Not hard to get your head round the idea of milk generally, but just for the record here are the basic types available. Where it isn’t completely obvious I’ve indicated how you might use them.
• Buttermilk is what’s left of cream after butter has been churned from it. About the only thing you’re likely to use it for normally is making scones.
• Condensed milk comes in a can. It is sweetened and homogenised (see below) and has been heat treated. It is then evaporated down to a third of its original volume. It’s used in ice creams, puddings and sweet sauces.
• Evaporated milk also comes in a can. It differs from condensed milk in two ways: it is not quite so concentrated, and it isn’t sweetened. You can use it as an alternative to pouring cream (if you’re truly desperate) or in ice creams, puddings and milk puddings.
• Goat’s milk is easier to digest than cow’s milk, and is suitable for some people who have an intolerance to cow’s milk. The flavour is different and very pleasant though it may take some getting used to. You can use it just as you would cow’s milk.
• Homogenised milk has been treated so that the cream (or fat content) is distributed evenly throughout the milk rather than coming to the surface.
• Semi-skimmed milk has had some of the fat skimmed off so the fat content is about 50% that of whole milk.
• Skimmed milk has had almost all the fat removed. This means it also loses the fat soluble vitamins A and D, though in other ways it is more nutritious than whole milk. It is not recommended for children under five.
• Soya milk is made from soya beans. You can use it as a milk substitute for anyone who doesn’t consume dairy products or is lactose-intolerant. It is slightly nutty and thicker than normal milk. It splits if you put it into hot drinks, though this doesn’t alter the flavour (sadly).
• Sterilised/UHT (ultra heat treated) milk has been treated to destroy just about all bacteria so it lasts a very long time: several months outside a fridge so long as you don’t open it. It doesn’t taste great but is fine for emergencies.
• Whole milk is just proper milk.
Most cream doesn’t need much explanation, but a couple of types may do:
• Clotted cream is made by gently heating it to create a yellow crust. It could theoretically be whipped but it doesn’t need to be as it is already thick. It isn’t used for cooking because it separates when you heat it.
• Crème fraîche is fresh cream which has been slightly soured and also thickened (using particular bacteria). It is served with puddings and also used to make dips and salad dressings. You can add it to sauces and casseroles to give them a creamier taste. It can be substituted with creamy natural fromage frais at a pinch if necessary (see below under cheese).
• Smetana is a low fat soured cream (originally from Russia).
• Soured cream has been artificially soured (but, unlike crème fraîche, not thickened). It is more sour than crème fraîche. I can’t tell you why anyone would go out of their way to make cream sour, but they do. It is used to add flavour and richness to savoury dishes such as soups and casseroles, and in salad dressings and dips.
Chef’s tip
• You can only whip cream that is labelled either ‘double’ or ‘whipping’ cream, as other varieties don’t have a high enough fat content.
• If you boil a liquid that contains cream there is a risk the cream may curdle, especially if the liquid also contains anything acidic such as lemon juice.
Like milk, butter is pretty easy to use too. Just a couple of points you might find useful:
• Clarified butter has had the milk solids removed – this is what ghee is – so it can be used for frying at higher temperatures as it burns less easily. However it doesn’t impart such a good flavour.
• Salted butter keeps better than unsalted.
• Unsalted butter is better for frying as it doesn’t burn so readily.
Chef’s tip
If your butter is too hard to spread straight from the fridge, either put in in a microwave for a few seconds or slice it with a cheese slicer.
Most cheeses are easy to use: you just eat them as they are. Or maybe with some crackers, chutney or grapes. If you want to put together a cheese board go for variety: one hard cheese, one blue, one soft, one goat’s cheese or whatever you please. Three is plenty, more than five is unnecessary.
Chef’s tip
Never serve cheese straight from the fridge. It needs to be at room temperature to bring out the flavour. If you store it in the fridge, take it out at least an hour before serving.
It’s when you start using cheese in cooking that it can get confusing. Which is the one you use in cheesecake? Moussaka? Fondue? Here’s a rundown of the main cheeses used in cooking and what you might need to know about them.
• Cream cheese is a soft, very creamy cheese (the name may have given you a clue there) which is used to make cheesecake as well as other desserts, and the topping for carrot cake.
• Curd cheese is very similar to cream cheese but lower in fat and slightly acid in flavour. It can be used for dips, and blends well into soups and sauces. It is also used in some desserts including cheesecake.
• Emmental is the Swiss one with holes in that goes stringy when melted. It’s the most commonly used ingredient in fondue.
• Fromage blanc is very like fromage frais (see next entry) but a smoother texture.
• Fromage frais is similar in consistency to very thick cream, and tastes a bit like yoghurt. You can buy loads of flavoured varieties in pots, just like yoghurt. You can also get natural fromage frais which makes good dips and dressings. It is not dissimilar to crème fraîche (see above under cream). It can be used to replace cream and yoghurt in cooking as it is less likely to curdle.
• Gruyère is similar to Emmental and likewise good melted in fondue.
• Halloumi is most commonly served cooked, as it retains its shape when fried or grilled. It’s quite a chewy cheese, usually made from ewe’s milk, though some varieties combine ewe’s, goat’s and cow’s milk.
• Mascarpone is a yellowish creamy smooth cheese which is almost sweet. Consequently it is used to make puddings such as tiramisu, or is served as an accompaniment with fruit. It melts down to an incredibly rich, creamy sauce – just add some parmesan if you want a stronger flavour and use it in lasagne or moussaka.
• Mozzarella is the really stretchy cheese you get on top of pizza. When cold, it’s often put together with tomato, basil and perhaps avocado to make a Mediterranean salad. It is traditionally made from buffalo milk, though often nowadays it’s made using cow’s milk. It comes in balls which are packaged in plastic bags or pots containing water. This is necessary to keep the cheese fresh because it has no rind.
• Parmesan is very hard and delicious either as it is, or shaved or grated over Italian pasta dishes. It’s also good in sauces along with milder cheeses. Its Italian name is parmigiano reggiano.
• Pecorino is similar to parmesan and can be used in the same way.
• Quark is a kind of curd cheese with a mild taste; it’s similar to yoghurt or fromage frais, but has a richer taste if you use it in cooking. You can add it to soups and sauces, make dips and dressings with it, or serve it as an accompaniment to puddings.
• Ricotta is similar to mascarpone (see above) but grainier in texture. It is slightly less rich and creamy (and lower in fat), and similarly faintly sweet. It cooks well and is ideal for dishes such as moussaka. It’s also traditionally paired with spinach.