat; and
- 10.04 carbohydrates.
The mineral groups in evaporated milk include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc. Meanwhile, the vitamin content in this type of milk includes vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, vitamin A, and folate.
Making Evaporated Milk at Home
Evaporated milk is usually used to make foods or drinks that are smooth and soft textured. Some foods and drinks that usually use this type of milk are milkshakes and brownies. Then what if it feels like making a snack, but not having evaporated milk? No need to worry because, in fact, it is not difficult to make it yourself at home.
To make evaporated milk, just prepare the basic ingredients as follows.
- Half a cup of butter;
- Half a cup of boiling water; and
- One-half cup of instant powdered milk.
Mix butter and water into a medium-sized pan that has been heated. After that, stir until smooth. Reduce the heat when the butter and water mixture has boiled. Make sure the mixture is constantly stirred during the manufacturing process.
The next step is to mix instant milk powder into the solution and keep stirring until the ingredients are completely dissolved. Cook this mixture until you reach the desired thickness. Let the mixture stand until it cools by itself.
This homemade evaporated milk can be packed into glass bottles and stored in the refrigerator. The quality will still be good for consumption for at least one week after making. If you want to reduce the amount of fat in homemade evaporated milk, then reduce the amount of butter as desired.
More efficient and has a nutrient content that is not much different from fresh milk making evaporated milk a choice of foods that can be consumed at any time. With a relatively cheap price, it makes this type of milk worthy of being one of the nutrition mines for family members.
