Dulce de Leche; Cooked Condensed Milk
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We Ukrainians have been making sweetened cooked condensed milk (sguschonka) for years, but who knew we were actually making dulce de leche?
What’s in a name right? I discovered a new way of cooking this in the crock pot; a safer way. I was poking around my can of sweetened condensed milk and found this:
Oh snap!! This is exactly what I’ve been doing. I’ve heard the can can explode if it’s not fully submerged in water, but could there have been chemicals from the can entering my dulce de leche? Well, I was inspired to try something new!
Thanks to Pinterest, I learned that condensed milk can be cooked in a crock pot. I took it one step further to ensure the condensed milk remained untainted while cooking…
Crockpot Method for Sweetened Cooked Condensed Milk:
So I used two cans of condensed milk and found 2 little jam jars; washed them clean and poured 1 can of sweetened condensed milk into each. I sealed the tops as tightly as I could by hand.
I then placed them in my Slow Cooker
The dulce de leche was perfect. The right color and texture. No mysterious chemicals and now I get to lick the spoon.
When choosing a brand of condensed milk, just make sure the ingredients are simple. This was a cheap-o can and it reads “milk and sugar” – sounds simple enough to me! I’ve never noticed a difference between brands. Have you?
I’m dipping into this tonight with apple slices. What are your favorite dulce de leche recipes?
P.S. Once dulce de leche is cooled to room temp, refrigerate if you aren’t using it right away.
Dulce de Leche; Cooked Condensed Milk
Ingredients
- 2 cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk
Instructions
- I used two cans of condensed milk and found 2 little jam jars; washed them clean and poured 1 can of sweetened condensed milk into each. I sealed the tops as tightly as I could by hand.
- I then placed them in my Slow Cooker and completely covered them with hot water from the sink; hot water speeds up the process. I set it on high for 4 hours
- and walked away and when it was done, I drained the water and set the cooked sweetened condensed milk cans on the counter to cool. From my reading you can also set it on low for 6-8 hours overnight.
- The dulce de leche was perfect. The right color and texture. No mysterious chemicals and now I get to lick the spoon.
When choosing a brand of condensed milk, just make sure the ingredients are simple.
Notes
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Now all we need is your Oreshki recipe:) wink wink! I love those things but never had the courage or time to make them.
Hi Natasha, Tried your churros recipe n it was amazing 🌟 Thank you 😊
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Hi Natasha, I was so happy to come upon your recipe and I am excited to try it. I see quite a few of your recipes pop up when I search for dessert recipes, and I am happy about that. I do have a couple questions, how long does the caramel sauce last in the refrigerator? I have read 2-3 weeks and I have read 2 to 3 months. What would happen if I added butter at the end of the process, and does that effect shelve life? Thank you
Hi Jaime, the information online isn’t super consistent for storage. I’ve read that if it is not opened, the jar can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. Also, I haven’t tested with butter, but I’m assuming it wouldn’t last nearly as long since you’ll have opened the jar. We usually only add butter when ready to use the caramel in a recipe.
I’m wondering how long I should “cook” one half can (7 ounces)
in the crockpot?
Also what size jar would be best?
Thanks much!
Hi Linda, as long as it fits in the jar, it will work even if there is alot of headroom. You just want to make sure the jars are submerged.
When you cook the dulce de leche in the crock pot, do you put a lid on top of the crock pot or do you cook it uncovered?
This recipe looks awesome!!!!
Hi Jacqueline! MAKE sure the cans are covered the entire time with water to prevent explosions (to put it gently) you do not need to cover the actual pot though.
I usually cook it in the can, but downside of it that you have to be around and add water all the time. This is genius, I’m gonna try it this week. Have you tried to do it longer? I wanted to make it a little bit thicker to stick cookies together 🤗
Hello Vova, I haven’t tried doing it longer to advise but please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.
Unfortunately I did it in the can and it didn’t get very dark after an hour and a half. I was crazy to find a solution and landed in your site. I follow you on Instagram so I came right in. You, had the solution! I’m going to pour it into a jelly jar and continue in the crock pot! Brilliant! And I will never make it in the can again. Thank you, Natasha!🤗❤️
You’re welcome! Thanks for your great feedback and I’m happy to know that you’ll be making this recipe again!
