If you want to give your homemade creations a gourmet flavor, try using sweetened condensed milk (SCM) in your recipes. This has long been a secret that chefs have used and now you can use it too. I learned this secret from my grandmother who was an award-winning southern cook.

Most everyone knows about using SCM in coffee but there are other uses you may not know about.

Try experimenting with these ideas and expand your world of culinary creations.

PREPARE THE MILK FOR RECIPES
First, prepare the milk: When using sweetened condensed milk in recipes, it's important to evaluate what type of food you'll be using it in. For dishes that don't have a sweet base flavor, you'll want to cut the sweetness of the milk. You can do this by diluting the SCM in a 50/50 ratio with cold water. Pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate. When your recipe calls for milk, dilute it again 50/50. It won't alter the effectiveness of your recipe, plus the perk is, the milk goes further.

POTATOES
Have you shunned using instant potatoes because of the boxy, flat taste? Use the twice-diluted SCM in place of the WATER that's called for in the recipe on the package. Then, use once-diluted SCM for the MILK ingredient. Reduce the milk ingredient by 1/4 and make up the difference by using chicken broth. (Example: if the package calls for 1 cup of milk, replace that with 3/4 cup of once-diluted SCM and 1/4 cup of chicken broth.) Add your butter, salt, pepper and any other seasonings and you won't be able to tell the instant potatoes from the real thing. Follow the cooking directions on the box.

If you don't want to use instant potatoes, go ahead and boil sliced or chunked potatoes. (Tip; cook your potatoes in chicken broth instead of water. Drain when tender). Professional chefs use this technique to enhance the flavor of the potato. It will cut the sweet flavor of the milk . When you mash or cream them, use the 50/50 ratio of condensed milk. Your potatoes will be extra creamy, taste fabulous and your family will wonder how you did it.

CEREAL
Instead of milk from that carton, try the diluted 50/50 over your cereal. The naturally sweet taste of the milk will liven up your breakfast when you top your cereal with fresh fruits such as strawberries , blueberries and peaches.

OATMEAL
If you use the microwave oatmeal mixed with water, then try the 50/50 ratio in place of the water. Add a handful of raisins and you'll have the creamiest, yummiest oatmeal ever.

FUDGE
Use it full strength to make your fudge creamier and smoother, but use it diluted if you like a fudge that is a little less rich, more stable-bodied and firm. When using to make chocolate candy, use a dark chocolate for a more complimentary balance of flavor between the chocolate and the milk.

A word of caution: when using SCM as a base for sauces, use extra care. The sugar content will cause scorching and thickening more quickly.

Sometimes, the old-fashioned way can be the better way. Give Sweetened Condensed Milk a try and return your taste buds to a time when food just simply tasted better. Experiment with it anywhere you would use milk, then sit back and gloat just a bit when everyone clamors for your recipes.

When they want to know what you put in them that makes them so special, tell them the truth. Its just milk. You don't have to tell them what kind; that's between you and Grandma.

Learn more about this author, Meggie Hardy.
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