The Basic Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Products
These basic tips may seem quite unnecessary for most modern households with a refrigerator in the kitchen, but modern devices do make people lazy and it is still well-worth while to know ‘why’ we ought do some 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 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 pan with cold water, pour in the milk and heat until bubbles rise around the side of the pan. Maintain the milk at this temperature, ie, 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 stand it in a basin of cold water and cover with a muslin cloth to discourage the ingress of flies and dust.
How To Keep Milk Fresh: If milk is not be kept in the receptacles in which you bought it, transfer it into a clean container, which has been rinsed with cold water. A warm container will cause the 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 worth remembering that draughts occur usually at ground-level and that hot air rises. Never keep milk in an airless cupboard and in hot weather stand the bottle in a bowl of water with the cloth covering hanging in the water. The cloth will soak up water, which will evaporate, which uses up heat, ensuring that the bottle remain cool. Keep milk away from strong-smelling foods, as it absorbs smells easily. Never mix new and old milk together.
Sour Milk: Milk straight from the cow is a little alkaline, but as it ages, lactic acid is formed and it becomes what we call ’sour’. Pasteurizing or scalding the milk retards this process. Milk which is ‘on the turn’ can be revived 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, 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 retains much of its goodness.
Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is ordinary milk, which has had some of its water content driven off by heat in some form or other before being canned. Once reconstituted by adding water, it will last only a little longer than fresh milk does.
Condensed Milk: This is simply evaporated milk to which sugar has been added before canning. The 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.
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.
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