Dairy · Mk

Milk

Casein is acid-fragile · whey protein denatures at 72 °C

Per 100 g

61 kcal Energy

3.2 g Protein

4.8 g Carbs

3.3 g Fat

0 g Fibre

Gluten-free DAIRY GI 37

Let’s cook with it → Invent something with it

What it is for

They bring creaminess, coolness and protein. Casein carries both fat and aroma, and it is also what binds heat and harshness — which is why yoghurt tames chilli and milk softens the tannin in tea.

Where it catches you out

Heat and acid together are the enemy. Casein collapses at pH 4.6 and whey protein denatures at 72 °C: never bring yoghurt near a boil, and shield milk with starch before it meets acid.

The knack

Rinse the pan with water first: a thin film of water keeps the milk off the metal and stops it catching.

Storage and health

How to keep it, and who it suits.

Keeping it

On the coldest shelf at 4 °C rather than in the door; pasteurised milk keeps 3-5 days once opened, UHT four to five.

Gluten-free

Plain milk is naturally gluten-free.

Allergen: DAIRY

Glycaemic index

37 — glucose is taken as 100. Below 55 is low, 56–69 medium, 70 and above high. The number says nothing about portion: at the same index, twice the amount is twice the load.

Row in the table: Milk, full-fat, mean of three studies

Atkinson et al., Am J Clin Nutr 2021

What it works with

Pairings, and the reason for each

"They go well together" is not an explanation. Every pairing below has a chemical or structural mechanism under it.

Starch →

Gelatinised starch forms the continuous network and dispersed casein micelles fill it. Muhallebi is a composite gel and neither component makes it alone.

Chilli flakes →

Casein is hydrophobic and scavenges capsaicin off TRPV1 while milk fat dissolves it. The two are separately measurable, which is why skimmed milk helps but whole milk helps more.

Also works with

Flour

Egg

Sugar

Rice

Saffron

Cinnamon

Almond

What it fights with

Lemon

It curdles below pH 4.6, casein’s isoelectric point.

Pomegranate

Tannin-rich ingredients form protein-polyphenol complexes that precipitate and dull both.

What goes on top

Cinnamon and crushed nuts on milk puddings

Key compounds

Kazein miselleri: Calcium-phosphate-stabilised: remarkably heat-stable but acid-fragile, the opposite behaviour to whey.
β-laktoglobulin: Denatures near 72 °C and its exposed thiols form disulfide bonds with κ-casein — precisely why yoghurt milk is pre-heated above 70 °C for a firmer set.

Nutritionally

Milk protein is complete and its calcium highly available: about 27.6% absorption against 5.1% from spinach. The kitchen-relevant fact is that availability gap, not the raw content.

Terms on this page

TRPV1: The heat-and-pain receptor on the tongue. Capsaicin opens it, which is why chilli genuinely feels hot.

Where it turns up

What is made with it

1 dishes in the database use it.

Drinks 1

Kefir

A tangy, slightly effervescent fermented milk drink made with kefir grains — cauliflower-like living granules of bacteria and yeasts in a polysaccharide matrix, recovered and reused.

Quick ideas