How To Thicken Milk Without Burning It

Whether you're trying to make a creamy sauce or homemade sweetened condensed milk (which is the key to a ton of delicious recipes), thickening milk is a valuable culinary skill to keep in your back pocket. One of the most common ways to thicken milk is to heat it up over the stove, but this can be an unexpectedly difficult process, especially for new cooks. Milk and other dairy products are very sensitive to heat and can quickly burn or separate if you don't keep a careful eye on the saucepan and stir it constantly. Fortunately, there are several methods to thicken milk that don't run the risk of scalding it. A simple way to thicken milk is to add other ingredients, such as egg yolks or cheese.

If you're thickening milk to make a creamy base, such as for ice cream, adding in egg yolks is your best bet at reaching the right consistency. Whisk together some egg yolks, then mix in about a cup of milk so the blend doesn't separate. Pour more milk into the mixture until it reaches the desired texture.

For flavorful, indulgent sauces, one of the tastiest ways to thicken milk is by adding cheese or other dairy products like sour cream. Simply add grated cheese to a saucepan of milk over very low heat, and stir everything together until the sauce is sufficiently gooey. Another, more advanced technique for thickening milk is to add it to a roux, which is made by adding flour to sizzling butter and mixing everything together over low heat until it has slightly thickened. A roux can be useful for all kinds of cooking applications. In this case, just stir hot milk into the roux for a creamy sauce or soup base. Alternatively, you can also thicken soups with plant-based nutritional yeast, which is enjoyed by vegans and omnivores alike. 

Whatever method you use to thicken milk, it's best to do so with a full-fat variety. You can also thicken plant-based milks, but it's a slower process with some caveats depending on the milk. Thickened milk is undoubtedly handy, but if you're more interested in the other end of the spectrum, you can learn how to evaporate your own milk.