steve@dartvax.UUCP (Steve Campbell) (12/30/83)
Lots of recipes call for scalding milk. Why was it done?
Is it still necessary today? For any milk or cream?
Steve Campbell
Haverhill Inn
a.k.a. {decvax|linus|dalcs}!dartvax!steverpw3@fortune.UUCP (01/01/84)
#R:dartvax:-55500:fortune:2700009:000:1008
fortune!rpw3 Dec 31 21:12:00 1983
Absolutely, scalding milk is still done today! The main reason it is done
is that it converts some of the lactose to simpler sugars, making the milk
sweeter tasting, and also making it more digestible to those whose bodies
don't make enough lactase. (Making yogurt has similar effects.) In addition,
some of the proteins are polymerized, making the milk noticably thicker.
Many people (myself included) who hate the taste of room temperature or
slightly tepid milk (yecchh!) have discovered that they love the "hot milk"
the "old folks in the movies" drink. It's also good when you are making
hot chocolate, milk-and-brandy, etc.
Simply heat slowly (stirring to avoid sticking) until steam begins rising
from the surface and a "skin" begins to form. That's it! (Note: the skin will
keep re-forming as/if you skim it off. Not to worry.)
Rob Warnock
UUCP: {sri-unix,amd70,hpda,harpo,ihnp4,allegra}!fortune!rpw3
DDD: (415)595-8444
USPS: Fortune Systems Corp, 101 Twin Dolphins Drive, Redwood City, CA 94065ptw@vaxine.UUCP (P. T. Withington) (01/03/84)
I never scald anymore. I believe "Joy" explains why it was done. Something to
do with whole milk before pasteurization/homogonization would either separate or
curdle if added directly.
While we're on the subject, its interesting to see that the milk biz. has just
about come full circle with 2% Homo. It's almost the same fat content as whole
milk with the cream risen and poured off...
Also, read a study that indicates some correlation of cardiovascular disease
and homogenizing of milk. Seems the old bod didn't absorb the little fat
globules until they'd been wacked into little pieces...
--ptwkeesan@bbncca.ARPA (Morris Keesan) (01/04/84)
-----------------------------
Apart from the chemical changes caused in milk by scalding it, and whether
or not you believe this is still necessary (due to pasteurization or
homogenization), there are still times when you want to heat the milk before
using it, even if you don't heat it enough to scald it. The example that
springs to mind immediately is bread baking, when you want all your ingredients
to be warm before you use them, so as to aid the action of the yeast. There
are also other preparations where adding cold milk will have undesirable
effects.
The same is true, incidentally, for eggs. In almost all cases, eggs should
be at room temperature before using. This is true even if you're just cooking
eggs; they cook better if not cold. I usually take eggs out of the
refrigerator a few minutes before I need them, and put them in a bowl of warm
water to get them to room temperature before using them. The improvement is
subtle, but noticeable.
--
Morris M. Keesan
{decvax,linus,wjh12}!bbncca!keesan
keesan @ BBN-UNIX.ARPAseifert@ihuxl.UUCP (D.A. Seifert) (01/05/84)
Pasteurization of milk (145F/62C for 30 min or 161F/72C for 15 sec):
(a) does not kill *all* the bacteria
(b) *partially* breaks down the protein molecules.
Pasteurization often causes digestion problems, because the
digestive system has a lot of trouble working on the partially
broken down protein molecules. It can't "get a handle" on them.
Raw milk, with whole protein molecules can be handled, or
boiled milk, with the molecules broken down into short chains,
even single amino acids, can be handled.
India and Switzerland, with much experience in dairying, boil
their milk, even though the cows are often personally cared for
and many foods are eaten raw.
For a longer and better discussion of this, see _D_i_e_t & _N_u_t_r_i_t_i_o_n,
_a _h_o_l_i_s_t_i_c _a_p_p_r_o_a_c_h, by Rudolph Ballentine, M.D.
--
_____
/_____\ from the flying doghouse of
/_______\ Snoopy
|___|
____|___|_____ ihnp4!ihuxl!seifertsdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (01/06/84)
I find it hard to believe that our digestive systems can discriminate between pasteurized and unpasteurized milk. What does it mean to "have a handle" on the milk proteins? Are there studies which suggest that gastric and intestinal juices do not break down pasteurized milk as well? And, in any case, is this a significant event in human nutrition? What are the "digestive problems" which this might cause? Lactose intolerance is a well characterized syndrome for selected people--should we re-introduce the spread of tuberculosis and other unsavory diseases because of this suspected intolerance (which mustn't affect TOO many people, if it exists at all, or we'd see many more cases of these "digestive problems.") Arguments like these give me indigestion, because THEY'RE so hard to swallow! -- /Steve Dyer decvax!bbncca!sdyer sdyer@bbncca
jhh@ihldt.UUCP (John Haller) (01/06/84)
What I heard is that homogenized milk is less healthy that unhomogenized. Some studies (reported on TV news, memory is dim) indicated higher cholesterol levels in people that drink homogenized milk.
chuqui@cae780.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (01/10/84)
My memory is a touch spotty on this, but I seem to remember that they have found preliminary evidence of an enzyme that is not absorbed into the body from normal milk (because of its size), but when the milk is pasteurized this enzyme is broken down into smaller pieces that are absorbed without modification by the digestive tract. There seems to be new evidence pointing at this thing as a factor in heart disease -- From the dungeons of the warlock: Chuqui the Plaid Note the new address: fortune!nsc!chuqui
grunwald@uiuccsb.UUCP (01/12/84)
#R:dartvax:-55500:uiuccsb:7000021:000:698 uiuccsb!grunwald Jan 11 18:36:00 1984 If you bake bread, it is still recomended that you scald your milk before using it in a bread recipe. Milk allegedly contains an enzyme which counteracts the yeast, causing your bread to come up somewhat more flat than needed. Documentation for this can be found in the "Tassaraja (sp) Bread Book," which should be widely available at heath food stores and any bookstore carring a large supply of cookbooks. In fact, that book recomends using dry milk power instead of fresh milk. I can personally attest to the difference -- bread made with fresh milk does come out somewhat flatter. Dirk Grunwald University of Illinois USENET : ihnp4 ! uiucdcs ! grunwald CSNET : grunwald.uiuc@Rand-Relay
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (01/13/84)
I think the issue there was fat globules and homogenization. That is, when drinking homogenized milk, the milk fats are more completely absorbed than with unhomogenized milk. This changes (for the worse) the saturated/unsaturated ratio in a person's daily intake, and thus might cause a predisposition to increased cholesterol levels and heart disease. At least, if you believe the original premise. (Sounds logical to me!) -- /Steve Dyer decvax!bbncca!sdyer sdyer@bbncca
keesan@bbncca.ARPA (Morris Keesan) (01/16/84)
-------------------------------
Unlike Dirk Grunwald, I have never found scalding milk to have any effect
on bread baking. When baking bread, the important thing is to have all the
ingredients warm enough. Ergo, heating the milk is important, and using milk
straight out of the refrigerator will cause flatter bread, because the cold
will inhibit the action of the yeast, but scalding has no advantages over
heating. The books I have that recommend using powdered milk and hot water
instead of hot milk say that this is because powdered milk is low-fat, and they
think that the fat in whole milk is unhealthy for adults. Using powder instead
of liquid skim milk is basically a matter of convenience.
--
Morris M. Keesan
{decvax,linus,wjh12}!bbncca!keesan
keesan @ BBN-UNIX.ARPA