How to Heat Milk

Boiling milk also requires technique, regardless of whether you’re preparing a sauce, making yogurt, or making baby formula. Pay close attention as you heat the milk and stir often to keep it from boiling over. While boiling milk is appropriate for some recipes, you still need to boil milk gently when you want to make fermented milk, or make cheese or yogurt. If your stove generates so much heat that it can’t bring milk to a gentle boil, try using a water bath. To heat infant formula, you should not use a microwave or direct heat, but simply soak the bottle in a bowl of hot water.

Table of Contents

Boil milk

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Heat milk in the microwave. This is the simplest way to boil milk, but you will have to pay close attention. Each 250ml cup of milk should reach room temperature within 45 seconds and boil in 2.5 minutes. Stir the milk every 15 seconds so it doesn’t boil over. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You can also try using 70% of the microwave’s heat to bring the milk to a gentle boil. Still need to stir the milk every 15 seconds.

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Heat the milk on the stove in a large saucepan. When boiling milk on the stove, you should use a large pot so that the milk can boil without spilling out. If you are heating milk to make a sauce or for a warm cup of milk, turn the stove to medium heat. To prevent the milk from boiling over, you need to pay attention and stir the milk every few minutes. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Reduce heat when it starts to boil to avoid burning.

Place the long-handled spoon in the pot. Milk boils when a layer of protein and fat forms on the surface, preventing steam from escaping during cooking. Gradually, the steam will rise strongly causing the milk to come out of the pot. Keeping the long-handled spoon in the pot allows steam to escape before pressure builds up. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You still have to use a spoon every few minutes and stir the milk to let the steam out.

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Bring the milk to a gentle boil to use for fermentation. If you want to make cheese or yogurt, you should heat the milk at one degree per minute. Heat the milk on low or medium heat for about 30-40 minutes and stir every few minutes. When you see the milk come to a gentle boil and evaporate, the milk has reached a boiling point of 82°C.

If the temperature on the stove is too high and you cannot bring the milk to a gentle boil, use the water bath method.

Use a water bath

Simmer a small pot of water. You just need to put the amount of water about 3-4cm high into a small pot of water. Place the pot on the stove and turn the stove to low heat. Heat the water until it boils. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Place the heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. You can use a glass or stainless steel bowl and place it on the pot so that it does not touch the simmering water. The bottom of the bowl and the surface of the water should be at least 2.5cm apart. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Indirect heating in a glass or stainless steel bowl will ensure a gentler and more even boil.

Warming milk for babies

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Soak the milk bottle in warm water to heat the milk evenly. Place the bottle of milk in a bowl of warm water or under warm running water. When the water in the bowl cools down, you will change to warmer water. Continue soaking until the bottle is at room temperature or body temperature, depending on the baby’s preference. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You should not make breast milk or formula too hot. Milk that is too hot will lose its nutritional value and can burn an infant’s mouth.

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Avoid using microwave or stove. You can place the bottle under warm running water or heat the milk on the stove, but you should avoid heating the bottle in the microwave or directly on the stove. Microwaves have a hard time heating breast milk or formula evenly, which can cause overheating. ^{[8] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to source} Boiling milk bottles on the stovetop gives the same results and melts plastic bottles. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Steps

Boil milk

Use a water bath

Warming milk for babies

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