What to do with evaporated milk

Evaporated milk is a great product to keep in your pantry for making lower-fat dishes.

The low-down

What is it?

Evaporated milk is milk which has been processed so that 60% of the water is removed. This gives it a creamy texture but only 1/4 of the fat of cream.

'Light' versions have even less fat; they're similar to low-fat milk. It's also high in calcium.

There is also a coconut flavoured 'light' evaporated milk available.

Where do I get it?

Evaporated milk is sold in supermarkets; usually it's where you find powdered milk and coconut cream.

Ideas for using evaporated milk

• Make creamy pasta sauce guilt-free; use light evaporated milk instead of cream at the end of cooking. Try this HFG fettuccine carbonara recipe.
• Finish soups with evaporated milk to give a creamy texture.
• Use in sauces instead of full-cream milk or cream.
• Use coconut flavoured light evaporated milk instead of coconut cream in curries, and in marinated fish dishes.  Try this HFG Thai chicken curry recipe.
• Use the coconut flavoured evaporated milk to make a healthier satay sauce; mix it with peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce.
• Use in baking in place of cream or milk.
• Try it in ice cream and frozen desserts instead of cream.

Tips

• Take care with evaporated milk as it can curdle or form a skin if heated too hot. Take the dish off the heat for a few moments before adding the evaporated milk.
• Leftover evaporated milk can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week; treat it the same as fresh milk.
• Freeze evaporated milk in cubes and then store in ziplock bags.