Boiling condensed milk for toffee and other banoffee questions!

ncmc

Hi all, I am in charge of making the dessert for Christmas dinner and I have decided on banoffee, because it seems pretty idiot proof! I would like to make my own toffee rather than buy it, but recipes I've looked at online say to boil it for anything from 2-4 hours. Any idea how long exactly? I don't want to ruin it. And also, would you recommend a rapid boil or a simmer?

Also, how long in advance can you make the base? Could I make it and the toffee the day before and then add the banana and cream on the day?

Thanks! Don't want to ruin Xmas by fecking up dessert

tazwaz

Hi, you'd have to put the base in the fridge for a few hours anyway so theres no problem making it the day before and adding the bananas xmas day. i find the bananas go brown if put on the day before, (theres prob a trick to that but i dont know it)
i'd put the tin into a saucepan of boiling water and simmer it for about 4 hours, make sure the tin is totally covered in the water, you dont want an explosion
banoffi is a good choice, everyone likes it and its easy to make, good luck

Animord

The caramel that Carnation makes (same tin as the condensed milk) is *exactly* the same as you would make yourself, but without taking the chance of it going wrong. Obviously if you really want to make it yourself thats fine, but I really don't think it is worth the hassle.

If you are going to do it you need to watch it like a hawk to make sure it doesn't boil dry - apparently it can explode, I have never seen it myself. I would say a good two hours (from memory) - but you wont know until you open the tin. You do it at a rolling boil which is faster than a simmer but not so fast that it is splashing everywhere (and of course more prone to boiling dry). I would suggest a test run before Christmas - there is nothing worse than the shops being shut and a disaster happening!

When you do open it, if it is still hot make sure you cover it with a tea towel so it doesn't explode. Having said that it is fine to leave it in the tin for a day or two.

I am sure you can make the base the day before, but be aware that if it is in the fridge the whole time it will start to absorb damp and wont be nice and crisp.

And on the bananas the tip is to splash a little lemon juice over them - it stops them going black.

Mr. Presentable

Don't put a tin in boiling water!

Nice easy recipe from Carnation

http://www.carnation.co.uk/recipes/pies-and-tarts/banoffee-pie

Loopie

I make the toffee for banoffi in the same way in Mr Presentable's post. Always turns out great. I remember boiling it in the tin years ago and I was always afraid of doing it wrong, plus I can be a little impatient at times!

A tip to check toffee is done right is have bowl of water beside the saucepan and drop a small amount of toffee into the bowl, it should firm up which means it's done!

mmmmmmm banoffi... mmmmmm nom nom

ncmc

Thank you for the great replies. Thank you for that link Mr Presentable, I might try and make the toffee that way, as I am worried about boiling it. I don't really have any deep pots so would worry that I would have to watch it like a hawk to avoid it boiling dry. Really don't want a toffee explosion all over the kitchen!

Animord, do you really find the Carnation toffee the exact same? The only reason I ask is that a couple of websites I looked at said it wasn't as good.

Has anyone tried making it with chocolate digestives or bourbons to make it a bit more interesting? My sis in law made it with Bourbons once and she said it was nice, but I would worry it would be mega sweet.

I am having a trial run tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Animord

ncmc wrote: »

Thank you for the great replies. Thank you for that link Mr Presentable, I might try and make the toffee that way, as I am worried about boiling it. I don't really have any deep pots so would worry that I would have to watch it like a hawk to avoid it boiling dry. Really don't want a toffee explosion all over the kitchen!

Animord, do you really find the Carnation toffee the exact same? The only reason I ask is that a couple of websites I looked at said it wasn't as good.

Has anyone tried making it with chocolate digestives or bourbons to make it a bit more interesting? My sis in law made it with Bourbons once and she said it was nice, but I would worry it would be mega sweet.

I am having a trial run tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes!

Personally I think it is fine, but maybe try both - do you need the excuse?:)

Also I think the digestives work better but then I don't like having anything trying to overpower that lovely gooey caramel and banana taste!

I made a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake recently and the receipe said to use gingernuts for the base - I love gingernuts but they were a rubbish addition to white chocolate and raspberries. Very sad. I did eat it all though :P

ncmc

Animord wrote: »

Personally I think it is fine, but maybe try both - do you need the excuse?:)

Also I think the digestives work better but then I don't like having anything trying to overpower that lovely gooey caramel and banana taste!

I made a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake recently and the receipe said to use gingernuts for the base - I love gingernuts but they were a rubbish addition to white chocolate and raspberries. Very sad. I did eat it all though :P

Haha, Yes I think many attempts will have to be made to make sure I get it juuuust right. Worse still, my husband doesn't like banoffee so I will have to eat it all myself before the cream turns... the gauntlet has been thrown down :D:D

That cheesecake sounds lovely, but would agree the ginger doesn't sound like it would work. Sometimes simple is best, so think I will stick with lovely fresh digestives. Drooling here thinking about it!

