How long does it take to cook condensed milk in a can and how to do it correctly?

To boiled condensed milk is not indifferent to most adults and children.However, the quality of modern products under this name causes concern - so questionable is their composition. However, this is not a reason to abandon the delicious delicacy, because you can cook it yourself in the old-fashioned way.

Condensed cow milk is called condensed milk, from which moisture is evaporated. To add sweetness to the product, sugar is often put into it, and as a result it receives a white, but still liquid mass. Like any sweet consistency, it sticks to hands. High-quality condensed milk is packed in cans, so that its shelf life is increased to 12 months. If you cook this product, it gets a brown tint, a thicker texture and a pronounced caramel flavor. The resulting dish is called Dulce de Leche, which in Spanish means “milk jam”. However, in our country such a dish is known as boiled condensed milk.

Today, condensed milk is sold in doy-pack bags, plastic and glass containers. Since the cooking is carried out without removing the composition from the container, only tin containers will do. Carefully examine the label before purchasing. Only a product designated as "Whole condensed milk with sugar." If the label has a different name, even if it is very close in meaning, boiled condensed milk will not work out of it.

You can get high-quality and tasty caramel mass from the most natural condensed milk, which contains only sugar and milk. If it contains preservatives and flavors, as well as components beginning with “E”, then during the cooking process, the product may collapse, delaminate, and behave in an unexpected manner. It is worth paying attention to the appearance of the can - it should not have dents and damage, rust traces.

Naturally, only hermetically sealed containers are allowed for cooking, and its shelf life must be unexpired. If you choose the right raw materials and follow the recommendations for cooking, you get an aromatic boiled condensed milk, reminiscent of toffee. It definitely surpasses store counterparts sold under the same name to their taste and security.

Cooking condensed milk requires a lot of time. Depending on the method chosen, this takes from 3 to 4 hours, so most housewives prefer to boil several cans at once. After cooling, they are simply removed in the refrigerator and opened as needed. Cooking time affects the hue, texture and taste of boiled condensed milk.

If you boil the condensed milk for several hours from the moment of boiling, it will turn into a pleasant caramel or light brown color and will slightly thicken. This mixture is usually used for making sweets, smearing the cake cakes. If you extend the cooking time for one hour, you get a rich rich brown shade "boiled" with a delicious aroma. It will have to be taken out of the can with a spoon, and the composition will not drain, but will harden with a viscous sweet mass. Finally, if you boil the product for 3.5 hours, it will become saturated brown, and you will have to eat it with a knife. Boiled condensed milk will be cut like butter.

This method rightfully claims to be a classic, since it was in this way that dulce de leche was prepared in the Soviet period. The process does not require special skills, although “put it on fire and forgot” about this recipe cannot be said, because you need to control the water level all the time, adding it if necessary. This method also attracts by the fact that at the same time allows you to cook a lot of condensed milk. It is enough to take a wide saucepan and increase the volume of water to immediately hold several cans.

The pot should be taken with thick walls and bottom. Tins need to remove labels.

Cooking a creamy dessert at home from ordinary condensed milk will succeed if it is quite fatty. This indicator should be at least 8.5%. It is better to put the tins in the pot, and not to put it vertically. In this case, they will not float during the cooking process, and the layer of water above the banks in this arrangement will be larger. And so that the containers do not touch the bottom and do not rumble, rolling over it, it is recommended to first put a piece of natural fabric on the bottom, then cans, and then pour water. It should be so much so that the banks are completely hidden, and above them there is a layer of liquid at least 2-3 cm, but better - 5-10 cm.

After that, you need to turn on high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Then the intensity of the boil should be reduced and leave the pan for 2-3.5 hours. This is enough to get the "boiled". If you need a dish of a darker shade with a more viscous and dense texture, you can boil the composition up to 4 hours. If necessary, you need to add water so that the banks in any case do not remain uncovered with water. To do this, it is better to pour water boiled in the kettle into the pot.

When the specified time interval passes, containers with boiled condensed milk are taken out of boiling water using a skimmer or tongs for cooks and put on a towel. Jars are hot, so you need to act very carefully, and leave them to cool should be on a heat-resistant surface. The dish is ready (you can open it and taste it or put it in the fridge) after the temperature of the contents corresponds to room temperature. As a rule, it takes a whole day, sometimes a day.

You can speed up the cooling time by placing hot jars in a pan with cold water. As soon as it heats up, drain the liquid and fill it with a new batch of cold water. Repeat until the bank becomes cold and stop heating the water, while it is better not to rush to open the container, because the condensed milk has completely cooled along the walls, and it is still hot inside the can and can “shoot”.

On the stove, you can cook condensed milk not only in the iron factory packaging, but also in a conventional glass jar. To do this, pour the product into a jar, put it in a saucepan and fill it with water. Its quantity should coincide with the level of condensed milk in the can. Put the saucepan on the fire and bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the “milk jam” for 3–3.5 minutes. You should not interfere with it in the cooking process, but it is necessary to add water to the pan when boiling it out. The finished "boil" should be left in the jar until the water cools in the pan.

When cooking in a pressure cooker follow the same rules - the banks are placed in a container, completely filled with water. The cooking time is a quarter of an hour, after which the cans under the lid are left in the liquid for another 3 hours. After this time, open the pressure cooker, but the condensed milk is removed only after it has cooled completely. Similarly, the dish is prepared in a slow cooker, while it is worthwhile to choose the “Soup” mode.

Boil condensed milk in the microwave can only by opening the jar and placing it in a glass container designed for use in the microwave. Set the power of 750 W on the unit and cook for several minutes. After take out and mix. Repeat the process, removing the container with the cream and mixing it every 2 minutes. This will protect the milk from burning and finish cooking when the dish has the desired consistency.

Despite the fact that cooking condensed milk is a fairly simple process, you should definitely follow a few rules, otherwise, there is a risk not only to spoil the “boil”, but also to provoke an explosion of the can.

• The first rule concerns the amount of water in the pot. She must completely cover the jar. The fact is that the boiling point of water can not exceed 100 ºС, and therefore, the bank will not heat the above limit. Even if this happens because the tin comes into contact with the bottom of the pot, the surrounding liquid will “take over” the heat. If it happens that some of the capacity is not under water, it will lead to its overheating. As a result, the temperature of the sweet mass exceeds that outside the can. This will cause the expansion of condensed milk and as a result, the explosion of the banks.

• The second rule concerns the time of opening the banks. Condensed milk located inside the can increases in volume after cooking. Naturally, hermetically sealed tin restrains the mixture. However, if you open the can while the caramel mass has not cooled, it will flow upwards in the form of a hot fountain. Thus, it is extremely dangerous to open a can of boiled condensed milk immediately after heat treatment - you can scald. This can be done only after it cools down to room temperature.

In addition to the mandatory rules, you can give a few recommendations. Although paper labels may lag behind the jars themselves during the cooking process, it is better to do this before processing begins. Otherwise, the pop-up "paper" will interfere with the process, stick to the pan. Remove the label can be wetted with warm water. When the liquid soaks the paper, just pull over the edge of the label and remove it with a whole piece.

It is unacceptable to scrape a paper sticker with a knife or metal brush, as this may cause damage to the container walls. In the process of high temperature exposure, the situation will worsen, which will eventually lead to the explosion of the can.

Details on how to cook condensed milk in the bank, see the video below.