Many recipes call for first bringing milk up to boil.


  • use low heat
  • Milk comes to a boil in about 40-45 minutes




Looking for:

  • Unattended, fool-proof method
  • Easy clean-up at the end.

Yes, I am aware of this other question:

However, my question is a bit different.

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  • There are automatic stirrer devices available these days -- but their effectiveness is disputed for the cheaper ones... – rackandboneman May 7 '18 at 15:12

15 Answers 15




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    A good quality conventional oven (set to slightly above boiling temperature) might work well too. However that will be relatively slow, and while you can avoid burning the milk, some surface caramelization (yummy!) could happen :) Also, make sure you "tune" your setup to avoid keeping the milk in the danger zone too long. – rackandboneman Aug 17 '16 at 9:38
  • I am not sure but check this ---- youtube.com/watch?v=zUsI15W78lY – munish Oct 7 '18 at 16:28


  • anyone tried one of those? – J86 Jan 22 '15 at 14:47
  • I had one many years ago and yes they do work - not sure where to get one from now though. Amazon might carry them. – dougal 5.0.0 Apr 14 '17 at 6:01



  • Does it work for heating the milk up to 80 °C (~175 °F)? – Michele De Pascalis Aug 23 '18 at 14:56

There is a device you can buy, known (here in the UK, at least) as a milk saver

enter image description here

It comes in glass, ceramic or metal.. I'm sure you could improvise your own if you can't find one. All it is, is a disk about 8cm in diameter, with a recess to collect small bubbles, and a vent on one side of the rim about 1/2 the depth of the recess, to release the accumulated vapor as one large bubble. The one in the illustration repeats the pattern on both sides, so it doesn't matter which way up it is, or if it flips.

It prevents foaming, breaks skin formation, and when the liquid is near boiling, it rattles in the pan, serving as an alarm.

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    It's designed to work in a pan on a stove. I've seen a lot of ashtrays, for example, which have similar features... it wouldn't surprise me if you could get hold of one of those, in stainless steel, or something like it, which is heat and food safe.. – Robin Betts Oct 22 '18 at 10:17
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    In a pinch, a saucer or metal jam jar lid works as a substitute. Just place it so that steam can collect underneath and make it rattle. – Stephie Oct 22 '18 at 13:51


  1. enamel pot - no stirring required.
  2. milk from a farmer - boils and boils




Traditionally we always used a milk boiler in India growing up. The milk boiler is double boiler. you remove the whistle and fill the outer container with water and put the whistle back. Pour the milk in the milk boiler. Then close the lid and walk away. when the water reaches its boiling temperature, milk also reaches its boiling temperature. you will hear a loud whistle almost like the kettle. Then just turn the stove off and you have your perfectly boiled milk that never burns or boils over. This was a daily morning routine for us before we went to school lol.


A bigger pot is absolutely possible.

I used to make paneer from 4.5 litres of milk in a 5l (actually about 5.2l) stock pot. Even the thermal expansion made it precarious. So I bought a bigger pan, 8 or 10l.

But you still have to keep an eye on it, unless you actually plan to boil it down, which is rare, and when then you'll want to reduce the heat significantly when you get near boiling point.

I can understand that you'll try to get other things done while it's coming to the boil - it's not quick. I found a thermometer helped, in that I could get a rough idea of how fast it was heating, and set a timer. For example measure how long it takes to get from fridge cold (e.g. 5°C) to about 15°C, and multiply up to get to the time it will take to reach about 80°C. Set a kitchen timer or use your phone to give you a reminder. This assumes a constant heating rate. In fact once it's well above room temperature the pan will lose heat to the room and heat more slowly, which gives you a built-in margin for error.


According to thekitchn,

Here's what's happening in that little pot:

As milk heats, the water in its structure starts evaporating from the surface. This concentrates the remaining fat and proteins into a thicker layer at the top of the pot. This layer eventually becomes so thick that water vapor rising through the milk can't break through very easily and gets trapped.

The layer is so uniform that you can't necessarily see what's boiling up right underneath, except in little bubbles around the edges. You see where this is going?!

Sure enough, enough water vapor eventually collects that it raises the thickened layer above it and breaks violently through. And, voila! The milk boils over!

There are a few ways we can prevent this from happening. One is to be sure to stir the pot of milk every few minutes to break up the top layer, allow the steam to escape, and make sure it's heating evenly. We've also heard that you can leave a long-handled spoon in the pot and the handle will provide a conduit for the steam to escape.

Leaving a long wooden spatula either in the pot or resting on the top of the pot like a divider works for me, unless it is on maximum possible heat which will almost always cause a boil-over.

The most popular tried and tested way is to Watch it like a Hawk and Never turn your back on it.

  1. You can just keep the wooden stick on the vessel and carry on with your work.
  2. You can also prevent milk boiling over by applying some cooking oil on edge of the vessel. more.....

enter image description here




I remember in 1955 my mom had a device that looked like a big enameled upside down funnel. The funnel was placed up side down in the pan, then milk put in about half full. When start of boil the hotter milk inside the funnel would bubble out of the tip. Soon at full boil, as the milk cooled by cooler air once out of the spout. I think my mom came up with that, the funnel was not a match to anything, and I've not seen one since.


If you have one of the new electric pressure-multicookers, see if yours has a "yogurt" option, my IP Duo has it. Even if you don't intend to make yogurt, the first step includes boiling the milk, and the IP has a setting to do just that, unattended and with absolutely no spillage, and no burning on the bottom. Not even a skin forms on top. And of course, it turns itself off when it is ready. You could leave the kitchen or even go out shopping, and when you come back home, you will have hot, boiled milk.





  • Requires an 18 gauge flat steel plate?! Wouldn't an upturned steel pot lid do the trick? They are generally slightly curved. How flat does the steel plate have to be? – Chris Steinbach Oct 28 '14 at 19:14
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You can boil milk unattended. Just keep it in low flame and then use a big spoon or stirrer and keep it over the vessel (like a divider). Milk will never overflow.

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