The Basic Preparation Of Foodstuffs: Dairy Products
These fairly basic tips may seem quite irrelevant for most modern householders with a refrigerator in the kitchen, but modern technology do make people lazy and it is still well-worth while to know ‘why’ we ought do certain things. It is also worth remembering these tips when there is no refrigerator to hand or when it so small that it will not hold everything you need, such as when camping, boating or on holiday in some parts in 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 utmost importance for the growth and development of adolescents, but it must be clean as bacteria also find it very nourishing and quickly multiply in it. If your milk was not bought pasteurized, then it should be scalded and cooled quickly before consumption.
How To Scald Milk: Rinse a clean saucepan with cold water, pour in the milk and apply heat until bubbles form around the side of the pan. Keep it at this temperature, that is not letting it boil, for 3 minutes. Do not overheat, as milk burns easily. Pour immediately into a clean jug and place in a basin of cold water and cover with a fine cloth to prevent the ingress of flies and dust.
How To Keep Milk Fresh: If the milk is not be kept in the receptacles in which it was bought, transfer it into a clean jug, which has been rinsed with cold water. A warm container will cause milk to stick to the sides and go off much more quickly. You should always keep milk in the coolest place in the larder and always keep it covered. it is good to remember that draughts are usually at ground-level and that hot air rises. Never keep milk in an airless cupboard and in hot weather stand the receptacle in a bowl of water with the cloth covering hanging in the water. The cloth will soak up water, which will evaporate, which dissipates the heat, ensuring that the jug remain cool. Keep milk away from strong-smelling foods, as it absorbs smells easily. Never mix new and old milk together.
Sour Milk: When milk comes straight from the cow, it is a little alkaline, but as time passes, lactic acid is created and it becomes what is called ’sour’. Pasteurizing or scalding the milk retards this process. Milk which is just “on the turn” can be rejuvenated by boiling with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to restore its alkalinity. However, once the milk has gone too far and has curdled, it can be strained through (cheese) cloth, thus 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., because it still retains a lot of goodness.
Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is ordinary milk, which has had some of its water content driven off by heat in some form or another before being canned. Once reconstituted by adding water, it will last only slightly longer than fresh milk.
Condensed Milk: This is simply evaporated milk to which sugar has been added before canning. Sugar acts as a preservative and will keep 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 in a variety of forms and notice should be taken of the instructions on the label. Specialized products can be bought for babies, invalids, convalescents and dieters, all of which contain varying amounts and types of added vitamins and minerals. Usually, they are very much lower in fat content than normal milk.