Substitute Evaporated Milk for Whole Milk?

food/substitutions/evaporated milk

Can you substitute evaporated milk for whole milk?

Question: If I don't have regular whole milk on hand, can I substitute evaporated milk in baked goods and deserts?

Evaporated milk is made by slowly heating milk to remove about half of its water — a process that develops a light golden color and mildly sweet flavor. Nestlé states that Carnation evaporated milk can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio for regular whole milk. This claim was tested in sponge cake, vanilla pudding, and Parker House rolls. The results were compared with the same recipes made with whole milk. The results were imperfect across the board: The Evaporated-milk cake exhibited a firmer structure than the cake make with regular milk. And although the consistency of the evaporated-milk pudding was acceptable, its delicate vanilla flavor was marred by caramel undertones. The Parker House rolls made with evaporated milk emerged from the oven more stunted and much darker than rolls made with regular milk.

The bottom line: Evaporated milk is a poor substitute for regular milk. The reason? It contains about 6.6% fat and 10% caramelized lactose (milk sugar), versus the 3.3% fat and 4.5% lactose in regular milk — differences significant enough to interfere with proper structure in baked goods.