Milk Vs. Half-and-Half

Can you use milk and half-and-half interchangeably in recipes?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, half-and-half must contain 10.5 to 18 percent fat, while whole milk must contain at least 3.5 percent fat. To find out how milk and half-and-half compared in recipes, we chose three test kitchen favorites that call for the latter—vanilla pudding, mashed potatoes, and shortcakes (minus the strawberries)—and prepared one batch of each with half-and-half and another with whole milk. Differences were most obvious in the potatoes, where the batch made with half-and-half was described as "much creamier," with a "smoother texture" and "more buttery flavor" than the batch made with milk. Though the vanilla pudding made with milk was looser than that made with half-and-half, flavor differences were slight. Most tasters said, "I'd be happy with either." Differences were least noted in the shortcakes, where tasters commented that the "flavors aren't that different." In baked goods that call for half-and-half you can probably get away with using whole milk, but in dishes where you're looking for creaminess (not just fat and flavor), the differences will be notable although generally not unacceptable.