Saturday, March 04, 2006

Milk

According to Wikipedia:

Evaporated Milk


Evaporated milk was first thought of in 1852 by Gail Borden on a transatlantic trip. The cows on board were too sick to produce milk, this gave him the idea. Borden's first evaporated milk lasted three days before it spoiled. He received the patent in 1854, but the first successful production was not until 1855 by a competitor John Meyenberg.

It is then homogenized, rapidly chilled, fortified with vitamins and stabilizers, packaged, and finally sterilized. Standards require whole evaporated milk contain at least 7.9 percent milk fat and 25.5 percent milk solids. The high heat process gives it a bit of a caramelized flavor, and it is slightly darker in color than fresh milk. The evaporation process naturally concentrates the nutrients and the calories, so evaporated versions are more calorie filled and nutritious than their fresh counterparts.

By definition, evaporated milk in the U.S. is not sweetened. If sugar is added, it will be called condensed milk or sweetened condensed milk. This requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits bacterial growth. Evaporated milk is the only product from cows which has government regulations requiring vitamin A to be added.

In Malaysia and Singapore, evaporated milk contains palm oil.

It is commonly added in brewed tea to make Teh See in Singapore.

Condensed Milk


It was developed in 1856 by Gail Borden, Jr. in reaction to difficulties in storing milk for more than a few hours. Prior to his development, milk could only be kept fresh for a few days and so was only available in the immediate vicinity of a cow. While returning from a trip to England in 1851, Borden was devastated by the death of several children, apparently due to poor milk from shipboard cows. Without benefit of more than a year of school, following a wake of failures both of his own and others, Borden was inspired by the vacuum pan he had seen used by Shakers to condense fruit juice and was at last able to reduce milk without scorching or curdling it. Even then, his first two factories failed and only the third, in Wassaic, New York, produced a usable milk derivative; long lasting without refrigeration.

Probably of equal importance for the future of milk, was Borden's requirements for farmers who wanted to sell him raw milk: They were required to wash udders before milking, keep barns swept clean, and scald and dry their strainers morning and night. By 1858 Borden's milk, sold as Eagle Brand, had gained a reputation for purity, durability and economy. The federal government of the United States ordered huge amounts of it as a field ration during the American Civil War and soldiers returning home spread the word. By the late 1860s milk was a major industry. Eagle Brand seems to be the oldest food product brand name still in use. This type of condensed milk will be used for caramel candies as well as in other desserts and by the Vietnamese to make their unique coffee Cafe Sua Da.

6:30:00 PM