If you take them out too early and let them cool can you star them back up? I wasn’t home and left directions and got home and realized they weren’t done…
Hi Linda, I haven’t had to do that so I can’t advise. I would imagine it would keep it cooking.
I make mine in the pressure cooker, set timer for 30min and they are ready😄
But slow cooker is good option as well:)
Will have to try ur method.
Please let me know what you think if you decide try this method Tatyana!
It turned out fantastic! however I am going to make some more today and this time I am going to fill the jars 1/2 full using one can of condensed milk and I will set them upright instead of laying them down, I noticed that the water was a little cloudy yesterday I think that I filled them to full and a little leaked out, once they cooled and I took the tops off there was a very small line on the edge that looked like a little moisture got in but it did not make a difference in the texture or flavor. I will also cook it a little longer to make it “spoonable” instead of.pourable. This is going to be my new favorite thing to make!!! Thank You 🙂
You’re welcome Gail! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thanks for sharing your helpful review with other readers!
I am trying this today, I have 2 jars in my crockpot 🙂 Now I am wondering how long after it is cooked it will keep in the refrigerator? . My mother use to cook it in the can on top of the stove when we were kids and it never lasted very long, but I am hoping my husband and I can make it last at least a little longer.
Hi Gail, I have never maxed out the life of the dulce de leche, but it should be good for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, possibly longer if it is unopened.
It does not really matter the time because if you like dulce de leche it wont last more than 5 days. In South America we eat it by the spoon and we keep in the refrigerator until it is gone (but I don’t remember ever to last more than a week, cause everybody eats it
I see that Eagle Brand also markets a Dulce de Leche Caramel Flavoured Sauce in addition to the regular Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk found in most grocery stores. Have you tried their Dulce de Leche product, and if so, is it similar to the cooked method you used?
Where have you been able to find that product?
Hi what if I don’t have a slow cooker is there another way to cook it? Thank you!!!
Hi Natalie, there are other methods to cook it. You can cook it on the stovetop, making sure the tops of the jars are always submerged in water. If using glass jars, it’s best to have a rack on the bottom of your pot so the glass jars aren’t sitting on the hot pot bottom. You would only need to boil it 2 hours on the stovetop.
Iv’e mixed condensed cream and sweetened condensed milk together then cooked it in slow cooker which worked out well. I put it in a large jar without lid and sat it in the slow cooker so dont have to worry about leakages 🙂 I’m wondering if anyone has tried mixing sweetened condensed milk with just condensed milk instead? I was worried it wouldn’t thicken up as well. My husband loves anthill cake but not how sweet it is so am going to use this mixture instead of usual dulce de leche
Hi Sophie, from what I understand, condensed milk and sweetened condensed milk are the same product. Did you mean evaporated milk or something else?
The best is to out it on chocolat cake as filling or cupcakes , or even better mix it with cream cheese and do it like cheesecake
AWESOME IDEA Here in AZ. in the HOT SUMMER I just leave a couple cans out in the sun for 2 days and it turns out awesome. Love eating it when its done on yogurt and ice cream cones with that lushes goodness.
Irene, what a great idea to put them on ice cream or yogurt 😀.
You are a legend! Thank you so much for the idea. It just worked like a charm. I have mixed it with roasted walnuts and it tastes delicious. Regards…
You are welcome :), I’m happy to hear that you like it and thank you for writing in.
My glass cans keep on bloating up about halfway, is it okay if they are not fully submerged in water?
I’m assuming you meant floating up. Are the cans not filled as much as mine were? The condensed milk is usually heavy enough to keep the cans weighed down in the water.
you know once up on a time, I left the condensed milk on the stove full with water and walked away and forgot about it, and 2 hours later I was in my room and i hear, boom, and then i remember about my condensed milk, it exploded, you have no idea how hard it was to clean the sealing, like for 3 hours, thanks for your new method, Love this idea, thanks again
I can only imagine how much of a sticky disaster that would be! I’m happy you like this method :). It’s the only way I do it now.
Hi! Do you think this would work if I use a pressure cooker? Won’t the jars explode? And how long do you think it would take?
Ellie, I think it would take 5 minutes for them to explode, LOL. I never tried cooking condensed milk in the pressure cooker and don’t know if this method works. But if you are brave enough to try it out, let me know if it works :).
I’ve been wanting to make dulce de leche but wondered if cooking it in a can would be okay! Thanks for clarifying this.
