Go to the Recipe: So Simple Sous Vide Dulce de Leche
- How can I make it, without Sous Vide?
In a pressure cooker.
Or just boil the can itself
- Actually I don't have one 😅
you can also achieve this by baking, boiling, or pressure cooking. Through my trials I just found that sousvide gave me the best repeatable results. also with pressure cooking I tended to get a gradient ring of dark to light from the edge of the can, pressure cooking worked out great if you wanted the darkest dolce.
When I've done this, I transferred Eagle Brand sweetened, condensed milk to 8oz Mason jars, then sous vide at 181°F x 9 hr, which allows you watch the degree of color change. Obviously your higher temp is quicker!
I tried several times and 9 hrs was nice for drizzling over mini sous vide floating islands:
I've made dulce de leche sous vide several times, but have placed the sweetened condensed milk in a small canning jar. This is both easier as well as likely having a longer shelf-life, since the cans are unopened. My one question is whether the lining of the cans are safe to cook at this temp for this period of time without leeching something into the contents? I suspect it's ok, but just thought I'd ask.
Besides color change, do different cooking times also change the texture? Softer/harder?
Hi Keith, there is no risk of any thing leaching from the can, this temp is lower than the process the canning goes through initially. So no issue there.
I am wondering why you specify a temperature higher than Joule can go. When I try and set the temp to 203 F, the app will not let me set a temp that high.
Update the firmware
Here's the best Joule cooker I have found. I use a small beer cooler, fill it with water and place the Joule in the corner with the cord running under the front edge to hold it into place. A clothespin wired to the other side of the handle allows a sous vide bag to be held in place during the cook. A picture is worth 1,000 words:
This is answered right in the post!
"We explored cook times ranging from one to five hours. Milk cooked for two hours or less is best for drizzling and dipping. Four to five hours will yield a much thicker caramel sauce that’s ideal for piping. Experiment with different cooking times to find the dulce de leche you love!"
As others, I've done this before in a mason jar. This is obviously easier, however the mason jar approach lets you flavor the dulce de leche if you're so inclined. I like to put some lemon zest in the condensed milk which subtly flavor the dulce de leche to a new level.
my sous vide machine highest setting is 194
If you have a Joule you will need to update your firmware to enable the higher temperature. If not you can achieve the same results with a lower temperature for a longer time. I’ve been using 185°F but it takes 10-12 hours, 10 for a lighter and 12 for the darker.
If I used a non-dairy sweetened condensed milk, how would the recipe be changed?
What are the ingredients?
Hello All.
Can I use condensed milk for this recipe instead of the sweetened condensed?
@Sean La Bonty I'm inclined to say no. All the recipes out there that i can find using evaporated milk (unsweetened condensed milk) call for the addition of sugar. That doesn't mean I'm right, but I'm doubtful. Give it a shot, probably the only way to see for sure. Let us know what the results are if you do end up trying.
Could you take the sweetened condensed milk out of the can and put it in a vacuum sealed bag and then sous vide it for however many hours? Would you get the same results?
@Phyllis Perkins I'm not sure why you'd want to, but there should be no issue with that. I've seen it done in mason jars, with no issue.
One would do that if one has a vacuum seal fetish.
Otherwise it can marginally save you on storage space if batch making and prevent damaged/stained surface - the issues is the jars will get rusty outside (only) if stored for later use and stain whatever they are resting on. I've been batch making this method for decades.
All in all, it's pointless extra work.
P.S. watch that water level otherwise the can will explode and leave Jackson Pollock’s work of art on walls and ceiling.
I'm not 100% sure, but I think this method works because the condensed milk is canned and under pressure, so it's basically like using a pressure cooker. Considering that dulce de leche can be made on the stove (stirring constantly for hours, that is), my guess is that taking it out of the can and cooking it sousvide in a vacuum sealed bag would eventually work, but with longer times than the ones indicated here
Evaporated milk has much lower solids content, therefor the outcome will not be as thick as with SCM.
