What's the Deal with Canned Milk? Using Evaporated, Sweetened Condensed & Powdered Milk

We walk you through the differences between Evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered milk and tells you how to use all three.
For more info on reconstituting powdered milk: allaboutfoodstorage.com/wp-con...

[@rouchenelvann]

Just an fyi in regards to expiration dates, from what i've looked into those are actually just dates for optimum taste and nutrients, but are NOT an indication of spoiling or that the product will be unsafe for consumption. Part of the process of canning those items (the flash steaming, lining in the cans, and sealing) actually keep the product from spoiling so long as the can isnt punctured or hasnt been opened. Hopefully this helps someone else. I know that i wasted a ton of canned goods simply because of following the expiration date.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Yes, you are correct. I address this in one of my articles for Backwoods Survival Guide as well. Thank you for restating this. I know a lot of people think the expiration dates on cans are some sort of law, and things must be thrown away or you'll suffer certain death. Not true at all as you've pointed out. Thank you for watching today.

[@scootermom1791]

Very true! I've eaten expired food several times, and it has been fine. However, I tried expired peas that were around 2 or 3 years past the expiration date (believe it or not...I was craving cooked peas in the middle of the night), and they were disgusting. They smelled fine, looked fine, the can was not punctured or damaged, but they definitely were gross. I'd try something that old again if I had to but would definitely proceed with caution.

[@jleegri2484]

We have used evaporated milk my entire life. We use it on fresh blackberries with a sprinkle of sugar, and to make rich hot chocolate with sugar and cocoa powder. ( my dads recipe) . Also good in mashed potatoes!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Absolutely. I use it in mashed potatoes too to save the "drinking milk" for drinking. I use it heavily in baking as well (reconstituted). Thank you so much for joining us today :)

[@scootermom1791]

Great ideas! I drink 1% milk and tried that with blackberries and sugar once. I've also tried it with peaches to have "peaches and cream." I didn't think either were really good. I'll have to try evaporated milk the next time. Did you use it straight out of the can?

[@jacobduncan8875]

I would absolutely adore sweetened condensed milk in my oatmeal in the morning!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Would be fine if you like thicker, sweeter oatmeal and diluted with a little milk or water or fruit juice. Thank you for watching!

[@liven4happynus115]

Thank you, this is very helpful. I forgot the ratio for evaporated milk to whole milk. Short on funds this month and noticed I had 6 of the evaporated milk cans in my pantry . Thank you.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

It's great to keep exactly for those reasons! Thank you so very much for joining us today and glad we could be helpful :)

[@kaylevick7853]

Well done! Didn't have a clue about this stuff. You laid it out very easily and for those of us who like sequential, you nailed it.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you, Kayle. And, thank you for visiting with us today! Glad we could help.

[@sandrapetrovich8894]

Thank you for breaking the differences down, and mentioning the measurements. Informative and helpful, thanks again!🙂

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank YOU so very much for joining us today :)

[@MsKScreations]

Awesome video, so informative and clearly explained! You have answered so many questions and provided even more that I didnt know to ask about those exact milk products. Thank you so much.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Awesome! So happy we could be helpful! Thank you for watching today :)

[@JessieI]