I have a question: I don’t have a slow cooker but I have a heavy based casserole pot. Would that work too?
Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to trying this and your perfect vanilla cupcake recipe!
You can cook it in a pot just be sure to keep the jar submerged in water. 🙂 It also won’t take as long on the stove.
I just made this, and it turned out amazing!!!!! Wow. One question, how long can i store it for? My lid actually “popped” when i took the jar out of the slow cooker, meaning it sealed just like canned food seals…..
Oksana, you can easily store it in the fridge for couple weeks. I haven’t tested it beyond that :).
Hi Natasha. I followed your recipe today and had this kind of milk color in my crockpot. I think some of the condensed milk escaped. But the jars did not contain any water. I was wondering if you had the same issue before?
I have had that happen before – sometimes there could be a small leak in the jars lid, but no worries, it won’t harm the final product 🙂
Thank you Natasha for your fast response. I love your blog and all recipes!
Than you Zoya 🙂
Found this on pinterest. We have always cooked it on the stove and I’ve never really thought about the chemicals.
http://juliasalbum.com/2012/11/how-to-make-dulce-de-leche-recipes/
Thanks for sharing! I’m definitely familiar with Julia’s blog 🙂
We eat ours drizzled over pineapple slices with Cool Whip on top!
Oh my goodness that sounds so good and simple! 🙂
I am going to try making your banana apple muffins today. I can’t wait to try them and I will let you know how they come out. They seem very simple to make.
I also will try to make your cream cheese frosting today, if I have sweetened condensed milk in the cupboard. If not, another time. thanks for your time to post your recipes.
You’re welcome Natalie :). I hope you love everything you try! 🙂
In Brazil we made this sweet a little different. We use a pressure coooker and the sweetened condensed milk don’t neee to be inside the can. The sweetned condensed milk is cooked about 40 minutes. After to be cooked, we need to wait the can be cool. It’s about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
This sweet is a delicious ande here is named “Doce de leite” 😉
I think it would work well inside of a pressure cooker. Did you put it in a jar or just boil it in the can?
You just boil it in the can, without open, but you need to remove the paper label of the can.
There is a disclaimer on the can about doing that and I’ve heard several disaster stories about the cans exploding. That is why I use this method.
Hi there! Thanks of the recipe. Just one question…if I don’t have slow cooker, how else is possible to make it without using the can boiling version (I am scared to experience explosion, my mum once had it, it was such a mess to clean the ceilings after.. )
You can do it on the stove top, just make sure to have your cans fully submerged in water when you cook them and set timers both on your phone and in your kitchen so you don’t forget. On the stove top, it should be done within 2 hours. I’ve seen tutorials online for baking it also, but just haven’t tested it myself. Hm… that’s actually a great idea! Thank you 😉
How long does it stay good after cooking it? I probably cooked mine 3 weeks ago and its been standin on my counter, now I decided I wanted to use it but maybe its too late and its already bad?
I usually refrigerate mine if I am not using it the same day. It stays in the fridge for awhile (like 2 weeks at least!), but I’m not sure about being at room temp. I added that note to the recipe. I didn’t realize I hadn’t put that in there!
After 4 hrs its still really runny and it’s a light brown… I’m not sure what the consistence should be? Like this? Or more solid? Yours looks a lot more darker then mine. Will it solidify when I take it out and it cools?
It will firm up and get a little darker as it cools. It should be syrupy, not watery and a light tan caramel color when it first comes out of the crock pot. P.S. Did you start with hot water?
Yes I did. Thank you for responding 🙂 it did thicken up although it was still cooking for another hr:) I don’t think it harmed it. Delicious stuff btw! And I ate it right away with green apples:)) mmm! Thank u! Love ur website!!
Blessings to u from Asheville NC!
Thanks Sveta (I have a sister named Sveta) I don’t think you could really over cook the stuff unless you WAY overdid it (like several hours) 😉 Anyway, now you’ve got me craving this with green apples!
How would you cook it, if you don’t have a slow cooker?
You can cook it in a pot but I think a slow cooker is a safer bet. Make sure you always have enough water in the pot if using that method.
Thank you!! I wondered how to do this without doing it in the can! Wonderful.
You’re welcome 🙂 I think it’s safer too. I’ve heard many explosion in the can stories!
