The milk is a basic ingredient in the kitchen, as it allows us to prepare all kinds of recipes. Warm and comforting drinks, creamy and delicious desserts, or irresistible and fluffy dishes are just some examples where milk plays a main role.

However, milk is not just another ingredient in your preparations; it has very important functions both for adding flavor to foods and for improving their texture and finish, making it your ideal ally to give an extra touch to your breakfasts. Knowing how to take advantage of the properties of milk will help you cook like an expert, and it will be even better when using Leche Santa Clara®, whose great quality and dairy tradition will take your breakfasts to the next level.

If you want to learn to cook like an expert, we share the best secrets for cooking with milk. With these tips, you can take your cooking skills to the next level and enjoy the most delicious breakfasts you've ever tasted.

Tips for cooking with milk
The tips below are kitchen secrets that every foodie should know to cook like an expert and be able to use the properties and benefits of milk to their advantage. You will see that by following these tips, your breakfast recipes will be richer and easier to make than ever.

Heat the milk the right way
That's right, there is a correct way to heat milk, and it's important that you know it to avoid burning the milk. Whether you want to enjoy a comforting glass of Leche Santa Clara® warm in the mornings or a recipe asks you to add this ingredient at a certain temperature, this tip will always be useful.

The secret to heating milk is to do it slowly, according to the Dairy Farmers of Canada website. Trying to heat milk quickly and suddenly will only cause it to acquire an unpleasant burnt taste and form a layer of cream on the surface. To heat milk on the stove, do it in a double boiler and wait until bubbles form at the edges and steam begins to rise. It is very important to stir the milk constantly to prevent cream from forming.

Brush the bread with milk before baking
Who wouldn’t want to enjoy a fluffy and flavorful bread accompanied by a glass of Leche Santa Clara® in the mornings? If you want your bread, whether it’s sandwich or sweet, to have an even more irresistible flavor and be visually more appealing, just apply the following tip.

To achieve perfectly golden bread and baked goods, you just need to brush them with milk before putting them in the oven. In addition to improving the visual appearance of your bread, lactose will help give a hint of sweetness to your preparations. According to experts from Food52, this technique will give your bread a slight shine. On the other hand, this method will also prevent your dishes from tasting like eggs, as often happens if you use that ingredient for brushing.

Prevent milk from spilling
A very useful tip when cooking with milk, especially when it needs to be heated, is knowing how to prevent it from spilling. It may seem basic, but as the saying goes: "The best cook burns soup." So it’s better to keep the following recommendation in mind to prevent any kitchen disasters.

Leche Santa Clara® is full of flavor and nutrients, so it would be a shame for it to spill while boiling. The good news is that it is very easy to prevent this from happening, and the secret lies in a spatula or wooden spoon. You simply need to place it horizontally over the pot with milk. When the milk reaches its boiling point, its volume increases due to the bubbles, and the liquid rises; the spoon will burst the bubbles and prevent the contents of the pot from spilling.

Make creamy and fluffy dishes with milk
If you are a fan of creamy dishes and want to enjoy this texture in your breakfasts, adding Leche Santa Clara® is your best option. Whole milk contains fats and proteins that help thicken various preparations, and you can use these properties to your palate's advantage.

For example, adding whole milk to your bread or pancake batter will ensure fluffy and flavorful results. When it comes to scrambled eggs, adding a touch of milk will help make their texture smoother and creamier. You can also thicken the milk first by heating it over low heat to evaporate the water and use it to prepare an irresistible café au lait, cappuccino, or hot chocolate to accompany your mornings.

Prevent milk from curdling
One of the worst culinary tragedies that can happen to anyone is for the milk to curdle. This can occur when we add milk to acidic preparations, but don’t worry, with these tips this problem will be a thing of the past.

The first thing is to avoid boiling the milk or heating it too quickly, as noted by The Spruce Eats. Another option is to add a bit of flour or cornstarch to the sauce you prepare before adding the milk to help stabilize the mixture and counteract the acidity of other ingredients. Also, remember to season your milk-based sauces with salt at the end to prevent them from curdling. With these tips, you can enjoy all the benefits that Leche Santa Clara® has for you.

Soften hard cheese
Lastly, we share this secret that will help you give a second life to hard cheese that you thought you could no longer use. There are many tips to solve this problem, but this is the simplest of all, and you only need a little Leche Santa Clara®.

You just need to place the dried cheese on a plate, pour a little milk over it, and let it sit for 30 minutes, as suggested by the Chef Reader portal. After this time, simply remove the excess milk with a cloth. Done! Now you can add that rehydrated cheese to your favorite breakfasts.

With these unmissable tips for cooking with milk, you can take advantage of all the benefits of Leche Santa Clara® and prepare dishes like an expert.