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Pasteurized Milk

A method for pasteurizing milk using a water bath and baked cotton corks.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Pasteurized Milk

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Sterilize bottles and drain them.

  2. Fill the bottles with milk and cork them with baked cotton.

Pasteurize

  1. Place the bottles on a rack in a deep kettle and surround them with cold water to the level of the milk.

  2. Heat the water gradually to 145°F (63°C) and maintain that temperature for 30 minutes.

  3. Cool the bottles quickly and store them in a cold place.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Milk
The main ingredient being heat-treated to reduce microorganisms while keeping it fresh.
Baked cotton
Plugs the bottle openings while letting air pass, keeping contaminants out during heating.

The step that matters

Heat the water gradually to 145°F (63°C) and hold for 30 minutes. Heating too fast can overheat the milk at the edges and change its flavor, while holding the temperature steady for the full time is what reduces harmful microorganisms. Too low or too short a hold leaves the milk under-treated.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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