So Many Choices - What Does it all Mean?

Milk, cream and other related dairy products play important roles in cooking. Light cream often gives soup its rich taste, sour cream and buttermilk give baked goods a sinful texture and evaporated milk tastes great in your morning coffee.
Or, is it sweetened condensed milk that goes in coffee?
Read on to find out the answer to that and many other questions related to using milk and cream.

Whole Milk

The “whole” in whole milk refers to the fact that it contains the natural 3.5 per cent fat content of cow’s milk. Most milk bought in shops has been pasteurized – heated and then quickly cooled – to kill bacteria, and homogenized so that the cream (milk fat or butterfat) does not separate and rise to the top.

Whole milk is recommended for babies and young children, whose growing bodies need the full fat content. For those of us who aren't growing (or don't want to!) there are three common varieties available that are lower in fat: one that contains two-per-cent fat and another that contains 1 per cent. Skim milk contains less than half a per cent of fat.

Milk is available in several varieties:

Lactose-free: This milk has a reduced amount of lactose (the sugar found in milk) for those who are allergic.

Low-Sodium milk: Milk has a naturally high volume of sodium. This milk is for those who are on sodium-restricted diets.

Dry milk: Powdered milk (skim, whole or buttermilk) can be mixed with water to drink or use in recipes. It doesn’t taste quite like fresh milk, though.

Cream

This is the concentrated, fatty layer that rises to the top of un-homogenized milk. There are various terms for cream, based on its fat content:

Half-and-half: This is mainly used for cups of coffee. It contains (surprise, surprise!) one half milk and one-half cream, and 10 to 12 per cent fat.

Whipping Cream: The 30% butterfat in this product allows it to thicken when whipped - but it does not end up as thick as when you whip heavy cream. (This product is mostly known in the USA and unknown elsewhere.)

Light cream: This may be used in recipes for soups and sauces, and contains 18 to 30 per cent fat.

Heavy cream (or double cream): This can be whipped. It doubles in volume when whipped and has 36 to 40 per cent fat.

Sour Cream

Sour cream is popular as a topping for baked potato or soups, and as the base for many dips. It is also used in baking recipes, such as Chocolate Cake. Sour cream is made by adding lactic acid to cream. It contains 18 per cent fat, but also comes in low and non-fat (thickened with stabilizers) versions. Plain yogurt can often be used as a substitute for sour cream.

Clotted Cream ( Devon cream)

This British invention is integral to the tradition of "afternoon tea," used as a spread on scones (along with jam.)

Clotted cream is made by heating unpasteurized milk and skimming off the surface layer (which is the clotted cream.)

Crème Fraiche

This French delicacy is a thickened, soured cream that’s often used as a fruit or dessert topping, or as a topping for soup. It has about 28 per cent fat, and is traditionally made with unpasteurized milk. In the U.S., it’s quite expensive.

According to Epicurious, you can make crème fraiche at home by mixing one cup of whipping cream with two tablespoons of buttermilk in a glass container. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours, or until thick. Stir, cover and refrigerate for up to 10 days.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk came into use as a byproduct of the butter-churning process: Rather than waste the residual liquid, people began to use it in baked goods, soups, dressings and sauces.

Nowadays, buttermilk is made by adding bacteria to milk (often skim milk) to give it a thicker texture and a tangy, yogurt-like flavor. Despite its rich-sounding name, buttermilk is actually lower in calories and fat than regular milk.

In recipes, it can often be substituted in equal proportions for plain yogurt (and vice versa). It can also be used in startcooking.com's Avocado Soup. Occasional users of buttermilk may want to buy it in powdered form rather than fresh -- that way you won't end up wasting most of the carton when you only needed a cup.

Evaporated Milk (unsweetened condensed milk)

This is canned milk that has had about 6o per cent of the water removed. Because has a long shelf life, it became popular as a milk substitute before refrigeration. These days, it’s mostly used to add creaminess to desserts. If it’s mixed with an equal proportion of water, it can be used to substitute milk.

Evaporated milk is available in whole, low-fat and skim versions. It can also be used to add creaminess to sauces and soups. In Holland, evaporated milk is widely used as a coffee creamer. We use is here at startcooking.com to make Stove-Top Mac and Cheese.

Evaporated milk is NOT to be confused with sweetened condensed milk (see below), which comes in similar cans.

