The market for canned evaporated milk is enormous and promises only to grow larger, according to The Brainy Insights. Not to put a damper on economic optimism, but the truth is that all these evaporated milk substitutes work like a charm to do precisely what canned evaporated milk can do.

But if you're of the mindset that nothing but actual evaporated milk will do, and you happen to be fresh out, the delicious news is that you can turn pretty much any milk that you've got in your fridge into evaporated milk right on your stovetop — and in a matter of mere minutes. As an added bonus, evaporating your own milk also translates to no preservatives and less waste (no cans!).

Simply place your milk in a saucepan (ideally, one with measuring markers) over medium heat, and stir constantly as it comes to a boil (feel free to adjust the heat if it starts boiling over, of course). Then, just keep stirring until the milk has reduced to about 60% of whatever quantity you started out with. The process should take around 30 minutes to make the equivalent of a 12-ounce can.

Please do note, however, that unlike commercially available evaporated milk, the homemade version isn't shelf-stable. Nor will it last any longer in your refrigerator than fresh milk would. But that shouldn't matter if you're making it for the purpose of using it now!