Can you caramelize condensed milk in a can?

You see all these warnings that the can may explode if you try to caramelize it unopened, but my mother routinely caramelized it in the can from approximately 1925 to 1985 without an explosion. She took the label off the can, put it in large pot well covered with cold water, and boiled it for three hours, removing the can and letting it cool to room temperature before opening. After she got a pressure cooker in about 1955, she use that and cooked the can for one hour. I use a pressure cooker myself.

I'm not recommending either method, just saying my mother and I have been getting away with it for going on ninety years. Then again we both got away with smoking for quite a few years before we quit.
Check out the link below to the Nestle web site for 3 other preparation ideas.


Yes, its quite safe to caramelise in the can as long as you make sure the water is always just about to the top of the can, and you keep it on a slow boil, not a rolling boil. Ive never had one explode.