Milk Usage

Handling Milk with Care!

Fresh Milk

Packaging milk in cartons or opaque plastic containers ensures that the milk is protected from sunlight. Although glass bottles are available, remember that exposure to sunlight will partially destroy some of the vitamins, particularly riboflavin (vitamin B2).

Keep milk refrigerated at 4°C in the original package as temperature fluctuations will shorten its shelf life.

The use-by date gives the expected shelf life (usually 10 days) when refrigerated at 4°C.

Milk containers should always be covered as milk will absorb other flavours and become ‘tainted’.

Sunlight damages the milk, so “keep it in the dark”! Milk affected by sunlight will taste unpleasant. Freezing milk can destabilise the main protein, Casein. The milk may appear slightly curdy when thawed.

Longlife

This can be stored out of the fridge unopened for up to six months. Store it as you would fresh milk once opened.

Concentrates

Unopened cans remain in peak condition for six months or more when stored at ro om temperatures. When opened, cans or product diluted by water should be well covered and stored as for fresh milk.

Powders

Unopened powdered milk will remain in peak condition for a year or more if stored in a cool dry place. Once opened, reseal as tightly as possible to avoid the build up of moisture.

Milk Drinks

Iced Coffee

For ‘top shelf’ iced coffee use fresh espresso coffee as the base instead of syrup or instant coffee. Pour 50mls of cool espresso (or a heaped teaspoon of instant coffee) into a tall glass. Add ice cubes and fill with cold milk. Add a scoop of ice cream and/or swirl of cream on the top and sprinkle with chocolate powder or cinnamon.

To keep leftover espresso coffee for making iced coffee, pour into a jug and sweeten slightly with sugar to taste and chill, ready for the next order.

Iced Mocha

Just add a couple of teaspoons of chocolate syrup, powder or paste to a standard iced coffee.

Iced Chocolate

For an indulgent iced chocolate, generously squeeze ‘chocolate paste’ around the inside of a tall glass. Add ice. Top with milk and a scoop of ice cream. For a great looking marbled effect, don’t stir! To make chocolate paste just whip up 3 parts chocolate powder to 1 part water and store in a squeeze bottle.

Have chocolate paste on hand to use as the base for all chocolate milk drinks either hot or cold.

Skim Iced Coffee

Use low fat milk and reduced fat ice cream.

Shake it Up

For the best ever milkshakes just fill a milkshake container with 300mls of chilled milk. Add 60mls (3tbsp) flavouring of your choice and 2 scoops of ice cream. For a smooth, frothy shake, blend for 1–2 minutes.

Thickshakes

Just increase the ice cream quantity, reduce the milk and add your favourite syrup until you have a thick, frosty drink.
Milkshake flavour combos:

• Mocha (chocolate and coffee)
• Pine-Lime
• Banana-Berry
• Choc-Caramel
• Choc-Berry

Thinshakes

It’s all in the name! Make with reduced fat milk and reduced fat ice cream.

Twisters

These milkshakes are something else! Twisters combine your favourite flavoured milkshake with (and here’s the secret) scoops of contrasting flavoured ice cream placed in a tall thin glass.

It creates a gorgeous swirled effect in the glass. Garnish with a twist of ‘Ice Magic’.

Try these twisted combinations:

• Choc Berry: Two scoops of chocolate ice cream smothered with a strawberry milkshake, topped with chocolate powder.
• Banana Berry: Two scoops of strawberry ice cream smothered with a banana milkshake, garnished with a strawberry.
• Choc Peppermint: Two scoops of chocolate ice cream smothered with a peppermint milkshake, sprinkled with crushed peppermint crisp.

Smoothies

Delicious milk-based drinks with blended fruit and yogurt or ice cream added. Very popular in summer when an abundance of fresh fruits creates a velvety thick satisfying experience. Any ripe soft fruits can be used – banana, strawberries, mango, peaches and apricots to name a few. Simply place fruit in the blender, add a 200g tub of yogurt and a splash of cold milk and blend until the fruit is smooth. Slowly add extra milk to adjust consistency to taste.

Fabulous smoothie combinations include:

• Peach, banana and passionfruit
• Strawberry, banana and almond
• Mango, passionfruit and coconut
• Banana, orange and ginger

When fresh fruit is scarce use well-drained canned fruit or stockpile fruit when in season - puree fresh fruit and freeze in ice cube trays.

Images - Milkshake making, Milkshakes with Icecream, Fruit Smoothie (see Recipe section).

