[Sca-cooks] Caramel Laura Secord

[Terry Decker]

>Etain commented:
>> t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net writes:
>> > .  Cooking down milk
>> > with sugar is a logical step in making a milk based candy, so she may
have
>> > been actually using condensed milk.
>>
>> I don't know how long this has been done..but I've home canned condensed
>> milk.  I got the recipe from an old Amish cookbook.  I would imagine that
>> it's been around for a long time..as a means to "keep" milk.
>
>It probably depends upon your definition of a "long time". It's not
>period. The process depends not only on the sugar and concentrating
>the milk, but also in "canning" it where any bad beasties are killed
>and then the food is hermetically packaged to keep out new infestations.
>If you open that can of condensed milk you can't just leave it on the
>counter for the next several days and eat it.
>
>THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra

I would point out that condensed milk and canned condensed milk are two
different beasties.  Nothing says you can't produce condensed milk and use
it immediately.

Borden's process started by producing a sweetened evaporated milk with no
discoloration or burnt taste which would last three days without
refrigeration (1851-53) in a covered pail.  Then he developed the canning
process for the product (1853-55).  He manufactured canned condensed milk
for the Union Army during the Civil War and launch Eagle Brand Condensed
Milk in 1866.  He did not perfect the process for unsweetened condensed milk
until 1885.

The Amish recipe though is probably either late 19th or early 20th Century.
As an Amish artifact, it can't have existed before the late 17th Century
when the Amish seperated from the Mennonites, although it is possible, but
unlikely that it pre-dates them.

Bear