I live at 7000 feet where water boils at 198 degrees. What temperature would I use on the Sous Vide here?
Hi Bruce, If you go to 195° it should take about 7 hours to get close to the same results.
No - not like a pressure cooker - the point of pressure in said cooker is to RAISE the temp above normal boiling point from the excess heat of burner. In a water bath - the can never gets any hotter than the bath - no matter how much pressure is in the can. So - it cooks at 95C for however long.
How to make sousvide dulce de leche from scratch? I don't like industrial condensed milk.
It won’t reduce. You’d have to do it stovetop. Whole milk, sugar and some add baking soda. Reduce by 3/4.
It seems every can in Canada are only 10 ounces, should I adjust the time for the smaller can? If so how to gage?
I would think at most a reduction of 30 min will get you there.
Does the 5h one still taste insanely sweet or does it start to taste more sophisticated and balanced by bitterness?
It in fact works like a pressure cooker to reduce the temperature threshold for caramelisation. If you try sous vide with vacuum sealed bag, it won't turn into caramel. The reason the traditional pan method works is because the content in the pan actually go above around 140C/285F.
Mason jars are pressurised while vacuum bag isn't.
My Anova have a max of 198F. I want to make the Rich as F*ck brownies (normally 4hr at 203F). Does anyone knows how long I have to cook it right now (at 198F)
It will take about an extra 2 hours.
If you are wanting a darker more bitter like caramel, go for 8 hours. It does start to firm up a bit, you will want to add it to a bowl and give it a whisk to loosen it back up.
This method gives dulce de leche a noticeable metallic taste, borrowed from the can, obviously. I plant to try it again after transfering the condensed milk to a jar.
No
More time for a smaller can?
Welp I read that wrong. Thanks for calling that out.
It's any god recipe for churros?
Thanks:)
Anyone try this with sweetened coconut condensed milk for dairy free option?
made it for 1 1/2 hours as it took a bit of time to get to temperature. turned out exactly as shown. I would like some other ideas to use up the rest of the can. we are going to try it with sliced bananas on the crepes
Can I sous vide it in a vacuum bag rather than in a can??
You can, you might have a shorter cook time though. But you will have visuals to look at in a bag and pull it when you get to the desired doneness.
If I wanted to get the 4 hour result but want a cook time of 8 hours what temperature would I shoot for?
Sorry nick, we did zero trials that would help with that. The temperature change would require a bunch of trials
I wonder if anyone else has noticed this doing it in the can? It sure would be easier in the can, and might even have a longer shelf life... But if it changes the taste, that disadvantage would be greater than the advantage, I would think.
You are cooking it at much lower temperatures than it is treated during the canning process so I would assume if you are tasting a metallic taste, it would have been a product issue to begin with.
Here's a trial at 8 hours. Not as intensely sweet, and really needs some salt. I'd say less bitter and complex than a caramel, but still good. Texture is approximately as stiff as peanut butter.
Has anyone found sugar crystals in their condensed milk caramel?
I’m new to sous vide. How many cans can you do at once? I have an Anova Pro.
Welcome home CoasterNinja!
The amount of cans you can do would depend on the size of the vessel (Cambro or pot) you're cooking in. I don't mean that in the sense of "well how many you can CRAM in your pot" but more in providing adequate temperature regulation around the can(s). If I would to suggest a simple rule it would be, ideally you would want at least 1-inch of water between the cans. This will help insure they are cooking at an even rate. So avoid stacking if possible but if you need to shingle them like you would if making a pyramid of paper cups.
Also keep in mind when you add multiple cans to the water it will drop the temperature of the water bath. Once you add the cans, cover the pot with foil, plastic wrap, or a lid to help the the temperature to recover quickly. Once your water bath is back to temp set your cooking timer and you're off to the races.
This all sounds really fussy I know but once you get the hang of it it's really easy!
My new Joule only goes up to 197.6. How much do I increase cook time?
