Since childhood, all of us are familiar with the delicate taste of natural condensed milk with sugar. At that time, condensed milk was much tastier than it is now. For many children, it was the most favorite delicacy: it was spread on bread instead of butter, and sometimes it was eaten straight from the can until strict parents noticed. Now, under the guise of condensed milk, a product is often sold in which there is almost no milk at all, but there are many additives.
What do we see in the store?
Colorful blue and white bags, jars, tubes, each of which, as the manufacturers assure, contains condensed milk. Indeed, the packaging may say "Condensed milk" or "Condensed milk", but to understand what's inside, you need to read the composition of the product. And inside, as it turns out, milk powder, thickeners, sugar and vegetable fats. To reduce production costs, smart producers are replacing milk with vegetable fat. The production of such condensed milk is half the price compared to the usual one.
high quality condensed milkBut what about the name, because according to the law, "condensed milk" can be called a product made from whole milk and sugar, but not from vegetable fats? The manufacturers solved the problem very simply: the design of the blue and white packaging reminds us of the condensed milk that we tasted in childhood, and in addition to the packaging - a consonant name, for example, "Condensed milk". The buyer, attracted by the design and the name, takes the product from the shelf, and only at home realizes that he has bought not condensed milk, but a mixture of fats and sugar.
In order not to be mistaken, carefully read the name: if the label says "Whole condensed milk with sugar" or at least "Condensed milk with sugar" - you can buy without fear. Also pay attention to the quality standard. Some do not indicate GOST for condensed milk, instead of it there is the designation TU or GOST 9001-2009. TU is just technical conditions that each enterprise can develop independently and register, and GOST 9001-2009 is a standard for the management of the enterprise itself. GOST of real condensed milk should have the numbers 53436-09 , only in this case you can be sure that condensed milk is in the can, and not a paste of thickeners and substitutes.
Even if the label is okay, look at the lid. Is there a number "76" in the top row of digits ?? If not, it's better to put the jar back on the shelf, because there can be anything inside, but not real condensed milk.
What should be the consistency of your favorite dessert?
In laboratory conditions, the viscosity is determined using a special device, but at home, condensed milk can also be checked. Stir the product right in the jar, then pour a little into a teaspoon and watch the trickle flowing down. If it is uniform and continuous, then the product is really of high quality.
What if you wanted boiled condensed milk?
There are two options: buy in the store or cook it yourself. It will take at least 3 hours to cook on your own, and you must make sure that the water does not boil away, otherwise the can may explode. Let's see what manufacturers offer us this time. Of course, boiled condensed milk, which is on sale, tastes very different from home cooked. The fact is that a product with a high content of vegetable fat does not thicken and does not darken during cooking, therefore it is tinted. It is simply unprofitable for manufacturers to cook real condensed milk from whole milk, since it will be sugar-coated in a month. If, among other ingredients, a dye is indicated on the label, then the boiled condensed milk will have a beautiful color, obtained by artificial means, but the taste may disappoint you. So what is the difference between homemade boiled condensed milk and the one
We hope that our small instruction will help you make the right choice.