Part 1 – Baking Basics – Best Dairy and Cream products You Can Make At Home
Store-bought dairy ingredients like butter, sour cream, heavy cream, yogurt, condensed milk etc., are often very expensive to buy and they are those which are used in a variety of recipes.
So, the best way to cut costs is to just make these items yourself at home! Yes, there are easy ways to make dairy and cream ingredients at home and this article will tell you how!
Dairy and Cream Ingredients You Can Make At Home:
1. Sour Cream Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
(Or distilled white vinegar) - ¼ cup whole milk (optional)
Method:
Into a mason jar, add in all the ingredients and stir it well. Then, cover the mason jar with a thin cloth and secure it using a rubber band. Let it sit for around 1 to 1.5 days in room temperature or until thickened. Stir before using and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
2. Condensed Milk Recipe – Make delicious dairy condensed milk and also vegan condensed milk with only 2 ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups full-fat dairy milk or coconut milk
- 2/3 cup of sugar
Method:
Into a heating pot, add in the ingredients and give it a mix. Stirring continuously over medium heat, let the sugar dissolve. Then once the sugar dissolves, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for half an hour (30 minutes) until the mixture thickens. Next, remove it from the heat, strain and once cool, pour into an airtight storage container.
To store: Keep in a cool dark place for up to 6 months or in the refrigerator (if you live in humid climate).
3. Heavy cream Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 3 tbsp Butter
Recipe – cut the butter into small cubes and melt it in the microwave or on the stove using a double boiler. . Slowly stream milk into butter while whisking. Continue whisking until mixture is smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. If separation occurs, set bowl back on the double boiler and whisk until mixture is more homogenized. Use this substitute in places of heavy cream in your favorite recipes. However, it’s important to note that this substitute won’t whip into soft or stiff peaks regardless of how long you continue to whip it. READ MORE – for whipping cream recipe, click here.
4. Cream cheese Recipe –
Ingredients:
2 litres full fat milk
(Or fresh cream)
3 – 4 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Into a large heating pot, add in the full fat milk (or you could even use fresh cream). Then, turn on the heat and let the milk heat up on medium heat. You can keep the pot covered and wait for the milk to come to a boil. Caution: If you choose to keep the pot covered, make sure to keep checking on it, failing which your milk could rise and overflow if over boiled.
Once the milk starts to boil, immediately add in the lemon juice and turn off the heat. You will soon notice that the milk has broken and has started to curdle. If you do not find the milk curdling well enough, you can add in a little more lemon juice (around ½ to 1 tablespoon should suffice).
Give it a stir and let it cool down completely. Next, you will have to place a muslin/cheesecloth onto a sieve and pour in the curdled milk to get rid of all the whey. Gently lift up the muslin cloth and squeeze out the whey, until the curdled milk is completely dry and lumpy. Thereafter, you will need to tone down the tanginess by pouring a litre of cold water onto the curdled milk. Next, transfer the curdled milk lumps into a food processer (or blender) and blend well until the mixture becomes creamy.
Tip: If you find that the texture of the cream cheese isn’t becoming creamy, then you can add in ½ to 1 tablespoon of the whey (even water will do) and then blend it.
To store: Transfer the freshly made cream cheese into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.