So! What’s your major issue in relation to milk? Right it is the fear of curdling. While preparing dishes in which milk is the basic ingredient, we have to make check and balance whether it needs curdled milk or not, unlike some hot dishes and soups. There are several dishes which needs without curdled milk otherwise meals will reach to spoilage. Even, curdled milk can be unpleasant to drink, so it is necessary to prevent milk from curdling.In this article you’ll find the answer of your most asked question, that is, how to boil milk without curdling. We are here to tell you those beneficial tricks which prevents your milk from spoiling or curdling. First of all, what is Milk and what does curdling means?
Science of milk
Milk is actually a complex mixture of different ingredients, blended in a reasonably stable suspension. It’s a fusion of water, butterfat, sugars & proteins. When milk is heated, the three components of the blend breaks apart, the milk proteins thickens and separate from water, producing curdled milk. Milk curdles when pH drops to 4.65 or below. The protein is no longer soluble and shows up as “curdling”. Milk usually has a pH around 6.8.
‘Curdling’ means
To Curdle means turning something from liquid to solid to form clumps or clots. When milk is boiled the white masses clung together and water is separated which is known as ‘curdled milk’.There are some ways to avoid the spoilage of milk depending upon the type of milk.
How To Boil Milk With Out Curdling
When you are going to boil milk you should follow these precautionary measures to avoid milk from curdling.
1. Check the necessity of boiling
Main reason to boil milk is ‘microbes’. Microbes are the small bacteria or germs present in milk,to kill them we need to boil the milk. Even some milk is safe to drink without boiling, like pasteurized milk. Raw milk should be boiled whenever possible. Pasteurized milk should be boiled if it has been stored at room temperature otherwise if stored in refrigerators then there is no need to boil, they are safe to drink.
2. Spout the milk into a big, clean pot
Choose a larger pot (in length) so there will be plenty of space as milk comes upward when it is boiled or sometimes overflow from a small pot. Clean the pot carefully, otherwise any residue might curdle your milk. It’s better to choose a pot to use only for milk. You need to pay extra attention to prevent burning or overflow.
3. Heat the milk at medium heat
Heat the milk over medium heat and give it your complete attention. If you boil milk at high heat it may destroy your milk so you should prefer to give medium or low heat.
4. Stir Often
If your pot receives uneven heat then the milk may burn in places or it may be spoiled.
5. Boil for a while
Boil your milk for 3-4 mins after foam appears. Then bring it to cool.
6. Store warm milk
Store the milk immediately so that there will be no tension of its spoilage. Milk remains smooth when it is refrigerated.
Reasons of curdling
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Acidity and curdling
When milk is used in sauces, soups and other hot dishes it needs to be smooth rather than to curdle. So we have to be assure that food or meals, in which milk is added, must not contain any acidic element. Curdling of milk has very close relationship with acidity. Acids like acetic acid in vinegar or citrus acid in lemon, may bring curdling to the milk. So avoid strong acids in milk dishes. To lessen the effect of the acid, you may use a starch along with acid.
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Seasoning at the End
Salt is another ingredient that can cause milk to curdle. The point is not to avoid the salt but you may add at the end, rather than cooking it with the salt already in it. Seasoning your sauces and soups at the very end is a good habit to get into anyway.
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Tempering of milk
Never, add cold milk directly into a hot liquid, but instead, flick small amounts of the hot liquid into the cold milk. When the milk gets warm, then add it into the hot liquid. This procedure is called tempering. Or you may simply heat the milk gently in a saucepan before adding it.
Types of milk and their nature of boiling
There are many types of milk but we’ll discuss some of the main categories. They are listed below:
Raw milk
It is also called as unpasteurized milk. It contains bacteria and other germs in large quantity so it is necessary to boil raw milk before drinking. As we know boiling process kills germs or microbes present in milk.
Whole milk
Whole milk is actually 3.5% milk fat and is normally less nutritious but more fat-free milk. It is not compulsory to boil this type of milk, one can drink it without boiling. It is likely to be curdled and make cheese from it as it can curdle very easily.
Skim milk
Skim milk is made when all the milk-fat is removed from whole milk, it contains around 0.1% fat. When curdling occurs, one of the reason can be the use of skim milk because it does not have enough fat content. Skim milk will curdle more than heavy cream, and low-fat creams.
Butter milk
Buttermilk is a slight sour milk, the sourness comes from acids in the milk i.e. lactic acids.It is also lower in fat than regular milk. Buttermilk can be used in sauces without boiling, just cooking at normal heat.
Pasteurized milk
They are very safe to drink without boiling or heating, just keeping them at room temperature or in refrigerators. They should be heated on low flames otherwise will be a chance of curdling or spoiling.
