Condensed milk vs powdered milk: what's the difference
Both are preserved dairy products, invented so that milk would keep for a long time. Condensed milk is cooked down under vacuum with sugar, while powdered milk is dried almost completely.
| 🥫 Condensed milk | 🧀 Milk powder | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's made | Milk is pasteurized at 85–87 °C, condensed in a vacuum pan at 55–60 °C, and sugar syrup is added | Pasteurized milk is concentrated to about 50% solids and sprayed into a hot chamber; less often it is roller-dried or freeze-dried |
| Composition | No more than 26.5% moisture, about 43.5% sucrose, about 8.5% fat (sweetened whole) | Almost no water |
| Taste and texture | Thick, very sweet | A powder; roller drying can give it a "cooked" taste |
| Shelf life | Keeps for a long time without significant changes in its properties | Keeps much longer than liquid milk without a fridge; spoiled by moisture and heat |
| Uses | In tea and coffee; boiled condensed milk for creams, baking and desserts | Reconstituted milk, baking, confectionery, infant formula, food aid, hiking |
| History | Nicolas Appert condensed milk in France in 1820; Gail Borden's patent dates from 1856 | Marco Polo described sun-dried skimmed milk among Mongol warriors; T. S. Grimwade's patent dates from 1855 |
Which to choose
For desserts, coffee and as a treat in its own right, choose condensed milk. If you need a store of "regular" milk, an ingredient for dough or something light for a hike, choose powdered milk.
Sources
Themes
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