Animord

ncmc wrote: »

Worse still, my husband doesn't like banoffee so I will have to eat it all myself before the cream turns...

How terribly, terribly sad... I really feel for you on this one!:p

Hmmmm, I was going to do chocolate fondants, with the warm melting middle bit for my boyfriend tonight, but now I want Banoffee!

Looking forward to hearing how it goes!

rich.d.berry

Animord wrote: »

If you are going to do it you need to watch it like a hawk to make sure it doesn't boil dry - apparently it can explode, I have never seen it myself. I would say a good two hours (from memory) - but you wont know until you open the tin. You do it at a rolling boil which is faster than a simmer but not so fast that it is splashing everywhere (and of course more prone to boiling dry). I would suggest a test run before Christmas - there is nothing worse than the shops being shut and a disaster happening!

I have seen it explode! My wife was boiling some caramel and left it simmering on the stove in an enamelled pot with the heavy enamelled lid on. She was busy elsewhere and asked me to check on the water level in the pot. As I lifted the lid the tin came flying out of the pot, hit me on the forehead and sprayed my cheek, ear, neck and chest with boiling sticky caramel. I dived straight into the shower and showered in cold water. Fortunately the bathroom in the apartment was right next to the kitchen.

The cold water eased the pain, but every time I got out the pain would return with a vengeance. Eventually, after about an hour, draped in wet towels, my wife took me to the A&E. I got 3 stitches to close the gash in my forehead, some burn dressings with a special cooling gel and a shot of morphine for the pain.

I was told that jumping into the shower was the best thing I could have done. Not only did it wash away the boiling caramel but it cooled the skin so that the burn did not penetrate as deeply. I had second degree burns instead of third degree. I was also luck that most of the caramel sprayed into the pot and I was only lightly sprayed with a few larger spots. It could have been much worse.

To top it all, it was my birthday and the caramel was for the dessert. We were heading to my parents' house for a meal and family gathering later. I did make it to the birthday bash, but thanks to the morphine I don't remember much of it.

All the burns healed without leaving scars but I still have the scar on my forehead where the tin hit me as a reminder.

Animord wrote: »

When you do open it, if it is still hot make sure you cover it with a tea towel so it doesn't explode. Having said that it is fine to leave it in the tin for a day or two.

Do not open it if it's hot. Put the tin in cold water for half an hour or so if you have to use it soon after boiling it.

ncmc

Oh my God Rich, that is such an awful thing to happen, you were so lucky you weren't permanently scarred. I think I will try Mr Presentable's method for sure, I'd be too scared to boil it after hearing your story.

Animord

Ok, so now I do know someone it has happened to!

Jeez that sounds awful Rich - had the pot boiled dry? and I assume the tin was unopened and completely exploded?

You were very lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it).

So forget everything I said above.

Never ever boil it in the tin!

rich.d.berry

Animord wrote: »

had the pot boiled dry?

I'm not sure whether it had boiled dry or not? The tin burst before I got a chance to take a look. It literally exploded as I lifted the lid, perhaps the pressure drop when lifting the heavy lid tipped the balance between external and internal pressure. It could be that the tin was standing upright and that the water beneath the rim had boiled away leaving super-heated steam. Either way, there seemed to be little or no water left in the pot from the evidence after the explosion.

Animord wrote: »

I assume the tin was unopened and completely exploded?

It was unopened but it did not completely explode, it split at the seam, but there was enough force generated to launch it like a rocket.

Animord

As I said above I think, I have done it loads of times without a problem, but I have never let it dry. I guess it is probably ok so long as you don't have those two problems at once - a superheated dry saucepan and a tin with a possibly weak seam. Still, it doesn't matter, I'll warn anyone whoever asks me again.

Thanks for tell us.

arandale

I make toffee all the time like Mr Presentable suggested and you need a good heavy pot and stir while it boils for 10-15 mins nonstop as it burns easily.

If i were you i would make the Banoffi using the Carnation Caramel soon and see for yourself how it turns out, I'm sure you'll get some to help you eat it.

emzolita

yeah i make it all the time too with brown sugar, butter, and condensed milk, boiling it gently for a short while, stirring constantly x

Angelandie

ncmc wrote: »

Has anyone tried making it with chocolate digestives or bourbons to make it a bit more interesting? My sis in law made it with Bourbons once and she said it was nice, but I would worry it would be mega sweet.

I use ginger biscuits for the base, which is a nice change from digestives and it always goes down well. Plus I don't boil the tin, I pour the condensed milk into pot and cook it slowly til it turns to caramel. My family love my banoffee pie so I must be doing something right