5 tips for the perfect milk candy

That came out too hard, or too soft. He stuck to the pot, he burned and grabbed taste of charred. That  pasteurized or skim milk.  In this note we discover curiosities and tips for the perfect dulce de leche.    

 A bit of history 

“The first milk candy was very white in color. After some mixtures in Mexico, the color changed because ingredients containing baking soda were added, and bicarbonate is the one that gives it that dark, brown color, as we know it today,   ” says  historian  Daniel Balmaceda. It is a  recipe from many Latin American countries  that continue to dispute  the origin of creation  to date.

 A thousand names 

 Dulce de leche  is named in Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Also in some parts of Colombia and Venezuela. Elsewhere in Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala it is called  arequipe.In Chile it is called   delicacy. White delicacy  is the term used for this recipe in Peru and in the Colombian city of Cali. In Mexico it is  Cajeta  and  fanguito  in Cuba. Although the recipe is more or less with the same ingredients, it  changes exponentially its flavor  and texture, depending on the country in which you try it. I say the best is the Argentinian...
The dulce de leche, for us Argentines, has its origin in our lands. Its history dates back to colonial times, by  Juan Manuel de Rosas . But since it is a recipe that many are disputing,  each one has  his  truth of the Milanese . I mean, the dulce de leche.

To make a  homemade milk candy , you need the following.

 Ingredients 

• 1 l whole milk
• 250 g sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 splash of vanilla extract

 Step by step 

1. In a saucepan, pour the milk and heat. Don't let it boil.
2. Once the milk is hot, add sugar and  vanilla extract .
3. Let it break the boil and add baking soda. It is important to stir so that the sugar does not stick to the bottom.
4. Lower the heat to a minimum and place a dish on the bottom of the pot (the dish will have the same effect as if the preparation is constantly being stirred)
5. Cook over moderate heat for an hour or an hour and a half. Check regularly that the milk is not burning.
6. After that time, the milk should have taken a dark color, the typical “sweet milk” color.
7. Take out the dish and continue cooking with a  wooden spoon .
8. Stir continuously in the shape of 8 elliptical or infinite, until the desired consistency is achieved.
9. To check if the dulce de leche is ready, put a little bit of the preparation in another bowl and let it cool down for a few seconds. Try it with your finger. The finger gives the magic touch to the situation.
10. Once the sweet milk is ready, pack in a pre-sterilized jar with alcohol or boiling water.

 Tips for the perfect sweet 

• 1 l of milk yields ½ kg of sweet milk.
• The bad tongues say that, in order not to stick to the pot, you have to put marbles at the bottom. The scientific explanation? There isn't!
• Do not stop stirring while cooling,  so that it does not stick .
• Regarding the dark color there are many hypotheses. Some people say that it is acquired by baking soda. Others say it has to do with the evaporation of milk and cooking time. The color, however, does not make the sweetness.
•  Popular myth:  do not look at the cook, nor look at the pot. No one other than the cook can observe the mixture cooking. They say you can “peeking”. This myth also circulates around the cream, to which they also add that it can not be beaten by a pregnant woman.