Ina Garten is a beloved Food Network television star and cookbook author. Her recipes teach her audience how to perfect classic dishes, from roast chicken to brownies. Garten’s cooking often calls for ingredients like milk, butter, and cheese, so it’s safe to assume she’s not dairy-free. But she also doesn’t live under a rock, so of course, she’s at least strayed from the classics to try out some more trendy non-dairy alternatives. Garten shared with TODAY that though she prefers cow milk, for those who can’t drink it, almond milk is the only alternative that meets her standards.
Nowadays, vegan “milks” are made from endless nuts, grains, and seeds. The dairy-free section of the grocery store is packed with different milk options, from pistachio to barley. Perhaps the first to gain popularity was almond milk, and for good reason. It has a pleasant milk flavor and texture, so it can stand in for cow milk in almost any situation. We can’t say when or if the Barefoot Contessa will create a recipe that explicitly calls for almond milk, but at least we know she’d approve of you making the swap in some of her recipes if you must.
Read more: Unique Cheese You Need To Try At Least Once In Your Lifetime
Is Almond Milk Definitely The Best Non-Dairy Milk?
nut milk in glass with nuts and grains in jars – Natalia Lebedeva/Getty Images
Everyone has their own preference for dairy-free milk. The “best” choice usually depends on the application. If you only need a milk substitute to pour over your cereal or to cook your oats in, the choice is all yours, but for some recipes, you’ll have to consider how the protein structure of cow milk affects the final product. Protein is important to the structure and rise of baked goods, in particular, and nut milks typically have a lower protein content. When it comes to baked goods, the worst non-dairy milk to use are ones with added sugar or flavoring and super low protein content, as these factors can affect the flavor and texture.
For some recipes, the milk you use may not make or break the dish, but if you’re a food science nerd, you can select your milk alternative carefully for the best of the best results. For example, Macadamia nut milk froths better than the other non-dairy milks for lattes, almond milk is the best non-dairy milk for fluffy scrambled eggs, and soy milk is great for unfrosted baked desserts.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