Natasha this looks awesome! What a great tip! Will have to try this next time I make vafilney tortik 🙂
Mila thank you! P.S. I love your blog. I’m not following you on all of your social channels. So happy to discover your site! 🙂
Its sgushonka not gushonka…:)
Thanks Dina, got it fixed :).
Wow! I had no idea that we weren’t supposed to cook it that way in the can… opps! Now I know to do it the right way. Ever think about adding a recipe about how to make caramel apples in the desserts section? would be so cool!
I do actually have a good recipe up my sleeve but haven’t posted it yet. Maybe in the Fall when it’s caramel apple season 😉
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for the great recipe 🙂 I made the dulce de leche last night and tasted it this morning – WOW! I am making tiny mason jars of this yummy stuff to give out to family at Christmas but I want to know how long it can be kept in the fridge? Will it still be good in about 2 weeks?
Thanks again for the great recipe 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it. It stays good for several weeks! 🙂 It’s great in coffee and anything really 🙂
Thank you for the tip . I always used to just boil cans for couple hours till one day both of them exploded in my kitchen !!!! I was cleaning my kitchen top to bottom ( including ceiling and walls ) for hours !!! Everything was sticky and icky . After that incident I’m soo afraid to cook it !!!! It sounded like a bomb explosion 🙂
I can only imagine that kind of disaster. And that stuff is so sticky too!! Ahh! I bet you were finding it in strange places for awhile 😉
Perfect! Just what i was looking for!
yes!!! 🙂 Happy to be of service.
To store cooked condensed milk, is it best to store in fridge or in shelf, if not opened but cooked? and for how long do you think? And a opened can too.
Cooked condensed milk should be refrigerated to be on the safe side. We have always kept it refrigerated.
I read most of the comments and still have a question. i don’t have a crock pot so do you think it would work if i just put the jars of condensed milk into a pot of water? i assume it would work just fine…
Yeah that should work just fine. I’d put it on a low boil for 2 hours. It’s faster in a pot of water. Just be sure the jars are fully submerged in water. 🙂
I have the glass jars in my crock pot and it doesnt seem to be turning a nice caramel color? It has 15 mins left of the 4 hours on high. The machine works so Im not sure whats going on? Do different brands get different temps? I am wondering what the heck to do now that I have 4 jars sitting here not caramel..
Kristine, did you add hot water in the beginning? That should speed up the process. Or possibly, if your slow cooker doesn’t heat up as quick as mine, leave it in for a little longer until it turns a light caramel color. It turns slightly darker when it cools. Hope this helps :).
Hi Natasha,
Quick question – I don’t have a slow cooker… can I cook it on the stove top? Not sure if you or any of your reader have tried this.
Thanks!
That should be fine, Let it simmer for 2 hours. MAKE sure the cans are covered the entire time with water to prevent explosions (to put it gently) 😉
How do you store the condense milk when it’s all done? Refrigerator or room temperature? Thanks
I refrigerate when it has cooled down to room temp.
If I dont have a slow cooker… can I just put the sweetened condensed milk in jars and cook them in a regular pot? Does it make a difference??
You sure can! It’s just nice in a slow cooker because you don’t have to watch it so closely. Make sure the jars are submerged in water.
You’re welcome 🙂
Have you ever made hard candy by boiling equal amounts of milk and sugar for what seems like hours? My mother used to let us “help” her make it on rainy summer afternoons when we complained of being bored. Wonder if you cooked it a little (lot?) less, would it taste like zhushchenka??
Oh good question! The last time I tried making hard candy was when I was 14 and I destroyed my mom’s pot. That would be a great thing to learn to make and post. Thank you for the tip! If you find something before me, please share! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I haven’t had one in a while. just wanted to check if anyone on here kne the recipe of sgushonoe kakao? 🙂 thanks
I made this yesterday and after 4 hr on high it didn’t even do anything so i put it on low for another 3 hr and my water turned all white and it kinda ruined my lids they became a little rusty. Did i do something wrong?
Your lids should not have rusted unless they were already rusted to begin with (that seems unusual and I’m not sure why else that would happen??). I’m not sure why it wouldn’t cook the condensed milk if the slow cooker was working properly; mine gets to the boiling point and actually boils the cans for awhile so they end up that rich caramel color as in the photo. Also, make sure that your lids are screwed on really tight so the condensed milk doesn’t leak out. Hope that helps 🙂
So glad to surf onto this information. I made the dulce last year by cooking the eagle brand milk in the can. This year I found the cans are pull top now. So mine is in the canning jar boiling away now . What I like best is in the jar you can see the progress
Thanks so much for sharing your idea
My glass jar floats? It doesnt submerge all the way. Am I using a wrong glass jar?
