Evaporated milk might seem like a relic from a bygone era. Amid mantras of eating fresh, local or organic, here we have a can of shelf-stable dairy product. And yet, this little can packs so much utility, versatility and convenience that it’s in a class of its own.
If evaporated milk is an anomaly to you, here’s why you should consider adding a can or two to your grocery list today.
Evaporated milk is exactly what its name implies — cow’s milk that has had some (about 60 percent) of its water removed. The evaporation process results in a richer, more luxurious milk that has a slightly caramelized, toasty nuttiness to it. In addition to flavor, the shelf-stable canned milk means that you can head to your pantry anytime you need a bit of creamy dairy instead of hoping the carton in the refrigerator hasn’t spoiled yet.
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“I should buy stock in evaporated milk as much as I use and love it,” food blogger Marta Rivera Diaz said. “I think evaporated milk is the most underrated coffee creamer. I used to heat it and whip it with a milk frother to add to espresso, and my friends swore I was using some expensive brand of bottled creamer.” She also said it’s her favorite ingredient to add a rich flavor to mashed potatoes.
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Cook with Aaron Hutcherson
I’m Aaron, a food writer, recipe developer and the Dinner in Minutes columnist for Washington Post Food. I’m a classically trained chef who loves the comfort and soul food I grew up with and exploring other cuisines. Need help in the kitchen? Email me at aaron.hutcherson@washpost.com or join my weekly live chat.
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I grew up watching my dad pour evaporated milk into his coffee when we were out of his favorite creamer. It’s also great to add to breakfast porridges for extra creaminess; it can be thinned with water for cereal in a pinch; and it makes incredibly creamy pasta sauces with less fat than heavy cream. (My fondest association is my mother using evaporated milk along with Velveeta to make her ultra creamy macaroni and cheese.)
Evaporated milk was invented at the beginning of the 19th century thanks to Napoleon and his need for transportable food to feed his French soldiers. Across the Atlantic in the United States, following updates to the process, evaporated milk started to be manufactured commercially in 1885. It grew to become the largest single canned food sold in the country in the middle of the 20th century, according to the American Dairy Science Association. But in the decades that followed, an overall increase in milk production coupled with a simultaneous decline in the consumption of cow’s milk made shelf-stable milk less necessary, and evaporated milk’s popularity fell like Napoleon’s empire.
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For some cooks and communities, however, it has been and always will be an integral part of their cuisine.
“Evaporated milk is a staple in many Puerto Rican and Latine homes as it’s the base for many of our desserts, such as flan, budín (bread pudding), and tres leches cake,” Rivera Diaz said. “Additionally, one of Puerto Rico’s most loved holiday drinks, coquito, is made with evaporated milk, among others. Warm cereals, like harina de maíz, farina, and arroz con dulce (which is also served cold), are also recipes we make with evaporated milk. To say it’s an important ingredient in the Latine kitchen is an understatement.”
You can easily find cans of evaporated milk in the baking aisle of most supermarkets, in regular, 2 percent and fat free varieties. (Be careful not to confuse it with sweetened condensed milk, which is basically evaporated milk with sugar added, and the two are not interchangeable.) Unopened, the cans last at least a year in the pantry, which is great for people like me who don’t typically keep milk, cream or half-and-half in their refrigerator, and for people who keep a stocked pantry for storm preparedness.
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The best-by date can give you an idea of the milk’s age, but if you open a can — give it a good shake first — and it’s darker than the expected yellowish-off-white color, smells bad or is curdled, then you should not consume it. Once opened, manufacturers recommend you refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use it within a few days.
To transform evaporated milk into a substitute for regular milk, simply mix it with an equal amount of water. Or, depending on the recipe, you can use the evaporated milk as-is for a richer result. It makes an excellent direct swap for half-and-half in many instances, but keep in mind that evaporated milk has less fat and more protein than half-and-half. When it comes to heavy cream, you can use the same volume of evaporated milk, but evaporated milk isn’t as thick nor does it contain as much fat as cream.
Here are a few recipes from our archives that put evaporated milk to good use:
- Creamy Bucatini With Roasted Seaweed
- Gnocchi With Creamy Spinach Sauce
- Coquito (Puerto Rican Coconut Rum Punch)
- Tres Leches Cake
- Libby’s New-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie With Dulce de Leche and Cardamom