This is how I stretched things during bad times. I didn't want my kids to know they were drinking powder milk at first, I knew they wouldn't even try it if they knew. So I shopped at night, the kids were asleep by the time I got home. Before I left home I had put 2- 1/2 gallon pitchers of water in the fridge, with ice in them, because you'll get the best taste out of powdered milk if it is Icy Cold. After I got the groceries put away, I got out a clean pitcher, the dried milk, and a bottle of Vanilla Extract. I had a washed/sanitized/dried Gallon Milk Jug w/Cap that we'd finished off just a few days ago. I took out a 1 Gallon Jug of Whole Milk, and I poured 1/2 of it into the cleaned/sanitized/dried 1 Gallon Milk Jug. Then I capped, and set both 1 Gal Jugs back in the fridge. On the Pitchers of Water, the ice was mostly gone from before, (when I ran the tap water over the top of them), but giving them a good hard stir finished the rest and both pitchers were good and cooold! I added in the cups of dry milk, one container at a time. I stirred it up thoroughly, making certain there were no lumps at all, no grit, it should completely dissolve. Some people put this into mixing bowls and use mixers, but you don't want to put a lot of air into it; if you do this, whatever you use must be very low speed, and keep the beaters immersed. After your dry milk is reconstituted, take the Milk Jugs out of the fridge, each have 1/2 gallon of whole milk, into each of these place 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, the real thing if you have it, then pour in most of your icy cold dry milk, stop here to cap it and SHAKE IT UP REALLY GOOD, add half of what is left in your pitcher, Cap the bottle and SHAKE IT UP AGAIN. Pour the rest of the reconstituted dry milk into the Milk Jug and carefully Shake The Jug so that the milk is thoroughly mixed. Try a glass. If you are not quite sure of the taste, try adding a tiny bit more Vanilla Extract, only an 1/8 or 1/4 tsp measure at a time. Never more than a tsp in a gallon. Now remember, it's not going to taste exactly like milk, but it will be a lot closer than if you had had a glass of straight reconstituted dry milk, also, your kids are most likely not going to notice because they usually drink milk along with eating something else. The first thing they have milk on is cereal in the morning, cereal changes the flavor of the milk entirely. So it's likely they won't notice

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Wow! Thank you for all of that awesome advice! I've never used vanilla, but made it chocolate milk for the kids to drink when necessary. The vanilla is an excellent idea that I'm going to give a try! I've always kept a half gallon of whole milk made up to use for cooking, in potatoes, etc so the "real" milk, as my kids call it, can be saved for drinking. I don't mind powdered/canned in my coffee either, so there's that. We really appreciate you sharing your experience and knowledge with us and our viewers. Thank you for visiting with us today :)

[@JessieI]

@@CanterburyTrailsFarm Really glad to help! Spent my first 50 years in poverty, always managed to make things do! Children who grow up that way stronger, wiser, more resourceful and have more common sense if their parents handle it well. If they don’t, the children grow up bitter and criminal.

[@trooperrogue9732]

Thank so much. Your explanation of expiration dates & how safe to use after expiration & how to prepare will definitely save me (all of us) tons of $$$. God bless all of you.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much for joining us! So happy we could be helpful! :)

[@OzarkMountainGoats]

Great tutorial! Very handy information in times like these!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much for viewing, OMgoats ! :)

[@BackroadsArtStudio]

This is a great explanation. Thank you. Grew up on powdered milk. Nice to meet you. Sherry

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

We always had it around too! Thank you for visiting with us today :)

[@jray5363]

Thanks for posting this video! I’ve wondered about this stuff for a while. I should have listened to Mom and Granny more growing up. Live and learn I guess.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Better late than never! We're happy we could be useful! Thank you so much for watching today!

[@JesusLovingHomesteader]

Something I’ve wondered my whole life 🤪 thank you!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank YOU for visiting with us today :)

[@jennyknepper]

Thank you for making this video. You helped me figure out how to make muffins this morning when I found myself strangely out of fresh milk!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

We're so happy we could be helpful! Thank you for joining us today :)

[@DebsWay]

Thanks for sharing!! I didn't know that about evaporated milk!!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much for stopping in today, Deb!

[@mejustme474]

Thank you so much for this ❤ I’m making oatmeal and only have canned coconut milk condensed. You SAVED me ❤

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

So happy we could be helpful! Happy oatmeal-ing :) Thank you for watching today!

[@terrymacintyre6167]

Great information , thanks ma'am.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you! Glad we could be helpful. Thank you for visiting with us today :)

[@SelfLoveACommunity13]

This was a really helpful video

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much for joining us today. We're happy we could be helpful :)

[@blissfulacresoffgridhomest2098]

Great info and video. When we were kids in Japan we had to use powdered 🥛. Nothing made it taste better! Used in cooking it is great. I use almost a whole can of evaporated milk to make a white gravy and finish off the can in mashed potatoes 🥔 Tastes great!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

When I went to China, milk was hard to come by. There were lots of soy milks and nut milks, but dairy/cow milk was expensive. Our daughter had never had "regular" milk -- only yogurt. I use a lot of canned milks and powders (in cooking). Saved our menu during the extreme Covid lockdown when all the store shelves were bare!

