"Bill" > wrote in message
...

> > I have to say that boiling unopened cans is way
> > past my personal risk threshold. No criticism
> > of those who do it; just a different point of view.

> This was a hot topic of discussion amongst a group
> of avid cooks that included several engineers. The
> consensus was that as long as it was allowed to cook
> completely before opening the pressure cooker method
> was completely safe and that if care is taken the water
> bath method is safe.
>
> The water bath method was deemed safe as long as the
> cans were kept completely covered with water and the
> cooking held to a simmer. The condensed milk inside the
> cans has a higher boiling point than the water around them
> and as such will never reach boiling point. As such the worst
> that could happen is that a rare can might burst but would
> never explode. I have done this several times and not seen
> a hint of a problem. If you forget about it and the water boils
> away that is a whole 'nother story.

Thanks for the info -- gotta love engineers (my Dad is a retired
engineer, my sister dated engineers all through college, I dated
engineers, I was even married to one -- for a while, anyway ).
While I will probably pass on making dulce de leche by boiling the can
(personal risk thresholds are just that: personal), it's nice to know
that it's not as risky as it feels to me.

-j