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 knowing 'why' we must 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 human life. It is of the first importance for the growth and development of adolescents, but it must be clean because 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 drinking it.
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 the milk is not be preserved in the containers in which it was bought, transfer it into a clean jug, which has been rinsed with cold water. A warm receptacle 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 good to remember that draughts are most often at ground-level and that hot air rises. Never keep milk in an airless cupboard and in hot weather stand the jug in a bowl of water with the cloth covering dangling in the water. The muslin cloth will soak up water, which will evaporate, which uses up heat, ensuring that the receptacle 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 is a little alkaline, but as it ages, lactic acid is created 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 has a lot 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 slightly longer than fresh milk does.
Condensed Milk: This form of milk is just evaporated milk to which sugar has been added before being placed in its container. 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 conventional milk.
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 knowing 'why' we must 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 human life. It is of the first importance for the growth and development of adolescents, but it must be clean because 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 drinking it.
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 the milk is not be preserved in the containers in which it was bought, transfer it into a clean jug, which has been rinsed with cold water. A warm receptacle 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 good to remember that draughts are most often at ground-level and that hot air rises. Never keep milk in an airless cupboard and in hot weather stand the jug in a bowl of water with the cloth covering dangling in the water. The muslin cloth will soak up water, which will evaporate, which uses up heat, ensuring that the receptacle 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 is a little alkaline, but as it ages, lactic acid is created 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 has a lot 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 slightly longer than fresh milk does.
Condensed Milk: This form of milk is just evaporated milk to which sugar has been added before being placed in its container. 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 conventional milk.
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