The Basic Preparation Of Foodstuffs: Dairy Products

These basic tips may seem unnecessary for most modern households with a refrigerator, but modern devices can make people lazy and it is well-worth while knowing ‘why’ we must do certain things. It is also worth remembering these tips when refrigerators are not at hand or are so small that they will not hold everything, such as when camping or boating or on holiday in some parts of the world.

MILK:

Milk has been called ‘nature’s perfect food’, because no other food, taken alone, can support adult life. It is of the first importance for the growth and development of young people, but it must be clean as bacteria also find it very nourishing and quickly multiply in it. If milk is not bought pasteurized, then it should be scalded and quickly cooled before consumption.

How To Scald Milk: Rinse out a clean saucepan with cold water, pour in the milk and heat until bubbles form around the side of the pan. Maintain the milk at this temperature, in other words, do not let it boil, for three minutes. Do not let it overheat, as milk burns very easily. Pour immediately into a clean receptacle and place in a basin of cold water and cover with a muslin cloth to prevent flies and dust getting in.

How To Keep Milk Fresh: If milk is not be kept in the containers in which it was bought, transfer it to a clean jug, which has been rinsed with cold water. A warm container will cause milk to stick to the sides and go off more quickly. Keep milk in the coolest place in the larder and always covered. it is worth remembering that draughts are often at ground-level and that hot air rises. Never keep milk in an airless cupboard and in hot weather stand the jug in a bowl of water with the cloth covering dangling in the water. The cloth will soak up water, which will evaporate, which uses up heat, ensuring that the containers remain cool. Keep milk away from strong-smelling foods, as it absorbs odours easily. Never mix new milk with old.

Sour Milk: Milk straight from the cow is slightly alkaline, but as it ages, lactic acid is formed and it becomes what we call ‘sour’. Pasteurizing or scalding the milk slows down this process. Milk which is ‘just on the turn’ can be revived by boiling with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to restore the alkalinity. Once the milk has gone too far and has curdled, it can be strained through (cheese) cloth, thereby separating the curds from the whey. The curds can be used as a filling for cakes, tarts, scones etc and the whey can be used as the liquid for making scones, cakes and soups etc., as it still has much goodness.

Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is ordinary milk, which has had some of its water evaporated by heat in some way or another before being containerised. Once reconstituted by adding water, it will last only a little longer than fresh milk does.

Condensed Milk: This form of milk is merely evaporated milk to which sugar has been added before being placed in its container. The sugar acts as a preservative and preserve the milk for about a week. Do not keep in the tin, but decant it into a jug or bottle.

Dried Milk: Dried milk comes is available in a variety of forms and particular attention should be paid to the instructions on the label. Niche market products can be bought especially for babies, invalids, convalescents and dieters, all of which contain varying amounts and types of added vitamins and minerals. Usually, they contain a great deal less fat than normal milk.

If you would like to know more about Welsh food, food in general or How to Use Dairy Products in particular, please go to Traditional Welsh Recipes. Also published at The Traditional Use Of Dairy Produce: Part 1 – Milk.