[@countrymamamusings7701]

Hello, new friend. WOnderful video. There are SO many variances of milk products available. I have no less than 6 different types in my working and prepping pantries ! Great video. :)

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

I know! It's amazing. I didn't cover everything in this video, because some variations are not readily available for purchase except online. I use so many types as back ups and in recipes, etc. Thank you so much for joining us today! :)

[@dexter2433]

Evaporated milk makes the best milk gravy in my opinion would use before milk jug (drinking milk) by choice

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

It does work great! Thank you so much for joining us today :)

[@HedgehogsHomestead]

Thank you so much that was really really good information and I appreciate it

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Glad we could be helpful :) Thank you for joining us today :)

[@ianhepburn6555]

Excellent video. Thank you!!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much for hanging out with us today!

[@sandrapike9890]

Thanks, this was a great video.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you, Sandra! We appreciate you watching :)

[@esthermjo_b]

Thanks for the information ✌️💗

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you for joining us today!

[@janahunter3833]

Thank you for this info

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you for joining us today :)

[@rustyshackleford1679]

Just ran out of milk and wanted cereal but found some evaporated milk and need info on if I could use it and you have provided the answer thanks

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Happy I could help! The taste isn't "regular" milk, but it gets the job done. Thank you so much for visiting with us today!

[@ASimpleLifewithChrisTara]

This was interesting....thank you

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank YOU for stopping in and watching today :)

[@meripederson8379]

Thank you sooo much!!!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

You're very welcome! Thank you for hanging out with us today :)

[@nusratkitchen7094]

Nice information

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much for hanging out with us today!

[@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

Thanks for sharing. What a cool video and channel. Subscribed. Crow✌️

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much! And, thank you for visiting with us today and for joining the journey :)

[@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

Awesome! My channel is hiking, but, I enjoy channels like yours. Crow✌️

[@leilaashby1380]

Perfect, thank you!!!!!!!!!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you for visiting with us today!

[@tallen1596]

Thank you!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank YOU for joining us today :)

[@scootermom1791]

The only dry milk I think is tolerable to drink in lieu of regular milk is Morning Moo. I used to have Carnation dry milk to drink and use on cereal when I was a kid, and my mom didn't have enough money for milk. It was disgusting! I've tried various dry milks since then, and Morning Moo is seriously the only one I could stand. But, you have to use warm water to make it then chill it afterwards, of course.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Yep, it's definitely a survival, need it but don't have it, sort of thing. Chocolate powder makes it more tolerable! Thank you for visiting with us today :)

[@davidmccool2458]

Thanks!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

You're welcome. Thank you for hanging out with us today :)

[@barbarafallin2038]

We grew up on can Pet milk and powder milk back in the 50tys

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

It's a staple! Saved my recipe many a times. Thank you so much for joining us today :)

[@dondiego124]

great vid thanks

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you for visiting with us today!

[@leodanryan966]

I use shelf stable milk. I buy it from the dollar tree for $1 per quart. It is real milk and tastes like real milk and it stays good for about a year, and sometimes longer.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

That's a good alternative as well. Thank you for watching today!

[@leodanryan966]

@@CanterburyTrailsFarm My pleasure. I still enjoyed the video and I learned something. The difference between evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk and it's usefulness. Thanks 😊

[@blue-pb7mn]

It's Gosdimer brand. Usually good stored in a pantry for a few years. Check the dates on your carton before you buy it. Once you open it you have to refrigerate it. The evaporated milk can be used to make baby formula in a tight spot too mixed with karo syrup and water. I don't know the measurement so you'll have to Google that one. There is also a table cream from Nestle in a can. Nido makes whole dry milk powder instead of low fat. Whole milk powder is much tastier than skim. I buy it at Wal-Mart and Amazon carries it too.

[@hrhtreeoflife4815]

Q 👍👍❤ Me too! Q

[@scootermom1791]

@@blue-pb7mn Gossner milk is the best! I used to buy a case of the individual sized chocolate milks for $13 for my daughter's lunches. The rootbeer flavor is my personal favorite. It has a long shelf life, but it never lasts long enough in our house to worry about it. Lol

[@DownUnderBrothers]

wow, that was really educational. We love condensed milk for cheesecakes and rumballs. Never know what evaporated milk was used for. and as for powdered milk.... we have a bread recipe that we use it for. We've tried drinking it, but it's nasty!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

I agree on the taste of powdered milk. Although, I have used it on cereal and managed to eat it, lol. I prefer evaporated milk over powdered milk but keep both in my pantry. Thank you so much for joining us today!