It’s ok if it floats as long as the condensed milk part is submerged 🙂 Just make sure it’s closed really tightly
Would it be safe to cook the condensed milk in these jars on the stove?
Yes, thats fine, just make sure they are fully submerged.
if you cook this in the can on the stove, for two cans, how long do you cook it for??
About 2 hours on a low simmer.
I did this just today but it never occurred to me to transfer the contents into a glass jar first. We have an outdoor stove and it saved me from having to use up electricity or gas to cook. I left the can for about three hours, cooled it afterwards and transferred it to a glass jar. It’s still cooling, but it looks great. 😀
An outdoor stove sounds cozy and fun!
Hey Cherish, if you read this, I have a recipe of a honey cake I can share with you, it’s one I’ve made many times and it never disappoints. Email me tallya.k [at] live [dot] com
Hi Natasha, I’m a new follower on your blog and I love your Ukrainian/Russian recipes! I’ve been trying to find a recipe for the oreshki cookies that have this filling — do you know one? Thanks 🙂
I haven’t experimented with it because I don’t have the fancy mold. But I’ll be sure to share it with you if I find one 🙂
WOW!! you are FAST!!! Thank you soooooo much!! You are a very kind soul! Thank you!
Oh man! I wish I had read this before I cooked my condensed milk today. It’s my husband’s b-day tomorrow and he is a Honey Cake (Medovik) addict! I buy one EVERY single week for him!! I figured I’d make one once a year for his b-day. lol I lost my old recipe so I used one my sister gave me and the (layers) korzhiki turned out fat vs.smooth and thin. With this recipe, I was not able to roll out the uncontrollable dough and had to pat it into the pan. Feeling disappointed. Hopefully once I fill it with cream and let it soak it will at least taste ok. If you have a Medovik recipe and one day you would not mind sharing, I will be so very grateful!
I don’t have a Medovik Recipe yet, but here are two links that you can use as a good resource: Mom’s Purse on Facebook and Lea’s Cooking . I hope this helps 😀
This is so awesome I never heard it done this way. I am telling you this web site is amazingly awesome
Thank you
Awww thanks 🙂 I’m so happy you like our blog!
full list of preparation methods!
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Dulce-De-Leche
Oh nice! Thanks!
I read through some of the comments and I have to disagree on the dulce de leche that is next to the original condensed milk. I think it has a different taste and I do not like it that much. But to each their own. I have also noticed that the Winco brand tastes the best. i think it’s sweeter than all the other brands. By the way thanks so much for this post. I will now be making my home made gushonka in the crock pot 🙂
That’s good to know! Thank you! I’ve never tried the precooked one.
hey Natasha,
so I’m currently cooking dolce de leche by you recipe/instrustructions but I came to check on it as its almost done and I noticed that the water was milky..? I know the jars were closed tight as my hubby closed them for me. Does this mean my sgushonka is ruined or contaminated?
Just take out the cans carefully and tighten them and continue cooking. Sometimes the seal can get loose with the hot water.
What a great idea!!Thank you. I always wandered about this and knew there had to be another way besides cooking it in the can.
Thanks again for taking the time to share these awesome recipes with us. I always get excited when I see a new email from Natasha’s Kitchen. May God bless you in what you do!
Thank you Marina! I was pretty excited to discover it too. I never trusted the boiled can method after hearing explosion stories.
http://eliotseats.com/?p=9606
Here’s my post with a shout out to you and this fab technique.
Awesome!! Thank you Eliot! 🙂 I’m glad you liked it.
Thanks for a fast reply 🙂
Hi Natasha . Making it right now and need to confirm that I don’t put the lid on the crockpot right? Or do I?
Yes put the lid on 🙂
I was so glad to find this process. I have made it before, stove-top, in the can but have worried about explosions too. 🙂 Thanks for the great tip! And, I am making a Dulce de Leche apple pie and will pass this tip along with due credit to you! Thanks!
Question: After the 4 hours, when you take the jar out is it dark and thick already or does it cool that way. Mine looks really thin and I am at a high elevation so, I may need to cook it longer. Right?
