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In some cases, it is possible to replace the cream in a recipe with milk when baking or cooking. When doing so, you must pay particular attention to the fat content.
How to use milk instead of cream
If you want or need to replace the cream in a recipe with milk, the difference in texture plays an important role.
- Milk is generally more liquid than cream and contains less fat. When using milk instead of cream, the fat content of the milk is therefore crucial: whole milk with 3.5% fat is best suited, as it still has a certain creaminess. Skim milk or low-fat milk, on the other hand, often lead to a watery result and are less suitable for many recipes.
- Replacing cream with milk makes the dish lower in calories and lighter.
- For casseroles and gratins, you can easily replace cream with a combination of milk and a little butter to improve both flavor and texture.
- When baking, you can replace cream with milk, especially if you add a dash of mineral water and additional fat such as oil or butter. This makes doughs creamy and fluffy.
- For desserts such as mousse or whipped cream, however, milk is not a good substitute as it lacks the necessary structure and stability.
- When cooking, be sure to use milk with a fat content of 3.5%. If the result is still too runny, you can use binding agents such as flour or starch. Especially in soups and sauces, the lack of creaminess can be easily compensated for by adding cornstarch or a classic roux.
In these cases, cream cannot be replaced
Although you can use milk instead of cream for many dishes, cream is not always easy to replace.
- Especially when dishes rely on the whipped or creamy consistency of cream, they are rather difficult to replace with milk.
- To achieve a similar result with milk, you would have to add gelatin or butter. However, this can have a negative effect on the taste.
- Cream is not only important for consistency. It also serves as a flavor carrier—for example, in a cream sauce. If you replace it with milk in such cases, the result may be less satisfactory.
- Even if you want to make your own ice cream, it is advisable to use cream for a creamy and soft ice cream. If you use milk, the ice cream will taste more like crushed ice or sorbet.
