Dairy food today consists of recipes we can make from milk. Milk itself can be drunk on its own or mixed with other ingredients. Most breakfast meals contain milk. Milk comes in many forms.
Here are the 11 most common types of food we can make from milk.
1. Buttermilk
Fermented milk product made from the liquid that remains after the extraction of butter from milk.
2. Cream
Cream is also a dairy derivative. It contains more fat than regular milk. It is the top natural layer if milk before any extraction is done.
3. Butter
Butter is the fat extracted from milk through a process called churning. This product is yellowish in color and has several uses such as cooking and so spreading on bread.
4. Yoghurt
Yoghurt or yogurt is manufactured from milk through fermentation. It is consumed cold as a popular snack or ice cream.
5. Cheese
Cheese is obtained by coagulating milk protein and it is used to spread bread. Cheese has a pale yellow look.
6. Custard
Custard is porridge like food made from milk, cheese and egg. It os a common breakfast meal made at home or sold in packets at shops.
7. Skimmed
The part of milk that remains after the fat layer has been removed.
8. Whole
Whole milk contains all the parts of milk. It is milk in its natural state before any processing has been done.
9. Condensed
In this product,much of the water contained on milk is extracted, leaving a concentrate. It is sweetened and sold in tins. This form is very useful for preparing thick food that requires lots of milk.
10. Powdered
In this form, all the water from the milk is dried out. Its also called milk powder. Useful for the preservation of milk but less tasty.
11. Evaporated
A concentrated unsweetened form of milk.
Misconceptions
It is popular belief that eggs are dairy products but they aren’t. They are not derived from milk. The confusion arises because dairy is sometimes associated with livestock on a farm.
Substitutes
There are several lookalikes for milk. These similar products look and taste like milk but they aren’t though they are organic in origin. Some of these foods today are soyamilk, coconut milk and almond milk.
A lot of food today, especially those for breakfast meals are made with milk. Knowing the similarities and differences in these substances can help you plan your cooking better.