It gets much thicker as it cools. If the color is the same as the cans in the picture it should be done.
Hiya Natasha! Thank you so much for this information. I made dulce de leche very often, I usually use it for my Medovik cream. And I always boil them with the can. It’s relieving to know that I can use these jars to boil them instead. Love your website and your recipes 😀
Thank you Silvia. I have to post Medovik one of these days! Yes I love this stuff too. I can eat it by the spoonful (but I shouldn’t so I only have a small spoonful 😉
Wow, great tip–I’ve been leery of using sweetened condensed milk very much because of the BPA in cans (and whatever else may be leaching out with heat), so I’m really glad to have found a new method of cooking it, since it’s such a classic Ukrainian/Russian ingredient! Plus my boys love it :).
I feel so much better about cooking it this way too.
LOL! all these stories reminded me of my hubbys story… he was about 10-11 yrs old, they lived in Ukraine… He loved to cook/bake (his cooking is the best! but thats another story) so one day when his parents were not home, he sat the cans of condensed milk to cook the original way (in pot with water) and went outside to play with boys…. the water evaporated and cans exploded… he came in the kitchen completely splattered with sweet suff all over… and that was AFTER his parents repainted kitchen (just did their spring cleaning before Easter) he was in BIG, HUGE trouble 🙁 but still loves cooked sgushchenka (so do my kids) 🙂
Oh no!!! Poor guy; I can only imagine how bad he felt about that! I’m glad that experience didn’t discourage him from cooking. Isn’t it nice to have a hubby who knows his way around the kitchen? 🙂
wait a second, i grew up in US and i remember sgushonka from my childhood and i always thought it was condensed milk from a can. Are you saying it is actually dulce de leche = sgushonka? I clearly do not remember what it tasted like when i was young.
Anna, yes! If you cook sweetened condensed milk it turns into dulce de leche! 🙂 It’s so good with different cakes and this recipe I posted can sit in the fridge for a good 2 weeks or more!
I’ve done it on the wood stove – submerging the can in a covered pot. This is great, tho – wouldn’t have to wait for a cold winter day and it would already be in a jar for storage! 🙂
My take on the store bought cooked condensed milk: if you add butter to it (which I always do) when I spread it on waffles or mix it with other ingedients say to make a cream for a cake you will never notice the difference. But if you compare the two side by side the one that you cook is better, probably because it’s fresh and it does not have any perservatives. However, I always keep a few cans in my pantry just in case I have guests on a short notice, all you need is a pack of waffles. Your dessert will be done in minutes and no one will even notice the difference (I promise).
Dina, thanks for the tip! Sounds like a quick alternative when life gets extra hairy 🙂
Thanks heaps 🙂
Perfect! What size where your jars? Thanks 🙂
Mine were a little big. I dont remember how they are advertised in terms of oz’s but I just filled it and it holds exactly 2 cups (or 16 oz) water. I don’t know if there is a size that works well for condensed milk. I think condensed milk cans are 14 oz?
That’s a great idea to cook this in little jam jars, what size did you use? Also just concerned that cooking these glass jam jars in the crockpot on high for 4 hours..is it ok to do that,? So the cooking didn’t crack the glass jars at all? If so that’s great as I have cooked it in the tins and it’s ben fine but I will cook these in the crockpot from now on in Jars..perfect!!! 🙂
No damage to the cans at all 🙂
What a great idea Natasha. I agree with Lisa, home cooked tastes much better. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
i bought cooked ones at our russian store and mexican stores, its ok, but home cooked is still alot better!!!
Good to know! 🙂 Thanks Luda.
Wow! This is a huge surprise to me. It seems like we use boiled condensed milk for almost ALL of our Russian/Ukie dessert recipies. I have to share this with my family, my mom and aunts will be very greatful for this tip! Thank you so much…
God bless and lots of love from Rochester, NY
🙂
Trying this today! My husband can’t wait.
Thanks for the tip! This looks awesome and easy. I cannot wait to try it. Oh and yes, bisophenol A is found in all canned food, in the lining of the can. You bet that it leeches into the food, even if the cans are never warmed up. It leeches into anything it comes in contact with, that is why I never buy canned food anymore. If you don’t believe me, google it. The only canned thing I buy is condensed milk because I have not found an alternative and some of my favorite recipes use sweetened condensed milk.
