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I bet you’ve seen a recipe and wanted to reproduce it but was afraid to replace some ingredients and everything went wrong. Am I right? One of the most “replaced” in desserts is milk. In most cases, the cow milk, but is it possible to replace it with some vegetable milk, such as chestnuts, rice and peanuts?
The result may be a little different, of course, but that does not mean that the recipe will be bad. The wonder of life is being able to experience it, isn’t it?
There are many questions about animal (cow, goat, buffalo and sheep) and vegetable (soy, coconut, almond, rice) milks. After all, can vegetable milk be called milk? What are the similarities and differences between them? If you were curious, stay with me!
We have the world custom to consume a lot of cow’s milk, either pure or in preparations. Thinking about the nutritional issue, all milks have their pros and cons, but the proteins and calcium milk of animal origin are considered more bioavailable – this means that they are more easily absorbed by our body.
In contrast, cow’s milk has less iron. There are some studies carried out in reputable universities arguing that we stop drinking so much cow’s milk, since we are the only mammals to continue consuming it after the breastfeeding period.
Although these studies are still under discussion, in my opinion, everything in excess can be a problem. So, if there are options and the possibility to combine the types of milk, why not do it?
Photo: TamiDollase via Pinterest
The biggest difference between vegetable and animal milk is the absence of lactose (a sugar present in cow’s milk, which is broken down by lactase, an enzyme, but some people have a deficit in its production and end up having discomfort when ingesting this type of product, called lactose intolerance – click here to check a post about As we get older, we start to produce less lactase, so it’s common not to feel good when drinking milk).
In addition, there is the question of the structure of fats and proteins in these types of milk. In terms of preparation, the structures are not the most important, but the quantities. When I was a baby, I had a very strong allergy to cow’s milk protein and my body was unable to break it down to digest it. So I spent some time being fed only soy milk. Over the years, cow’s milk gradually returned to my diet and my body, already stronger and more mature, accepted it.
Source: VALSECHI, O. Milk and milk products. Federal University of São Carlos – Agrarian Sciences Center. Technology of agricultural products of animal origin. Araras, 2001.
VEGETABLE MILKS
Like vegetable milks have much less fat and different proteins, this mainly influences our perception of taste and texture of food. They can be used as an alternative in the kitchen, but is the result the same as compared to animal milk? No, but they can result in very tasty dishes!
The positive part is that these types of milk are very nutritious, offer a wide range of vitamins and minerals, such as potassium, selenium, copper, zinc, manganese, magnesium and iron, and are still free of saturated fat and cholesterol.
In the scope, especially of sweets, speaking of wonderful creamy, creamy, “vanilla” (as I would say to Dane, lol), vegetable milks tend to be thinner when cold, but make no mistake: in general, they have more starch, so it may be necessary to reduce the amount of ingredients that gelatinize, such as corn starch itself, or flour in recipes.
Photo: kzdanowska1Fotolia
PROTEINS AND FATS
Returning to the point of proteins and fat, it is important to understand that there are many components in milk, with proteins and fats being the protagonists when it comes to preparing milk-based products. The coagulation and denaturation of proteins, which are polarized, occurs with beating, heating or changing the pH with the addition of some substance such as lemon, for example.
This process decreases the repulsion between the particles, forming the clot, which in turn is insoluble in water. For this reason, we added the melting salt in the case of cheeses, with the intention of obtaining a homogeneous and wonderful product! This process is responsible for the texture and, when added to the emulsification (click here to check the post on the subject) of fat with water, the result is a creamy and velvety product.
When the quantities of these components are reduced, you lose in texture and flavor, so I say that it is not the same with substitution, but it is nice to educate our palate for all possibilities, especially when we know it will be beneficial for our health, because as I said up there, balance is everything!
In addition, you can add other sources of carbohydrate and fat, for example, that will help you in texture, without influencing the flavor, such as sweet potatoes, bananas, some thickeners such as eggs, etc. Remember that we are talking about replacing milk and not being vegan, ok ?! It is important to emphasize that, for some recipes, it will not be possible to replace 100% of animal milk.
A good tip is to work with these preparations at lower temperatures. As they tend to be more fragile, if you put a little in the refrigerator, it is easier to handle. Here at ICKFD there are several recipes #lactosefree for you to be able to play in this world, just take a look:
CONFECTIONER CREAM WITH COCONUT MILK
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CARAMEL CREAM WITHOUT LACTOSE
ICE COCONUT CAKE WITHOUT LACTOSE
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BANANA CROCANT CAKE
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CHOCOLATE SEMIFREDDO AND PEANUT CREAM
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SEASONINGS OF FUBA 
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CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE WITH ALMOND MILK
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PANNA COTTA WITH COCONUT MILK
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BRÛLÉE OREO CAKE WITHOUT LACTOSE
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Vegetable milks are easy to prepare. Generally, they consist of soaking oilseeds or cereals for a while and then beating them in a blender with water. The leftover residue is very high in fiber, so you can use it to make cookies (click here for a recipe), hamburgers and countless other recipes.
I hope you enjoyed!
Hello,
Cella