How do I stop milk from curdling while cooking?

Question

When I add a milk/cream/yogurt mix to my indian dish it curdles instanlty. When I buy the same dish from a resturant the is no signs of curdling. Whats the secret?

Answer 1

I agree with the fat answer above. Also, perhaps you should heat the milk before you add it, stirring it constantly. Another thing that makes milk curdle is citrus - so if your recipe calls for lime juice, that could be causing the curdling.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Funny, I just saw a cooking show the other day which showed someone making an Indian dish (involving curry) and milk or cream or yogurt on the stove.
They said that it was fine for the curdling to happen, and just to keep cooking it for a longer time (the sauce reduced and became pastier). Then I think they added other things.

Sorry I can't remember more, but I think it was on the show America's Test Kitchen:
http://www.americastestkitchen.com
....you can read all their recipes from the current year if you're interested by signing up (free). From the site, just do a recipe search for the word *curry* and the one I'm thinking of should be one of the few that come up.... you'll then be prompted to sign up.

(otherwise, as others have mentioned, it's best to wait till the cooking is almost through to add yogurt and not allowing it to boil, etc., and perhaps milk curdles much quicker if there's anything acidic in the pot already)


Diane B.

Answer 4

Given the right circumstances, any milk or cream product will curdle (a process in which the curd protein, casein, coagulates and forms clumps). Acid, heat, and salt are the antagonists, all of which cause curdling.

Your best bet is add the milk at the end of the cooking process. Then make sure not to heat it at all or for long, and don't let it get above 180°F. Also, add salt just before serving.

Good Luck :)

Answer 5

Take a little of the sauce from the pot and add it to the milk in a separate bowl/measuring cup. Whisk non stop. This will heat up the milk a little before you pour it into the cooking pot. That's why your milk is curdling--ice cold milk into a boiling hot pot=curdling. You should also let your milk set out to room temperature before you do this--that'll help even more.

Answer 6

Curdling

Answer 7

Reduce your heat. High heat will instantly curdle your milk/egg (for hollandaise sauce making).

To prevent it, lower your heat or if youre not used to controlling the heat of your food, remove the pan from the heat source then add the milk.

Answer 8

i've noticed every time i make white sauce with a low fat milk it curdles instantly
so ordinary milk will stop the problem i think

Answer 9

first pour some water in the bowl, and add milk then ....slow heat is better to prevent curdling......in the past the milk used to heat on dry cow dung cakes which wont produce the flames except slow burning of the cake ...

Answer 10

The lower the fat content of a dairy product, the greater its propensity for curdling because there isn't enough fat to insulate the protein strands from one another. Heat causes them to intertwine.

If you're not a fat phobe, I strongly recommend using heavy cream, or at least light cream.