Hi Natasha, just wanted to share with you that they do sell cooked condensed milk at walmart in the mexican food isle, but i still like to cook my own… tastes allot better!
They sell fully cooked condensed milk in Walmart in Hispanic food section. Price is almost the same.
Experienced explosion 🙂 My hubby was left home cooking it, He totally forgot about. Water was completely gone and they started exploding, one after another. We lived in bad neighborhood back than, he assumed it was shooting in our house, grabbed something and went downstairs 🙂 lol… It was huge mess, we had to renovate our kitchen so girls hint hint 🙂 if you want new kitchen 🙂
Oh my gosh that’s pretty funny (Not funny for your husband) I guess thats the nice part about using the slow cooker is it turns to “warm” when it’s done in case you forgot about it.
I made this yesterday, it worked great. I am sticking to this method. Don’t want to remodel our kitchen again, lol 🙂
I can only imagine what a disaster it would be to have a can blow up. Yikes!!
I’m about to finish this recipe.
I was going to cook it old fashioned way (had it on the stove for about half an hour to 45min) but when I saw few comments about cans exploding I chickened out and ended up moving it to slow cooker lol.
I’d love to remodel my kitchen but don’t want condensed milk to do be the reason lol (I’d have to clean the mess anyway till I convince my husband)
Natasha, I’ve been away from home (Odessa, Ukraine) for 25 years and been craving this desert for a while but I couldn’t remember for life how my grandmother cooked condensed milk. I accidentally stumbled/saw waffle cake (вафельные коржики) оn Amazon I was obsessed to find the recipe but at the time the seller didn’t have any (of course it’s just my luck). It’s been about 2 months since I’ve been trying to find/buy it/them.
Anyway, I’m about to finish the cake and can’t wait to try it, I can almost taste it.
Thank you.
P. S. I have tried couple of your other recipes as they are absolutely amazing and tasted very similar/close to my grandmother’s.
I’m so glad you found that Nicole! I would also recommend checking if a local Russian grocery store to see if they have what you are looking for. I hope you love this recipe!
We are lucky here in Florida, they sell canned dulche de leche right next to the cans of sweetened condensed milk, so that’s how I always buy it. This is definitely a great idea how to deal with cooking the condensed milk to get сгущёнка. I’ll have to share this with all my friends.
Olga, does it taste the same as cooking it yourself? Is it fully cooked? I’ve never tried the store-bought one. I’ve heard about it too, but never tried it myself.
It tastes exactly the same as the one we’ve been making for years:)
Just wanted to confirm your suspicion, most of the cans are lined with coating that contains bisphenol A, a hormone-disrupting chemical. Heating up the can with contents still in it will increase the contamination (it’s still present even if the can is kept at room temperature).
I don’t even need to know what bisphenol A is to know I don’t want to eat it. Thanks for sharing!! I had a hard time finding out exactly what was leeching into the food.
Natasha,
I, unfortunately, have experienced an exploding can of condensed milk! It was such a horrific diaster, the milk was everywhere: ceiling, walls, floor, window, curtains and cabinets!!! I have been very afaird to cook condensed milk again. This is so great, thank you for sharing 🙂
-Anastasiya
Oh noo!! Was it fully submerged in water? I’ve heard that it can explode if its not fully in water. I can only imagine what a mess that would make!!
I make this all the time on the stove and so far i’ve never had any “explosions” but I do keep adding more hot water to the pot for the 3 hours it takes to cook. I put it in a graham cracker crust with whipped cream on top and mini chocolate morsels on the whipped cream, makes the best “caramel pie” i’ve ever tasted, yummmmmmm
I always make 2 cans and get the bigger graham cracker crust to be sure there’s enough to go around and it’s always gone in a day!!!
Oh my that sounds so good! Thank you for sharing!
Uhm, for the record… I managed to explode a can of this stuff. Twice. In two separate houses. You’d think I learned the first time, but nooooooooo. And yes, the mess was an absolute disaster. Brown goo EVERYWHERE! The whole kitchen!!!
I’ve had explosions happen twice as well. it was horrible. just got done cleaning up that disaster yesterday. not the most enjoyable thing to be doing.
Were you using the old method (cooking it in the jar that it’s sold in)? Oh man that is such a bummer. I can only imagine what kind of a mess that makes!
Love your tip! Thanks again Natasha!