Usage Tips

Measuring Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

To measure, remove the entire lid and scrape into a glass measuring cup using a rubber spatula.

Transfer any remaining Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk into a storage container, cover and refrigerate. It will keep for about one week.

Use the remaining milk in recipes, dip for fruit, pour on oatmeal, spread on toast or add it to coffee and tea.

Storing Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk: Store unopened cans in a cool, dry place—away from the range. Because it is a natural product, it may vary in color and consistency from can to can. It will become thicker and more caramel-colored when kept on the shelf for a long time. These changes won't affect its quality, and when used in recipes with peanut butter, butterscotch, or chocolate, the rich caramel flavor and color will blend with these ingredients.

Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk...more than just a magic ingredient!

Drizzle over ice cream or pound cake
Pour into a bowl and dip fresh fruit and biscuits—fondue-style
Add by the spoonful as creamer or sweetener to coffee, tea and cocoa
Pour over oatmeal or any hot grain breakfast cereal
Caramelize and spread over pastries, or use as a caramel dip

Making Homemade Caramel

For an easy caramel topping or dip, simply heat Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk using the following directions. For safety reasons, do not heat in the can (an old cooking method). Instead, use one of the following methods.

OVEN METHOD: Pour 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk into a 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with hot water. Bake at 425° for 1 1/2 hours or until thick and caramel-colored.

STOVETOP METHOD: Pour 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk into top of double boiler; place over boiling water. Over low heat, simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth.

MICROWAVE METHOD: Pour 1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk into 2-quart glass measuring cup. Cook on 50% power (medium) 4 minutes, stirring briskly every 2 minutes until smooth. Cook on 30% power (medium-low) 20 to 26 minutes or until very thick and caramel-colored, stirring briskly every 4 minutes during the first 16 minutes and every 2 minutes for the last 4 to 10 minutes. Make sure to use potholders when removing the glass measuring cup from the microwave, as it will be hot.

CAUTION: DO NOT HEAT IN CAN.

Foolproof Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream is easy to make when you use Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk:

It blends easily with other ingredients and lends a rich, thick consistency, so eggs are not required
The low freezing point of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk helps minimize the formation of ice crystals so the ice cream turns out smooth and creamy every time
Top off your ice cream with delicious Smucker's® Sundae Syrup™ or Magic Shell® toppings. Click here for more great sundae ideas
Be sure to enjoy our other ice cream recipes in the recipes section of this site

Melting Chocolate

Chocolate melts smoothly with Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk.

For a velvety texture, be sure to use a medium to heavy saucepan and low heat
As the chocolate heats, stir the mixture constantly until it is smooth. If the heat is too high, the chocolate may form tiny clumps.
When heated with chocolate, Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk quickly thickens to a velvety smooth consistency for candies and sauces that are never grainy
There's no need for constant stirring or a candy thermometer

Chocolate-Dipped Fruit

Cap off any celebration with an impressive, yet quick, dessert:

Simply melt 2 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate squares with 1 can of Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk over low heat
Stir until chocolate has melted. Let cool.
Pour into a pretty glass bowl, serve with whole strawberries, sliced apples, pears or banana slices

For another great dip idea, try our Butterscotch Apple Dip with apple wedges, ready in just 5 minutes.

Recipe For Success: Beginners and experienced cooks love cooking with Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk because it ensures success and gives confidence when making desserts. It thickens almost magically without cooking when mixed with lemon, lime or orange juice. This means no worries about runny pie filling or pudding when you use Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Playing It Safe

Warm weather and eating outdoors go hand-in-hand. To make sure the foods you serve at backyard barbecues or dinners out on the deck are safe, remember to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.

Hot foods should stay above 140°
Cold foods are best when chilled on a bed of ice
Do not allow any food to remain outside longer than 2 hours—even if the food looks just fine

Accept No Substitute: No other milk will work in recipes that call for sweetened condensed milk (it is not possible to make a similar product at home, and evaporated milk does not have the sugar and creamy consistency of Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk). Use only Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk to make recipes for rich, mouthwatering desserts that you can count on every time.

Butter vs. Margarine: Many of the recipes on this website and in many of our Recipe Books call for butter to ensure optimum flavor and texture. If you would like to use margarine in place of butter, make sure the margarine you use is at least 80 percent vegetable oil or fat. Any product with less than 80 percent vegetable oil or fat contains additional water and milk solids, and can make your baked goods either soggy or rock-hard.

Birthday Bonanzas

One sure way to guarantee smiles at your next kid's birthday party is to let your kids help plan it!

Let them choose a theme, the games and the food for the party. They can even help you get everything ready! With a little parental guidance, you'll have as much fun planning it as you will throwing it!

Your kids might even enjoy taking part as entertainers. For example, they could perform magic tricks, help organize games and read during storybook time.

For treats, be sure to have some tasty snacks on hand such as S'Mores on a Stick or Caramel Peanut Balls.

Easy Entertaining

If you've always wanted to throw a party, this is the year to do it. You can easily throw a formal affair or a quick casual gathering of friends and family with just a little bit of planning.

Just make three or four kinds of dessert bars from this website or other recipe books (you can do this several weeks ahead and stash them in the freezer). Then, when it's party time, mix up a batch of one of the Eagle Brand® Beverages (tip: Eagle Brand punch recipes are great for parties) and brew some coffee—refreshments are served.

To make a simple party more festive, tie ribbons onto stems of glasses, add a fresh bowl of flowers floating in water, and light a few candles at the dinner or dessert table. Enjoy!

Pie Pastry Choices

When there's little time to make pie crust from scratch, the supermarket offers several work-saving options.

In the baking aisle, you'll find graham cracker and chocolate-flavored crumb crusts as well as pastry mixes in 1-crust and 2-crust sizes
In the dairy case, look for packages of refrigerated pastry that contain two 12-inch crusts that are already rolled out and ready to ease into a pie plate
In the freezer case, look for deep-dish frozen unbaked crusts (be sure to select a package that is marked deep-dish so it will hold the same amount of filling as a homemade crust)

Pie Crust from Scratch

If you've got the time, nothing tastes better than homemade!

For a flaky crust, be sure all of your ingredients are ice-cold or chilled. You should also put your dough in the fridge for an hour before you roll it out.
When it's time to roll your dough, roll from the center out for a nice circular shape. Also, make sure you lift your rolling pin after each roll.
Finally, use the bottom rack to bake your pies. The higher heat will ensure an even bake from top to bottom.

Toasting Nuts and Coconut: Toasted nuts and coconut give foods a pleasant crunchiness and enhance the food's nutty flavor. To toast, spread the chopped nuts or coconut in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until light golden, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

Making Chocolate Leaves

Chocolate leaves are an elegant dessert garnish
Start by melting 1 (1-ounce) square semi-sweet chocolate. To melt the chocolate in a microwave oven, place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on 100% power (high) for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft enough to stir smooth, stirring every minute. Be sure to place a cover on top of the container while microwaving to avoid splattering.
With a small, clean paintbrush, paint several coats of melted chocolate on the undersides of nontoxic leaves, such as mint, lemon, or strawberry. Wipe off any chocolate from top sides of leaves. Place leaves chocolate sides up on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet or on a curved surface, such as a rolling pin.
Refrigerate leaves until chocolate is firm
To use, carefully peel leaves away from chocolate

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