Which Milk to Use?
There are now many non-dairy milk substitutes on the market (see our reviews), all of which have strengths and weaknesses. I have experimented with quite a range and have found that different milks are good for different recipes. As a result, I tend to specify in recipes the milk which I have found to be the most successful in each case. This does not mean that no other milk will work, although I would suggest avoiding the sweetened milks if you are not making a dessert: the accidental use of Vanilla Rice Dream in lasagne was not a huge success! Feel free to experiment for yourself.
'Dairy-free'?
Technically, according to the labelling gurus, the description 'dairy-free' only refers to the absence of cows' milk products and does not mean that the item is totally free of milk protein. If you are catering for a lactose intolerance, rather than a milk allergy, then a wide range of goats' milk and sheep's milk products is available to you. This collection is designed to cater for those who are allergic to milk protein and therefore uses no animal milks at all. To avoid confusion with the technical definition of 'dairy- free' status, I prefer to use the term 'non-dairy' for milk, butter and cream substitutes in my recipes.
Cooking with milk substitutes
As a general point, many non-dairy milks tend to contain starch, unlike real milk. This means that they behave very differently when heated. Similarly their performance is affected by the much lower fat content (apart from coconut milk, of course). Soya milk is by far the most widely available. Most supermarkets, whether large or small tend to stock it now. Unfortunately, the majority stock only the sweetened varieties which limits their usefulness. Speaking purely personally I find the back-taste of soya makes the milk unpalatable to drink on its own - but then I don't much like the taste of real milk on its own either. The sweetened versions are slightly more drinkable, which I presume is why the supermarkets stock them, aiming to cater for the breakfast cereal trade. Provided that you reduce or even eliminate the sugar applied to cereal, the sweet versions of Rice Dream could be quite pleasant and Almond milk would go well with muesli. Oatly is now passed by its manufacturers as 'totally heat-stable' and I have had no problems boiling it when cooking: it has shown no sign of splitting. Oatly does not have the unpleasant soya after-taste, though it can be slightly 'dusty' in flavour. Being completely heat-stable, you can in theory pour it into hot tea and coffee. I can't honestly say that it improves the flavour, but if you absolutely must have milk of some sort in your drinks, then at least this isn't actually unpleasant. (See reviews for more details on the range of milks available.)
It's not that bad
Having put you right off the idea of non-dairy milks, let me now assure you that, though not up to real milk when drunk neat, non-dairy milks are extremely useful in cooking. They enable you to produce dishes such as lasagne or crême brulée which would be completely impossible otherwise; custard returns to the menu as do pancakes, clafoutis and béchamel sauce. With care and a bit of practice you can create dishes which are every bit as varied and delicious as their dairy-based equivalents.