The Butter Wrapper Hack That Prevents The Pesky Skin On Homemade Pudding

Homemade pudding is truly a nostalgic dessert that you might fondly remember being served as a childhood treat. Each spoonful of soft and silky pudding somehow felt better than the next, and before you knew, it you were licking the bowl clean. Making pudding from scratch is fairly straightforward and quick, but you may notice one problem that your mom or grandma didn't seem to have — the pesky skin that forms on your pudding once it sets.

The solution is simple. Use an old butter wrapper to cover the top of your pudding while it sets. Just make sure to press the butter wrapper onto the entire surface area of the pudding, as this will stop a skin from forming. This is also a great way to save some money and re-use your wrappers instead of putting them straight in the bin! If you don't have any butter wrappers handy, using wax paper or plastic wrap is another great method for a skin-free pudding.

The reason that covering your pudding with a butter wrapper or something similar works is because it stops the evaporation process. If you leave your pudding to chill uncovered, the water content from the milk that has just been heated will start to evaporate. The other elements in the milk, such as protein and fat, will become more concentrated and begin to solidify without the moisture from the water. The evaporation of liquid and other elements solidifying results in a thin layer of skin forming on your pudding's surface. The skin's thickness depends on the temperature you heated your milk to and the fat content of your milk.

Covering your pudding with your butter wrapper will trap the water content of your pudding in, keeping the surface moist and therefore stopping a layer of skin from forming. Of course, if this is something you like about your pudding, then leave it uncovered and use your old butter wrapper for mess-free microwaving instead.