Evaporated milk substitutions?

Question

I want to make a pumpkin pie, and evaporated milk in Japan is really expensive. I want to make it out of whole milk and powdered milk. Does anyone have some proportions I can use? Pls. note if you have actually used this substitute.

Also, can you use this substitute when making fudge-like candy? I'd like to make some cherry mash using an evap. milk substitute.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Usa half and half or

Use one cup milk to 6 tablespoons powdered milk

Answer 2

Unlike say nesselrode, haupia, or ropa vieja, where the name of the food gives absolutely no clues as to how it is made or what it is, "evaporated milk" gives some really good clues. It's milk that has been evaporated. And if you can't run to the store during an emergency shortage, given a little time, you can easily make some yourself or try one of several other options.

Store-bought evaporated milk has had about 60% of its water removed through evaporation. Because it is a concentrated form of milk, it is often called for in recipes to add richness to a dish. And because it is relatively thick, it is called upon to contribute to a creamy texture. In the case of your chile rellenos, both of these qualities may have been sought. In addition to flavor, the recipe writer may have specified evaporated milk to help the eggs glom the flour to the peppers (we believe glom is the correct cooking term in this case).

In the absence of evaporated milk, one option is to take some dry milk and reconstitute it using only 40% of the recommended water. That would give you the right texture. It is difficult to find dry whole milk (because the fat in it tends to spoil and so should be refrigerated), so you would most likely be using dry nonfat milk, which would cause some adjustment in flavor.

Or you could take a page from Southern cooks and use buttermilk, which is often used in the breading process for fried chicken. It has the thick texture to help the coating adhere and certainly gives a boost to the flavor, although it might be more on the tart side, where evaporated milk leans towards sweetness.

You can also use some cream instead of evaporated milk, although you might find that too rich.

If you have a little time, though, you can easily reduce a quantity of milk by half or more. Put it in a pan on the stove, bring it to a simmer, and let it reduce. A wide-mouth pan such as a saucier will allow more surface area for faster evaporation. Keep the milk below the boil, to keep it from curdling, and make sure it doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pan, or you'll have a tough time scrubbing it off.

Answer 3

Use the 1% . Do you have any sour cream, cream cheese or yoghurt? add some of that to the milk to make it richer. Also, if you have any dried milk you can put a couple of tablespoons of it in the 1%. Ummm, not to open a can of worms but did you bake that pumpkin and put the flesh through a sieve? because if you are just using raw pumpkin it will not work. Pumpkin has too much water in the flesh and needs to be cooked down. Cover the pumpkin in foil and bake at 350 for about an hour and 15 mins - depending on size of pumpkin. Really, heavy cream is the best or use cream cheese softened with a bit of milk.

Answer 4

Cream. Its higher in fat, but works well in pumpkin pies.