evaporated milk
evaporated milk (noun) A canned dairy product made by removing about 60% of the water from fresh milk through a heating (evaporation) process. It is homogenized, sterilized, and sealed in cans, resulting in a thick, creamy, shelf-stable liquid that is slightly caramelized in color and flavor. It is not sweetened.
"Evaporated milk" is used as an uncountable noun. It refers to the specific processed milk product itself, not the action of evaporation. It is commonly used in cooking and baking.
- The recipe calls for one cup of evaporated milk to make the sauce richer.
- For a creamier texture, you can substitute regular milk with evaporated milk in this soup.
- Evaporated milk is a common ingredient in many dessert recipes, like flan and pumpkin pie.
- "to reconstitute evaporated milk": To add water back to it to approximate the consistency of fresh milk.
- You can reconstitute evaporated milk by mixing it with an equal part of water.
- Condensed milk (noun): A similar canned product where sugar is added before evaporation, resulting in a very thick, sweet product. It is not a synonym for evaporated milk.
- Powdered milk / Dry milk (noun): Milk that has had almost all moisture removed, resulting in a powder.
- Unsweetened condensed milk (This term is sometimes used but can be confusing; "evaporated milk" is the standard term.)
This term refers specifically to the commercial canned product. The phrase describes the result (milk which has been evaporated), not the process. Do not confuse it with fresh milk that has simply been heated and reduced in a kitchen, which would typically be called "reduced milk" or "milk reduced by half."
- milk concentrated by evaporation