What to use instead of evaporated milk
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Concentrated milk that will not split in a hot sauce
About 60 percent of the water is gone and the canning has already heat-stabilised the proteins, so it takes a hard simmer without curdling.
Whole milk reduced by halfRan out
2 cups whole milk simmered down to 1 cup
Close in body and a shade sweeter from the reduction. Less heat-stable, so keep the sauce under a boil.
Half-and-halfRan out
1:1
Richer and thicker, so the sauce coats more heavily. It splits if it boils hard, unlike the tinned milk.
Full-fat coconut milkDairy-free
1:1
Similar body and very stable in heat. Coconut comes through clearly and it sets firmer as the sauce cools.
Soy or oat milk reduced by a third, plus oilPlant-based
1 1/2 cups plant milk reduced to 1 cup + 1 tsp neutral oil
Thin by comparison, and soy holds heat better than oat does. The sauce needs a starch to get the same cling.
What doesn't work: Sweetened condensed milk. It is about 45 percent sugar, so a nacho cheese or a huancaina made with it comes out sweet and the sugar scorches on the bottom of the pan.
Rich body in a custard or set dessert
The concentrated milk solids give a flan its density and faint caramel taste, and the low water content lets it set firmer than fresh milk does.
Whole milk reduced by half and cooledRan out
2 cups milk reduced to 1 cup
Sets nearly the same. Cleaner and less cooked tasting, since the canning is what gives evaporated milk its caramel note.
Heavy cream let down with waterRan out
3/4 cup cream + 1/4 cup water per 1 cup evaporated milk
Much richer with a softer set, closer to a pot de creme. Give it an extra 5 minutes in the oven to firm up.
Full-fat coconut milkDairy-free
1:1
Sets firm and tastes clearly of coconut. It can separate into a fatty top layer if the oven runs hot.
What doesn't work: Skim or 1 percent milk from the carton. Too much water and too little fat, so the custard weeps liquid and sets loose and icy however long you bake it.
Evaporated and condensed tins look alike on the shelf. Condensed is thick and sweetened; evaporated pours like thin cream.