Evaporated Milk and Sweetened Condensed Milk

Sweetened condensed milk

This sticky, sweet canned concoction is made with a mix of whole milk and sugar. It’s made by heating the milk and sugar together, which causes the water to evaporate. It’s used mainly in pie fillings (Key Lime Pie, for example), cakes and other desserts. In some countries – particulary Vietnam – sweetened condensed milk is used to flavor coffee.

startcooking.com uses sweetened condensed milk for Chocolate Fudge, Holiday Cookies, and Pumpkin Pie for Beginners.

Pumpkin Pie for Beginners

Dulce de leche

This is a caramel-flavored syrup that can be made by slowly cooking sweetened condensed milk. Native to Argentina and Uruguay, dulce de leche is sold in jars to use as a spread on toast, or a sauce for ice cream and other desserts. If you want to try making it at home, David Lebovitz offers a very simple recipe.

Soy Milk

Soy Milk Comes in all Different Flavors!

Often sold next to cow’s milk in North American grocery stores, soy milk is made from pressed soy beans and water. It has a slight beany taste. Soy milk is the basis of tofu, and is used widely in Asia for both drinking and cooking. It has a similar nutritional breakdown to cow’s milk, but is typically fortified with calcium. It provides an alternative for anyone with lactose or casein (milk protein) allergies. Soy milk comes in 2 per cent fat, and lower fat varieties, natural, sweetened and flavored.

Coconut Milk

Don't Confuse Coconut Milk with Coconut Water!

This one does NOT come from a cow. Coconut “milk” is actually the liquid produced from squeezing grated coconut meat, not the liquid that’s sitting inside the coconut. Coconut milk is often used in Thai or Asian curries and soups, as well as sweets and desserts.

Here is a simple recipe for Green Curry Chicken from Eat My Words, which gets its curry flavor from ready made spice paste. Another simple coconut millk recipe is Thai-Spiced Pumpkin Soup from 101 Cookbooks. Another easy way to use coconut milk is to make coconut rice (by replacing all or part of the water with coconut milk) or coconut rice pudding. Sold in cans, coconut milk has about 17 per cent fat content. It is available in lower-fat versions, which simply have more water added.

Enjoy!

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Note: This post is brought to you by Chiquita’s Fresh Express

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Today I’m making Salad Wraps and -- in less than 5 minutes -- lunch will be ready!

Eating salad in a wrap, instead of on a plate with a knife and fork makes for a fun change of pace! I bought a bag of Fresh Express "Mediterranean Supreme Complete Salad” and some flour tortilla wraps.

Flour tortilla wraps come in different flavors and in two different sizes. The smaller ones are about 8 inches in diameter and the larger ones are about 10 inches in diameter. I used the larger ones - one bag of Fresh Express Restaurant Style Complete Salad will make three really big Salad Wraps!

Making and eating salad became so much easier when pre-washed salad greens became available at the grocery store. Buying pre-wash salad greens is a huge time saver, plus you can buy salad blends which include several types of salad greens all in one bag.

You may have noticed that Restaurant Style Complete Salads are available in your grocer's produce department. These salads include not only the greens, but can also include the dressing, shredded cheese, croutons, wonton strips or corn chips for crunch, and even dried fruit like raisins or cherries, all in one bag (Asian Supreme is my favorite!).

My Mediterranean Supreme included baby spinach, a savory 3-cheese blend, focaccia bread croutons, and Sweet Dijon vinaigrette.

I put the baby spinach in a large bowl…

…then added the extras.

Using a pair of tongs I gave the salad a quick toss.

To make the wrap, I spread about 1/3 of the salad on a 10-inch wrap.

Folded over the sides…

…then the bottom. (Three hands would be great here!)

Now I’m ready to roll!

Be sure to roll your wrap tightly so that it won’t fall apart.

Keep the seam side down to keep it from unrolling.

You can also make a wrap with the top open. Spread the salad out on the tortilla.

Start by folding up the bottom…

…then fold over one side….

…and start rolling!

This way nothing will fall out the bottom of the wrap.

Lunch is ready!

Wasn't it easy? It was all in the bag!

Thanks Fresh Express for taking the work out of making a salad!

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Most of us depend on rice, pasta and potatoes as side-dish standbys.

