Got soy, almond, rice Milk? - Brief Article

A cook's guide to the other "milks"

Many vegetarians, myself included, were able to give up meat with barely a whimper. But take away our mashed potatoes, rice pudding and ice cream, and suddenly we've got a struggle on our hands. Isn't it possible to enjoy creamy, satisfying dishes without dairy? Of course it is! What's more, it's easier than you might realize.

People choose to give up cow's milk for a variety of reasons. Many people are lactose-intolerant, while some need to reduce their intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, and others are still trying to give up that last vestige of animal products in their diets. The challenge in eliminating milk is that many of our favorite dishes are prepared with dairy products, and they taste just too good to give up.

So how can we get healthy and eat right without feeling deprived of our most-loved comfort foods? The answer can be found in the plant kingdom. Mother Nature would never be cruel enough to deprive us of milk altogether--instead she's provided us with a host of dairy alternatives. The truth is that there are a surprising number of other satisfying "milks" on the market that will serve as fine substitutes in the preparation of almost any recipe with amazing results.

To learn about using milk alternatives, we set about personally tasting and testing those other milks: soy, rice, almond and oat. What follows is a profile of the products with recommendations for use in cooking and some comments. Keep in mind that all the products profiled are the unflavored varieties. The flavored types--including chocolate, carob and vanilla--are great for drinking but not for cooking.

SOY MILK (SOY BEVERAGE)

* FLAVOR: Nutty taste with a faintly sweet overtone.

* AVAILABLE FOAMS: Shelf-stable 1-quart containers in regular, low-fat and nonfat varieties. Aseptic quarts in concentrate (add equal volume water). Also comes powdered. Many brands are enriched with calcium and vitamins A and D.

* COMMON INGREDIENTS: Filtered water, organic soy beans, brown rice syrup and sea salt. May also contain soy protein, malted barley, carrageenan (sea vegetable), kombu (sea vegetable), canola oil, sunflower oil and Job's Tears (a cereal grain related to millet).

* PROS: Heat-stable. Good replacement for dairy milk in many dishes.

* CONS: Pronounced flavor not suitable for white sauces, mashed potatoes, cream soups and delicate desserts.

* IDEAL FOR: Breads, corn bread, muffins, whole-grain pancake and waffle batter, cereal, curries, high-flavor "cheese" sauces, baked goods with strong flavors (spice cakes, bar cookies, pumpkin bread, etc.).

* COMMENTS: Because it is easy to keep and convenient to use, powdered soy milk makes a good pantry stable.

RICE MILK

* FLAVOR: Light and refreshing taste with a slight sweetness.

* AVAILABLE FORMS: Shelf-stable 1-quart containers in regular, low-fat and nonfat varieties.

* COMMON INGREDIENTS: Filtered water, brown rice syrup, rice starch or brown rice (may be organic) and sea salt. May also contain safflower or canola oil, pea protein, carrageenan, guar gum (stabilizer, thickener from legume seeds) and xanthan gum (stabilizer and thickener from fermented corn sugar).

* PROS: Heat-stable. Good replacement for dairy milk in many dishes.

* CONS: Overtones of sweetness not suitable for savory cream sauces, mashed potatoes, quiches or savory casseroles.

* IDEAL FOR: Pancake and waffle batters, breads, muffins, cookies and other baked goods.

* COMMENTS: Rice milk is especially good in pancakes and sweet desserts. Some brands are gluten-free. Check with manufacturer to see if the brown rice syrup has been converted with barley, a grain that also contains gluten, or a gluten-free natural enzyme.

ALMOND MILK

* FLAVOR: Similar in taste to rice milk but with a delicate almond flavor.

* AVAILABLE FORMS: Shelf-stable 1-quart liquid containers in regular and low-fat varieties.

* COMMON INGREDIENTS: Similar to rice milk with added almond flavor.

* PROS: Similar to rice milk; The nutty almond flavor is a plus in desserts.

* CONS: Similar to rice milk. The nutty flavor that is so pleasant in sweet dishes tastes "off" or even dusty in some savory foods.

* IDEAL FOR: Sweet desserts, fruit shakes and breakfast smoothies.

* COMMENTS: Almond milk is perfect for sweet puddings and dessert sauces.

OAT MILK

* FLAVOR: Pleasant and neutral taste without any sweetness.

* AVAILABLE FORMS: Shelf-stable, 1-quart containers.

* COMMON INGREDIENTS: Spring water, organic oats and canola oil.

* PROS: Heat-stable. Good replacement for dairy milk in most recipes including mashed potatoes.

* CONS: No low-fat variety available.

* IDEAL FOR: Sweet desserts, fruit shakes and breakfast smoothies.

* COMMENTS: Oat milk's indistinctive flavor makes it one of the best nondairy substitutes for cow's milk.

RELATED ARTICLE: Milking It

When cooking with milk alternatives, a little care ensures good and tasty results. Here are three simple safeguards:

1. Boil a sample to see how it's affected by heat. For example, soy milk won't break down when heated, but it forms a "skin" very quickly. Some other milk alternatives like rice milk may curdle when lemon or vinegar is added.

2. Taste the milk alternative both chilled and heated to detect flavor overtones, such as sweetness, that would make it unsuitable for a particular recipe.

3. Always check the expiration date. Even a shelf-stable, aseptically packaged variety won't stay fresh for much longer than a week in the refrigerator once it's been opened.

Nancy Ross Ryan is a Chicago-based food writer and recipe developer. Robin Robertson is a food writer and the author of several cookbooks including The Soy Gourmet (Plume, 1998).

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