CATEGORY
Evaporated Milk
2010 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER
PET®
What Makes a Great Evaporated Milk?
A popular substitute for fresh milk before the age of refrigeration, evaporated milk is now used mainly for baking, custards and other desserts. Essentially fresh milk with half of its water content removed, it has a long shelf life and simply needs added water to adequately replace fresh milk in recipes.
Our chefs define a high-quality evaporated milk as having a simple dairy aroma that is more like the creamy dairy of yogurt than cheese. Fermented aromas are not appropriate. A slight natural sweetness might also be present, but the milk should not smell like sweetened condensed milk. Evaporated milk contains no added sugar and should therefore not seem artificially sweet.
The appearance should be beige, not white or ivory. Since most of its water has been removed, evaporated milk should be thicker than normal milk; close to the viscosity of heavy cream.
The taste profile should include moderate sourness, followed by a light and natural dairy sweetness and just a trace of salt. However, the taste should not leave a salty or cheesy aftertaste.
The flavor profile should provide discernible dairy-milk notes, more akin to fluid milk than cheese or yogurt. The flavor character should be simple, exhibiting the flavors of milk solids and butter and a dairy-sweet finish. Additional nutty or caramel notes may also have a subtle presence.
The texture of a high-quality evaporated milk should be creamy and clean, not chalky, greasy or waxy. It shouldn’t leave a coating on the palate. The mouthfeel should be rich like cream. The finish should be clean and short without any lingering notes.
Product Category Definition
The product judged was defined as evaporated milk for the consumer market, not including fresh or dry milk products.
For more information and recipe ideas, please visit the PET website. PET is a registered trademark of the J.M. Smucker Company.
Also Judged:
Nestlé Carnation
ONE-STEP IDEAS
Use in mashed potatoes, soups, cream sauces, and smoothie recipes.
Use as a lower fat version of cream in your coffee and tea.
Whip very, very cold evaporated milk with sugar and vanilla for a lowfat whipped topping. Use immediately.
TOOLS
Email This
Share This
TASTING
TERMINOLOGY
PRODUCT
FUN FACTS
- Evaporated milk is fresh, homogenized milk with 60% of its water removed.
- Before the age of refrigeration, evaporated milk was a popular substitute for fresh milk.
- Evaporated milk can be stored unopened for several years.
The ChefsBest Award for Best Taste is awarded to the brand rated highest overall among leading brands by independent professional chefs.