Easy Ideas Using Milk

How many dishes can you think of which are made using milk? Probably too many to list! When cooking, milk transforms from a white wonder into a huge range of delicious dishes for any time of day.

Breakfast

A breakfast must - milk and breakfast cereal simply go together.

Morning and Afternoon Tea

Added to tea and coffee, milk counteracts bitterness, giving a smoother flavour. It adds body and texture in the making of a great cappuccino.

Main Course

Milk lends its smooth creaminess and body to soups, sauces, mornays, pastas, and dressings.

Dessert

It is in the dessert section of the menu that milk truly makes its mark. Anything from puddings, custard and pastry creations to batters for pancakes, crepes, waffles, biscuits. It just goes on and on! But wait, we’ve saved the best till last… the drinks!

Hot Milk

Hot milk is a great winter warmer and so easy! Just warm the milk in a saucepan, microwave, or with the espresso machine steam wand. Be careful not to scald the milk by overheating. For a tasty, modern twist, add milkshake syrups or a teaspoon of honey. Alternatively, heat commercially flavoured milk and serve in a tall glass or takeaway cup. Serve with a marshmallow on the side! If heating milk in the microwave, test it at regular short intervals as it can heat quickly and milk that is too hot can scald and boil over.

Chilled Milk

It’s refreshing, filling and bursting with calcium, protein, riboflavin and Vitamin A. Served straight up in a long, cold glass or over ice. ‘Milk on the rocks’, is the perfect partner to chocolate cake.

Freeze either plain or flavoured in an ice cube tray and add to milk drinks. It adds colour and keeps the milk well chilled.

Images - Milk with cereal, Buttermilk Pancakes with Raspberry Ricotta (see Recipe section)

The Art of Great Coffee Making

Many of us seek out the best places for a satisfying coffee

The art of creating the perfect coffee depends on the right combination and consistency of the milk and the quality of the crema (the rich, thick, golden layer on top of an espresso) - an art perfected by the best baristas.

Frothing the Milk

Due to a number of factors, cappuccino makers can experience difficulties frothing milk. Milk is most difficult to froth during the Autumn and Winter months. This may be caused by lipolysis (a breakdown of the milk fat by natural milk enzymes), or the cows may have reached the end of their lactation cycle. During these months, talk to suppliers about purchasing modified milks which guarantee frothing all year round.

Here are a few frothing tips for you:

• use a stainless steel jug, either conical or straight sided
• make sure the milk is cold
• never fill the jug more than half full to allow the milk to expand as it froths
• place the steam wand just under the surface, and then turn on steam. As the milk expands always keep the wand just below the milk’s surface
• don’t jiggle the jug
• be careful not to overheat or boil milk as it affects the taste – if so discard and start again.

Espresso

To a true Italian, this should be 35ml of coffee with a thick golden ‘crema’ on the top.

Caffé Macchiato

Macchiato meaning “marked” or “stained”, comes in the long or short variety. An espresso macchiato or short macchiato is literally an espresso coffee “Stained” with a small amount of milk and a tiny dollop of froth. A long macchiato is the similar but made using a long black coffee.

Cappuccino

It is Italy’s famed breakfast coffee, though an all day Australian favourite. A good cappuccino is a delicious combination of 1/3 espresso coffee, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 creamy, dense, meringue-like milk foam. A ring of crema should be evident around the edges of the foam. Serve in a warm cup with a dusting of chocolate powder or nutmeg.

Mochaccino

Can’t decide between a hot chocolate and coffee? Why not have both! Mix two teaspoons of chocolate powder into a shot of espresso coffee, then add 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 milk foam.

Skinnyccino

Watching your weight? Try using low fat milk instead of regular milk in your cappuccino. As a bonus, this milk is easier to froth!

Caffé Latte (Italian for ‘milk coffee’)

One shot of espresso topped with steamed milk and 10mm of foam. The foam should be creamy and thick, not frothy. Served in a glass without a dusting of chocolate.

Latte Macchiato

A ‘topsy-turvy’ caffé latte! Pour the milk and foam into the serving glass first, then carefully pour the espresso down the inside of the glass to form a dramatic layered effect.

Café Au Lait

It’s French for milk and coffee! Pour equal parts of strong plunger or espresso coffee and hot milk simultaneously into large bowl-shaped coffee cups.

Source: Coffee information has been compiled with the assistance of LAVAZZA coffee.

Images - Coffee Making, Latte, Coffee with Chilli Chocolate Truffles (see Recipe section).