Introduction
For those who are not familiar with evaporated milk, it is actually regular fresh milk that has about 60% of the water removed from it. The heating process has changed the color of milk from pure white to the opalescent color, and the taste is also slightly sweeter.
Dehydrating makes evaporated milk concentrate more nutrients and energy, therefore, you shouldn’t use the same amount of this condensed milk as the regular milk. Therefore, although evaporated milk provides a lot of health benefits, overusing can lead to excess energy and nutrients and make you encounter obesity.
Evaporated milk is used as a popular ingredient in most baking recipes so we bet there is a lot of it in each kitchen. As a result, when having too much milk on hand, you will have to face the challenge of how to store them correctly. However, in this article, you will not only know the storing method but also gain knowledge of evaporated milk shelf life and the presence of bad milk.
How long does canned evaporated milk last?
Typically, evaporated milk has such a longer shelf-life time than regular milk and how you store this kind of milk will affect its life expectancy. Does canned evaporated milk expire? Actually, it does but the date on the label of the evaporated milk can is not the expiration date.
This date more like the last date that you can consume the milk with the best quality, after that time, manufacturers cannot assure you of the product’s quality, but it’s surely safe to keep being used even beyond 6 months if you store the milk well.
Normally, unopened evaporated milk can last 1 year at room temperature if properly stored while the opened one can only achieve 3 to 5 days storing in a fridge. If you wish to prolong the storage time, you can opt to freeze your opened evaporated milk in a freezer instead of refrigerating it to make it last up to 3 months.
How to tell if canned evaporated milk goes bad?
What does spoiled evaporated milk look like? It’s quite hard to detect the spoilage the whole milk contained in a can so you should pour into a bowl for an easier check. Whenever you see the change in the evaporated milk color, it can be the suspecting sign of bad milk and you might need to inspect the taste as well.
Do not mistakenly judge a can of evaporated milk is spoiled by the milk skin on the surface. This film is likely to be formed when the milk exposes to the air and is the result of fat separation so there is nothing to worry about it. How to make this skin disappear? You just need to heat up your product a bit then give it a good stir and everything will be fine.
So when do you have to discard your canned evaporated milk immediately? It’s the time when your milk gets lumps, has a sour smell or an off-taste, then there is no need to hesitate to keep the milk as it can lead to some food poisoning.
How to store canned evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk is commonly sold in tin cans which are original tightly sealed. Therefore, if the can is unopened, feel free to leave your milk unrefrigerated. The best place will be where it is cool and dry like your pantry, cupboard or kitchen cabinet.
Once the can is bulging or rusted, you need to check the content right away and if there are any spoilage identifications (as mentioned above), discard it, if not, transfer the unsweetened condensed milk to another airtight container to store.
Evaporated milk only calls for a fridge or freezer to store once the can is opened. However, as the original tin cannot be resealable so you better transfer the leftover liquid to another container that is covered fully.
Invert the can once every two months to allow the evaporated milk inside to not separate.
Can you freeze canned evaporated milk?
Yes, you can still freeze canned evaporated milk although it’s not really recommended as the quality of the product will be not as good as the fresh one, also the texture might be changed a little bit but it’s not a big deal at all, you can fix it though and it’s fine for cooking and baking anyway.
How to freeze canned evaporated milk?
Now you are going to learn how to freeze canned evaporated milk properly in just some simple steps.
Tips to freeze canned evaporated milk
- When you keep your evaporated milk in the container, make sure to leave at least ½ to 1-inch space head to allow it to expand during the freezing time
- It’s recommended to use an ice cube tray to freeze when you want to divide your evaporated milk into serving portions. This method will also save your time when thawing milk
Things you’ll need to freeze canned evaporated milk
- An airtight container
- An ice cube tray
- A ziplock bag
- Cling wrap
How to freeze canned evaporated milk in a container
- Transfer the leftover milk from the original can to an airtight container
- Cover the container with cling wrap then cover with the airtight lid
- Label the container with name and storage date then stick to the freezer
- In an ice cube tray
- Pour the milk in an ice cube tray and put in the freezer to let it frozen
- Transfer the iced milk cubes into a ziplock bag
- Label the bag then put in the freezer
How to defrost/ thaw canned evaporated milk?
When it comes to thawing frozen canned evaporated milk, you just need to simply transfer it from the freezer to the fridge and let it defrost in several hours.
The milk might be separated but you can reconstitute the texture by stirring, whipping or blending it after thawing then it’s ready to be added to your cooking or baking recipe.