Evaporated milk facts for kids

A can of Borden's evaporated milk from the 1900s. It's from a museum in Mexico City.

Evaporated milk, sometimes called "unsweetened condensed milk," is a special type of cow's milk that comes in a can. About 60% of the water has been taken out of it. This makes it a shelf-stable food, meaning it can last a long time without needing a fridge.

Evaporated milk is different from sweetened condensed milk. Sweetened condensed milk has sugar added to it, which helps keep it fresh. Evaporated milk doesn't have any added sugar. To make it, milk is heated to remove water. Then, it's mixed well (homogenized), put into cans, and heated again to kill any germs (sterilized).

Because most of the water is removed, evaporated milk takes up less space than regular milk. You can mix it with water later to make it like fresh milk again. This long shelf life made evaporated milk very popular before refrigerators were common. It was a safe way to have milk in places where fresh milk was hard to get or store.

Evaporated Milk for Babies

An old machine from the 1860s used to evaporate milk.

In the 1920s and 1930s, evaporated milk became easy to buy and was not expensive. Some studies back then suggested that babies fed formula made with evaporated milk grew just as well as babies who were breastfed.

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that breastfeeding is usually healthier for babies. This is because a mother's early milk (called colostrum) has special nutrients. Also, human breast milk has the perfect nutrition for babies.

How Evaporated Milk is Made

A can of evaporated milk.

Evaporated milk starts as fresh milk. About 60% of the water is removed. After the water is gone, the milk is cooled, made stable, sterilized, and then packaged.

It's heated to a very high temperature, around 240–245 °F (115–118 °C), for about 15 minutes. This high heat gives the milk a slightly caramel-like taste and makes it a bit darker than fresh milk. Because water is removed, evaporated milk has more nutrients and calories in each serving than regular milk.

What's Added to Evaporated Milk

Evaporated milk usually has a few extra ingredients. These include disodium phosphate, which helps stop the milk from clumping. It also often contains carrageenan, which keeps the milk smooth and stops solids from settling at the bottom. Sometimes, vitamins C and D are added too.

How to Use Evaporated Milk

You can use evaporated milk in its thick form in your tea or coffee. It's also great as a topping for desserts.

If you want to make it like regular milk, you can mix it with water. A common way is to mix 1 part of evaporated milk with 1 and 1/4 parts of water.

Rules for Evaporated Milk

Different countries have rules about what evaporated milk must contain. For example, in the United States, evaporated milk must have at least 6.5% milk fat and 23% total milk solids. It also needs to have vitamin D added and be homogenized. It must be sealed in a container and heated to prevent spoilage.

In Canada, evaporated milk must have at least 25% milk solids and 7.5% milk fat. It might also have added vitamin C or D. Some ingredients like disodium phosphate or sodium citrate can be added to help it mix well.

How Long Evaporated Milk Lasts

Canned evaporated milk can last a long time. The regular unsweetened kind can usually last about 15 months before it starts to change. The exact shelf life can depend on how much fat and sugar it contains.

Brands of Evaporated Milk

Many companies sell evaporated milk. Some well-known brands include:

• Carnation Evaporated Milk
• Dairy Isle
• PET Evaporated Milk
• Magnolia evaporated milk
• Viking Melk (from Norway)
• F&N Evaporated Milk
• California Farms Evaporated Milk
• Rainbow Milk
• Nordmilch AG
• Jerzee Evaporated Milk
• O-AT-KA Evaporated Milk
• Ferdi Evaporated Milk
• Vitalait Evaporated Milk
• Luna Evaporated Milk
• Gloria Evaporated Milk

See also

In Spanish: Leche evaporada para niños