Q: what's the difference between condensed milk and evaporated milk?

Q: What's the Difference Between Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk?

A: Condensed milk is a sweet mixture that's created when milk has half of its water removed and then has sugar added to it. You can use condensed milk in desserts, but not in sauces and savory dishes.

Evaporated milk is simply unsweetened condensed milk, with no added sugar. You can use it as a low-fat substitute for half-and-half, light cream or coffee cream. To substitute evaporated for regular milk in recipes, use 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/2 cup water for each cup of milk. Or for a richer, creamier dish, skip the water and substitute evaporated milk directly for milk.

Because of their difference in sweetness, though, evaporated and condensed milks are not interchangeable.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Vegetarian Times, Inc. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning