10 ways to milk beyond your daily cuppa

It's time to start winning the race against the use-by clock.

Got milk?

Got milk? Source: Getty Images

Sweeten corn

The veggie world’s candy on a stick is usually already sweet enough but if yours isn’t, try boiling it in a mix of water and milk. We’re not entirely sure why but this extracts its natural sugars and makes it taste even better.
Sweet corn
Sweet corn Source: Pixabay/keem

Up your fish game

Fish for dinner? If you’ve pre-frozen it, the best way to thaw it out is in a dish of milk. The proteins in the milk maintain the fish’s flavour so it tastes as good as if it were line caught that day.
Salmon
Tassal Group has lifted full-year profit 20 per cent, helped by a focus on high-margin wholesale. (AAP) Source: AAP

Freeze it!

We all lose the race against the use-by date clock some weeks. Before you pour all that liquid gold down the drain, try pouring some into ice cube trays and freezing it. Then, when smoothies call, add them to a blender with fresh fruit.
Frozen milk cubes are a welcome addition to smoothies.
Frozen milk cubes are a welcome addition to smoothies. Source: Getty Images

Tenderise meat

Milk is a popular way to tenderise your meat in Italian cooking while Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines use yoghurt in abundance. Meanwhile, over in America’s south, buttermilk is favoured. It’s believed that the calcium in milk reacts with the enzymes in the meat to soften the protein. The best way to use it as a tenderiser is to cover the meat completely in the milk, pop a lid or some cling wrap over the top and into the fridge for up to four hours.
Southern fried chicken
Source: Brett Stevens
This uses buttermilk as a tenderiser.

Get cooking

Braising pork and lamb in milk is another popular Italian pastime for the same reasons as above: milk is a wonderful tenderiser! This also uses lemon zest as it helps the milk to curdle and create delicious ricotta-like particles in the sauce.
Pork neck braised in milkPork neck cooked in milk with sage and lemon (maiale al latte)
Source: Benito Martin

Curb saltiness

Love your feta and haloumi but not all the extra salt it sometimes packs? Soak your hard salty cheese in milk for 10 minutes to rid them of the excess salt.
Matthew Evans homemade haloumi
Matthew Evans homemade haloumi Source: Gourmet Farmer
Learn how to with help from Matthew Evans.

Turn it into paneer

Got a spare litre of milk lying around? Bring it to the boil in a clean saucepan, remove from heat, then add the juice of one lemon and one teaspoon of salt. Stir and set aside. Once the curds have separated from the whey. Now all you need to do is pour them into a colander lined with cheesecloth, tie the top of the cheesecloth and weigh it down with weights or cans for 30 minutes until it’s firm. Read more .
Paneer cheese
Source: Supplied

Culture up!

Forget starter cultures – for a super express way to make a DIY yoghurt, blend those last few tablespoons of natural yoghurt with two litres of milk in a saucepan. Temperatures matter – for Matthew Evans’ fail-proof instructions.
Honey
Source: Getty Images

Love to bake? Make your own buttermilk!

Buttermilk is used to lighten batters in pancakes, scones and some cakes. If you don’t have any in the fridge, just add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to one cup of milk, and let it sit out at room temperature for about ten minutes. If you need more than this, just keep the above ratios.
Brown-sugar ripple buttermilk Bundt cake with wine-roasted pears and caramel sauce
Brown-sugar ripple buttermilk Bundt cake with wine-roasted pears and caramel sauce Source: Alan Benson
.

And, what about all that soy milk?

We've got just the recipe: this ramen recipe skips on time and fuss - but not on flavour. The broth uses stock, aromatics and unsweetened soy milk for a creamy, punchy, lick-your-bowl-good noodle soup. Check out this .
The vampire slayer ramen express
The vampire slayer ramen express Source: Mandy Lee
 airs 7.30pm Wed nights on SBS. Visit the  program page for recipes and to find out more about the show.


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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only.
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4 min read
Published 18 February 2019 10:35am
Updated 18 February 2019 11:05am
By SBS Food bite-sized
Source: SBS


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