[@senakitchen5560]

Thank you so match ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️👍👍👍

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much for hanging out with us today :)

[@michelcromwell321]

Have you ever diluted the sweetened condensed milk to use as regular milk? I can't stand the taste of plain evaporated milk. Adding a couple large tablespoons (or more) of sugar to evaporated milk changes the flavor/taste. I also use more water than just one-to-one ratio of evap.milk-to-water. I only make one half gallon at a time for myself. Below are (4), gallon size jugs last a YEAR : 'Distilled' water: is also okay to drink, 'CPAP' water: is extra charcoal filtered and is fine to drink) 'Spring' water 'Drinking' water I don't think drinking CPAP or Distilled should be drunk on a regular basis, but I've been drinking it for years along with filtered, Spring and Drinking water. And since these 4 jugs last a year, they're great to mix your milk in if you have no other containers. Regular milk jugs begin to break down/biodegrade after about 6 months. They will sometimes begin to smell odd, plus they can begin to leak. I put in 1 12oz can of Evaporated milk in my jug, and then fill up the rest with water to where I know half a gallon is. I actually really don't notice that weird evap milk taste at all in my coffee. But the sugar is what really made the difference.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you for the information, Michel. I have a glass pitcher I use for the evaporated milk and tend to make a quart at a time. I wouldn't use sweetened condensed milk as regular milk due to the sugar content, but everyone has their own tastes, and I see no reason why you couldn't if you wanted to...you'd have to find the right consistency with water of course. Thank you for visiting with us today :)

[@angelarogers3137]

I was literally fixing to type out the same thing

[@stockpilethomas7900]

My Grandmother would add powdered milk and can milk together.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Mixing milks is a great way to stretch fresh or canned milk, or to improve the taste of one or the other. Thank you so much for visiting with us today :)

[@scootermom1791]

How did it taste?

[@stockpilethomas7900]

@@scootermom1791 It was okay.

[@khanscombe619]

What's the breakdown on a cost per serving (8 oz) as used for cooking with dry powder vs evaporated compared to whole milk for a given area? Can that toddler drink mix be added to a chocolate drink mix like Ovaltine for the nutrition without much changed flavour? I have looked into the heavy cream podwer for when I need a richer sauce & can't get to the shop on short notice.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

I've never figured the cost per serving breakdown. I use evaporated milk as a back up to running out of fresh milk, and then I long term store dry powder milk as a back up to the back up. I tend to buy canned evaporated milk in bulk on an annual basis and rotate the cans out. I probably end up using 1 can a week when we run out of fresh milk. We aren't a shop every week family, so if we run out, I turn to my back ups until the next scheduled grocery store trip. The toddler milk drink can be added to anything, but there is a taste change. Hard to describe the taste change...sort of what formula smells like. With chocolate added, it's harder to detect and if added to baked goods, etc, also harder to detect the flavor. I keep the heavy cream powder for baking. I seldom have a fresh container of heavy cream on hand (again because we don't shop weekly), so it's good to be able to mix up what is needed for a particular recipe. I hope that helps. Thank you so much for joining us today!

[@khanscombe619]

@@CanterburyTrailsFarm Brilliant. That makes sense. So I use Double cream every day & I find it can last 2 weeks easily if I but it by in in Qt sizes opening 1 at a time. I have my fave for drink as is & 1 for cooking. I looked at my Carnation's evap whole fat milk & it looks as if it's about twice the cost to our local shop here. The key thing being as you said, a goood back up when I'm not going to the shop for few days.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

I tend to purchase store brands unless I can shop in bulk (mostly online) and have big flats delivered. Food Direct has good prices on bulk orders. Or, well, rather, they did last year when I placed my last order, lol. I haven't checked recently. I won't be due for my next bulk order til about Spring. Thank you for sharing your knowledge :)

[@melanieevans5600]

This video should have more views. Thanks so much for the info. What do you think about sweetened condensed milk for instant coffee ☕️?

