What is condensed milk boiling? Can it really make a great-tasting caramel? Let us talk about it.
What Happens When You’re Condensed Milk Boiling?
When you’re boiling condensed milk in its can, it produces dulce de leche or caramelized milk. Slowly adding heat to condensed milk breaks down its sugars, causing it to caramelize and thicken. When it’s brown, you’ve successfully turned your condensed milk into caramel.
This is what happens:
Sweetened condensed milk contains approximately 45% added sugar. When slowly heated in boiling water, the heat begins to slowly but ineffectively break down the sugars.
When condensed milk is boiled, it caramelizes into brown!
The milk will begin to caramelize and thicken after a few hours. The high sugar content keeps it from overheating or scorching. Dulce de leche is sweetened condensed milk that has been boiled for a long time until it thickens, darkens, and becomes a spreadable caramel.
Some people even refer to it as milk jam!
It can also be eaten raw, without being boiled. However, if you must boil it, take the necessary precautions to avoid the can exploding.
What Happens When You Boil Condensed Milk?
Because sweetened condensed milk contains approximately 45% sugar, slowly adding heat caramelizes and thickens the condensed milk, transforming it into a thick spreadable paste. Boiling also thins the milk, increases its sweetness, and turns it brown in color.
The end result is dulce de leche, or condensed milk jam, a delicious treat that can be eaten on toast, pancakes, or waffles. It can also be found in a variety of recipes.
How to boil condensed milk in a can
Condensed milk is a sweetened thickened milk and sugar mixture that is commonly used in pie, tart, and pudding recipes. While condensed milk is frequently added to other ingredients in its natural form, boiling an unopened can yields a surprisingly delicious result. The rich, toffee-colored caramel produced after boiling the can can be used for anything from cake frosting to ice cream sundae topping. Although boiling condensed milk from a can does not require advanced cooking skills, each step should be carried out with caution and patience.
Step 1
Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water. Heat the pot over high heat until the water begins to boil, then reduce to medium high.
Step 2
Remove the labels from the condensed milk can, including any remaining adhesive on the can’s surface.
Step 3
Place the bare condensed milk can slowly and carefully in the pot of boiling water, being careful not to splash the water. If necessary, add more water to the pot until the can is completely submerged. Cover the saucepan. Although glass lids are ideal for this task because they allow you to monitor water levels without having to lift the lid, it is more important that the lid’s lip fits securely over the pot.
Step 4
Check the boiling can every 10 minutes for three hours to ensure that it is completely submerged in water.
Step 5
Remove the pot of boiling water from the heat and turn off all of the burners. You can carefully shift the lid of the pot to the side and drain the water into the sink if you prefer, but allowing the can to cool while the water remains in the pot is fine. Allow enough time for the hot can to cool completely before removing the top. Refrigerate or use the caramel immediately in a recipe after placing it in an airtight container.
Tip
It is possible to boil two cans of condensed milk at the same time if the pot is large enough to submerge both cans for the duration of the boiling process.
Depending on how light or dark you want your caramel, you can adjust the boiling time by 30 minutes either way.
Warning
Boiling condensed milk cans is only recommended if you can keep an eye on the water level and have the patience to wait for the can to cool before opening it. Failure to complete either step can result in serious bodily harm and/or damage to your kitchen. Read more about the danger of boiling a can of condensed milk.
Great Ways to Use Your Caramel!
This is fantastic in cupcakes and as a cake filling. You can use it instead of sweetened condensed milk in tres leches cake and in cookie sandwiches. It’s also delicious in coffee, ice cream, and by the spoonful. If you want to know more about how to make caramel with condensed milk, we’ve written about it too!