Dairy
Milk
Also called whole milk
The liquid from a cow unless the carton says otherwise — proteins, milk sugar and a modest amount of fat. It is not a finishing fat like cream, and not a solid fat like butter.
Origin
Dairying spread with cattle from the Near East. Buffalo, goat and sheep milks are specific, richer traditions.
Flavour
Sweet and clean when fresh, with a cooked note if it is UHT. On the turn, it smells sour before it looks lumpy.
How to use it
In béchamel, warm the milk and add it gradually to a cooked flour-and-butter roux so you do not get lumps. For croissant dough and crêpe batter, milk hydrates flour and adds a little sugar and protein for colour — water makes a leaner, crisper result. Scald milk for custards, then cool slightly so you do not scramble the eggs. Acid (lemon, tomato) will split milk; a splash will not silk a sharp tomato sauce the way cream can. Plant drinks do not brown or set the same way.
Storage
Fridge, toward the back. Frozen milk separates; usable in cooked sauces if you whisk it back.
Recipes using it
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