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Aww, thank you :) Sweetened condensed milk can be used for coffee/food, etc, but one has to remember it is very thick and has a ton of sugar in it. If condensed milk is all you have, I would dilute it before using it, or try a tiny bit, stir it in, and add a tiny bit as necessary. Condensed milk works great in making iced coffee -- especially in flavored varieties where you'd add sugar. I need to do a follow up video talking about whey, shelf stable milk, and using powdered milk to make such things as hot chocolate, etc. I have a pudding video I believe. Thank you so much for joining us today! :)

[@melanieevans5600]

@@CanterburyTrailsFarm Thanks so much for the reply. So I was thinking to just add a splash to a cup of instant coffee in a last resort situation. I don’t drink coffee much - only a few sips on work days as a habit. But my parents do so I’m trying to get ingredients for them as well if the sh*t hits the fan.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

@@melanieevans5600 I would go the powdered milk or evaporated milk route whenever possible, and use condensed as a last resort last resort. The powdered milk can be mixed up by the half cup or cup and put in a jar or recycled bottle and put in the fridge.

[@ChrisUong.English]

It’s almost time to use it.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

I use it about once a week. Always good to have on hand! Thank you so much for joining us today :) Happy Holidays!

[@elaineroyal2785]

Omg thank you!

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

You're very welcome and thank you for visiting with us today :)

[@elaineroyal2785]

@@CanterburyTrailsFarm ❤

[@peakpoint8650]

Good 😊

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you so much for visiting with us today :)

[@Michelle-qi5zf]

1 to 2 gallons a day? We are a family of 6 and don’t use a 1/2 gallon a week. Then again, none of us like the taste of milk at all.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

We love milk! And I use it in baking, and I make all of our bread. We drink it with breakfast, most dinners, and bedtime snack. We are a family of 6 too. Did I say a day, I meant a week? We usually buy 2-3 gallons on the weekend to get us through the week. Edited to add: Omg, lol, I DID say a day...it's a week. Unless I make chocolate chip cookies, then we easily wipe out a gallon in a day lol. Thank you for watching and catching that! :)

[@scootermom1791]

I, alone, go through a gallon a week...sometimes more if using it for pudding. I hate that the prices have gone up so much! I'll sacrifice other food, though, for milk. I can't live without it (technically, I guess I could but wouldn't want to).

[@michellecharles343]

Condensed milk is the best 👍🏽

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

It's great in desserts! Thank you so much for joining us today :)

[@davidcookmfs6950]

I keep cans of evaporated milk as a substitute for half and half for coffee and use it straight out of the can for that. I live in New Orleans, and we have power outages a lot.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

It works great for that! I've even mixed about a 1/4 tsp of "chocolate milk" cocoa in with the evap. milk to make a flavored coffee additive. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us today :)

[@nomanejane5766]

🖤

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you for joining us today :)

[@matt7iron]

Whatever happened to that old watery can pet milk my mom use to add to coffee in the 70's

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

That's still around! It's actually Evaporated Milk, just a brand name. Thank you so much for visiting with us today :)

[@nawazspeaks4618]

Nice 👍🔔❤

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you for visiting with us today :)

[@kikiperales95]

It’s NIDO KÍNDER they give it to toddlers because if the extra vitamins. In an emergency it’s the best think you can have around. I’m picky/sensitive with flavors and can tolerate Nido milk.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Absolutely! And for the money, it's a great value. Thank you so much for joining us today!

[@valzeppelin5153]

NIDO is the Nestlé toddler milk. It is $19 for a 56oz can.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Yes! I think it was around $11 last I bought it...before the shortage on baby formula. Thank you for joining us today. :)

[@scootermom1791]

Holy cow! I can't believe the prices of things now. It's sickening!

[@clarion7018]

Even basic things like eggs tripled in cost. Surprised there are no protests on.

[@donlove3741]

Mmmmm Powdered milk ,eggs,potatoes and dehydrated meats! Yum ! Hahaha ! Powdered breakfast.

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

A starving man complains little. :) Do what you have to do to prepare for all outcomes. Thank you so much for stopping in today!

[@user-gh8mw6dh6r]

🔔👍👈

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you for watching today!

[@jenzvlog1507]

New friend here sending my full support God bless you and your family stay connected and safe see you around hope you can visit mine too thank you

[@CanterburyTrailsFarm]

Thank you, I will. Thank you for visiting with us today!