Description of Sweetened Condensed milk

Creamy, rich and addictively sweet, sweetened condensed milk is popularly bought to make desserts across the world. As the name suggests, water has been removed completely from cows milk to create a form of condensed milk to which sugar may or may not be added to. Ranging from a cream to a pale yellow this thick, viscous semi-liquid can be prepared at home after clarifying and standardizing raw milk.

How to Select Sweetened Condensed milk

• Condensed Milk is easily available in all the food stores and grocery shops in a sealed tin form. The most common brand available is "Nestlés Milkmaid", which prepares it from fresh Australian milk. Other companies offering it include Northern foods, Arla Foods.

• Check the date of manufacture, even though it has a good shelf life unless opened.

• Sweetened condensed milk is available in tooth-tube packing, wherein a tube is stuffed with the same condensed milk which you get in tinned form.

Culinary Uses of Sweetened Condensed milk

Due to its texture and smoothness, condensed milk is used as a substitute for eggs in many cake recipes. From making the basic Chocolate Cake to a more complicated Marble cake, they both will turn out soft and gooey, even loaves like the Orange and Tutti Frutti Loaf taste delicious. It is not necessary that you only have to bake them in an oven, condensed milk recipes also work very well for pressure cooker cakes like Eggless Vanilla Sponge Cake and Chocolate Pudding. You can even make super simple 2 minute microwave Chocolate Mug Cakes that are perfect as a party dessert or some comfort food craving.

Other Indian desserts that are absolutely delectable and can be made with condensed milk are Shahi Rabri, which is simply made with paneer, milk and condensed milk and flavored with saffron or a quicker version of it called Instant Rabri. The Bengali classic Mishti Doi is made by sweetening thick curd and fresh cream with condensed milk and baking it. The southern states use this luscious milk as well while making a festival special called Gil-e- Firdaus which is a Hyderabadi rice kheer.

• Sweetened condensed milk has rich sweet flavour and is used widely in recipes for deserts and confectionaries.

• It is commonly used as a topping on top of a chocolate.

• It can be beaten with sugar and butter and baked to make candies.

• You can use it for making coconut laddoos, kheer, condensed milk fudge, etc.

• Prepare tasty eggless cake by using sweetened condensed milk instead of beaten egg.

• Condensed milk can be used as a healthy dessert dressing over a fruit salad.

• It can be used to prepare various milk preparations such as milk toffee, milk kisses, milk sweets, milk ice creams.

• To improve the palatability, taste and appearance, it can be topped on strawberry with cream to create a strawberry smoothie.

• Unsweetened condensed milk can be used in low calorie recipes, or for such sweets which are meant for diabetics using artificial sweeteners. Recipes such as low fat Thai coconut curry uses sauce prepared using evaporated milk.

How to Store Sweetened Condensed milk

• The sealed can or the tin can be stored under refrigeration for several months.

• Try using it up as early as possible once the seal is opened.

• It is safe to leave it in the tin itself or it can also be emptied in some other container, provided it is dry. • It is recommended to cover the can tightly may be with an inverted cup and store under refrigerated temperature.

Nutritive Information for Condensed Milk

½ Cup of condensed milk is about 160 grams

RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.

Energy – 513 calories

Protein – 12.6 g

Carbohydrate – 86.7 g

Fat – 13.8 g

Fiber – 0 g

Vitamins:

1.4 mg of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) = 90% of RDA ( (about 1.2 to 1.6 mg for men)

0.66 mg of Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) = 34.5% of RDA (about 1.4 to 1.9 mg for men)

4.2 mg of Vitamin C = 10.4% of RDA (about 40 mg)

284.2 mcg of Vitamin A = 5.9% of RDA (about 4800 mcg)

Minerals:

397.6 mg of Calcium = 39.8% of RDA (about 1000 mg)

593.6 mg of Potassium = 12.6% of RDA (about 4700 mg)

1.5 mg of Zinc = 12.5% of RDA (about 10 to 12 mg)

Health Benefits of Sweetened Condensed milk

• Condensed milk is truly a health food as it contains all the essential nutrients namely proteins, fats, carbohydrates required for all age groups.

• Milk is a healthy and complete food that is widely considered a balanced diet.

• Presence of calcium helps in the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth, especially in growing children. If a childs diet is low in fat or if the child is malnourished, condensed milk can be added to various recipes to improve nutrition. It helps that it is also liked by children.

• Other nutrients present in condensed milk include potassium for proper nerve function, magnesium for muscular function and phosphorus for energy metabolism.

• Sweetened condensed milk contains sugar, it must be consumed in limited proportions as per your daily dietary requirements.