However, there’s a world of other interesting grains out there to explore: couscous, quinoa, barley and bulghur, for example. They provide that carbohydrate kick with a twist, and a different texture or flavor is always worth a try. This guide will explain the differences between various grains, and try to inspire you to try something new.

Bulghur

Bulghur, a form of wheat, is the base of taboule salad.

A Middle-Eastern staple and the base of taboule salad, Bulghur refers to wheat kernels that have been boiled, dried and crushed. It is available in fine, medium and coarse grinds.

How to cook it: Put one cup of bulghur in a small pot with one and a half cups of water. Bring to a boil and then cover and turn heat down to a low setting. Cook for 15 minutes.

How to use it: Bulghur is good in salads, pilafs and meat and vegetable dishes.

Couscous

The spongy texture of couscous goes well with stews and saucy dishes.

Native to North African countries, couscous is a grain that’s often served with meat and vegetable stews. Its soft, spongy texture really absorbs sauce or liquid. Couscous granules come from semolina, which is the form of wheat that goes into making pasta. The great thing about couscous is that it takes six minutes to cook. Here’s startcooking.com's tutorial on How to Make Couscous.

Quinoa

Quinoa is great in savory dishes and as an alternative to oatmeal.

Photo courtesy of Susan at Feasts and Fotos.

A grain native to the Andes, quinoa grains are actually the seeds of a leafy plant. Quinoa has a distinctive crunchy texture, and a slightly nutty flavor. In terms of nutrition, quinoa is rich in protein and it’s gluten-free. Look for quinoa in health food stores.

How to cook it: Bring one part of quinoa and two parts of liquid to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the grains are transparent.

How to use it: Quinoa is great as a warm side dish, mixed with seasonings and beans. It’s also good in salads, like this Quinoa and Black Bean Salad. For those looking for a change from oatmeal, here’s a recipe for Quinoa Porridge.

Barley (also known as groats)

Barley can be used as a base for many side dishes, including Pea Barley Risotto.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Lynch at Closet Cooking.

This grain, which comes from the grass family, is well known for its high fibre and health benefits. It’s important to remember to buy whole barley (or hulled barley), as opposed to pearl barley, which has been processed and is not considered to be whole grain. Pearled barley is made into other products, such as grits. Pot or scotch barley is between hulled and pearl barley in terms of nutrition: it’s processed, but not as much as pearl barley. Look for both hulled and pot barley in health food stores. Barley is well-known as an addition to soups and stews, but its chewy texture also makes it a great side dish.

How to Cook it: Use 2.5 to 3 cups of water per cup of hulled barley. Bring the water to a boil, then add the barley, cover the pot, reduce heat to low and cook for about 1.5 hours.

Here’s a recipe for Beef, Leek and Barley Soup from Smitten Kitchen, with lots of mouthwatering photos.

And here's Grandma's Grain Recipe, which makes a big batch of mixed, cooked grains that you can use to make hot cereal, or as a savory side dish.

Rice

Brown rice is chewier, nuttier and healthier than white rice.

Startcooking has tutorials on making white rice, brown rice and fried rice on the stove. It’s also possible to bake rice in the oven, as this recipe for Oven-baked Brown Rice demonstrates. Keep in mind that brown rice is the healthiest choice.

Wild Rice

This is actually a kind of seed, rather than a grain. It’s got a hearty, chewy texture and is even healthier than brown rice, containing lots of protein, calcium, iron and potassium.

How to cook it: Cook one cup of wild rice with three cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 35 to 55 minutes (or until the water is absorbed).

How to Use it: Wild rice makes an excellent warm side dish, and is also delicious in cold salads. Pioneer Woman serves up an excellent tutorial for Fresh Corn With Wild Rice – a side dish she recommends for Thanksgiving.

What are Whole Grains?

Eating grains in their whole grain form (as opposed to their processed form) has been shown to have a host of health benefits. Studies report that regular consumption of whole grains reduces risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and obesity. Refining processes typically remove 25 per cent of the typical grain's protein and many other nutrients are lost.

Tips on Cooking Grains

• Although most grains will have cooking instructions on the package, here’s a handy guide to grain cooking times.
• Toasting grains before cooking will make them more flavorful. To toast the grains, spread them out in an even layer in a frying pan and heat for a few minutes. Stir them so that they don’t burn.
• Grains can be cooked in water or broth, or a combination of the two.
• Cooked grains keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
• You can freeze any leftovers to use later.

Enjoy!

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