Scalded milk is dairy milk that has been heated to 83 °C (181 °F). At this temperature, bacteria are killed, enzymes in the milk are destroyed, and many of the proteins are denatured. Since most milk sold today is pasteurized, which accomplishes the first two goals, milk is typically scalded to increase its temperature, or to change the consistency or other cooking interactions due to the denaturing of proteins.
During scalding, a milk watcher (a cooking utensil) may be used to prevent both boiling over and scorching (burning) of the milk.