Milk is milk. Right?! Maybe not.

[XERTYX]

Ok. So maybe you are still in a S&B and experimenting with backpacker type prepperesque food stuffs. Maybe you're not. Maybe you havent seen another living soul in a month. 

Whatever your situation how do you store milk? If milk were an absolute necessity for you how would you keep it? Bottled in shelf stable packaging? Bottles from the grocery store under refrigeration? Tinned milk? Almond milk? Rice milk? Soy?

Recipes that are as good or near with powdered milk? Chime in.

 

[Firtree]

This is what I just got and am going to try. Walmart usually carries it though you may need to check the Hispanic area. Read the Amazon reviews and others. Made certain you get the whole milk version unless you want the other.
The can will have lots of Spanish writing but there is some English for the less educated of us (me)

NESTLE NIDO Fortificada Dry Milk

 

[maki2]

It depends on the quantity you want to keep on hand. Dehydrated is best for bulk quantity, it is generally non fat which is one of the reasons the flavor is not quite there. But it is OK for adding to things like pancake mix and such as well as making hot cocoa. Just make it stronger for improving the taste.

UHT meaning shelf stable taste better but is much more expensive and weighs the most per serving. I keep some of that on hand on the boat for making a bowl of cereal now and again.

I do like condensed milk for somethings anyway such as very rich tasting hot cocoa, for making Chai tea. I prefer it on oatmeal over even standard milk. It is also good for making a very quick small batch of salted caramel candy when cooked with some brown sugar. Of course people often use it for fudge recipes as well.

So I have no one preference for replacing the fresh milk from the grocer store as I always have powdered, condensed and UHT on hand anyway.

One thing I have tried lately as a milk alternative that I did think was good for coffee was "milk" made from oats. I much prefer it over soy and rice versions.

 

[highdesertranger]

I rarely drink milk. for cooking I use evaporated(canned milk). it's very rich. BTW evaporated and condensed milk are not the same and are not interchangeable in recipes. condensed milk has a boat load of sugar added. highdesertranger

 

[abnorm]

I don't DRINK a lot of milk......I use it on my Cereal...….and use it to cook creamy dishes...…

I Buy the shelf-stable UHT boxed/bottled 2% milk

Dollar store item...………….

 

[B and C]

I drink and use whole milk (from cows). I buy it by the gallon and it usually lasts me two weeks and by that time I am out of a lot of other stuff too. I do carry evaporated and condensed also but rarely use it. I also carry some powdered milk when I need some and am out or just about out of the regular milk.

 

[XERTYX]

I usually buy a half gallon of milk every couple of weeks. I havent drank coffee for about a year now so I dont use nearly as much as I used to. I used to use about a half gallon a day. But lately I'm buying the half gallons even less frequently as when it goes bad it's still half way full or more. 

I've been told on here before that evaporated milk is a good option but locally every time I've remembered to look they're usually over a dollar per 12oz can. I can get 32oz at dollar tree for $1 so I keep some of those around but they often spoil before I use them as well.

I thoroughly dislike powdered milk and most brands of soy milk, although 8th continent I think it's called vanilla soy milk when you can find it is a treasure.

I've had cashew milk in my coffee when I worked at a health food store and it was different...but in a good way.

I think the ideal solution for me would be if I could find a source to get canned milk in bulk or a source for shelf stable "lunchbox" milk like the organic one you see in the grocery store in an 8 pack or so. But they're like $11 so that's far too expensive even though I'd have less waste.

What's working for me right now is 32oz dollar store milk but I'll waste some. I hate to waste food though.

 

[lenny flank]

I use it on my Cereal

Yep. I need my Raisin Bran in the morning, dammit.   

I sometimes get the non-refrigeration milk you can find in dollar stores.  But mostly I just get a pint of milk in a gas station somewhere whenever I need it.

 

[Firebuild]

I thoroughly dislike powdered milk and most brands of soy milk

Try Silk Very Vanilla. Not the regular vanilla - but the Very.

 

[highdesertranger]

also with the evaporated milk they tell you to cut it 50% with water. I do sometimes but it depends how rich I want whatever I am cooking. this also cuts the cost in half so that 1 buck for 12 ounces becomes 50 cents for 12 ounces. just wanted to point that out. highdesertranger

 

[XERTYX]

Thanks for that. A buck for 24 oz isnt bad. But I like the sound of a buck for 32oz better. Haha. But then I feel like a heel when I waste any. Sigh. I'm so hard to please I suppose.

 

[XERTYX]

Something I've wondered about is this. Can you reconstitute powdered milk with a little pat of butter melted into the water? Then chill it back down?

Another thing I want to try is to make mac and cheese using powdered milk and see if I can taste a difference. If not I'll keep some powdered on hand and only open a shelf stable carton when I'm planning on using a lot of milk.

 

[maki2]

condensed milk has a boat load of sugar added.  highdesertranger

you are thinking about sweetened condensed milk. That is not of course the same product as standard evaporated (condensed) milk which does not have additional sugar added to it. But all milk has natural sugar in it so when some of the liquid is evaporated thereby condensing the milk product the sweetness is more pronounced as there is less water.

 

[maki2]

In the Seattle area I buy Darigold brand milk or I get milk from Trader Joe's, the kind from the regular refrigerated dairy case. Both of those brands are "ultra pasturized" and when new on the shelf have a 60 day pull date when refrigerated. It has worked best for my needs as I never get sour milk now before I can use it all up. There is no difference in taste. Just look for Ultra Pasterized on the labels when you shop for milk if you don't normally drink enough of it to use it up before the standard pasturizec type expires.


Ultra pasteurized simply means that the milk has been heated under pressure at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time (280° for two seconds versus 167° at 15 seconds for standard pasteurized).
This advanced technology extends the shelf life to 60 + days (from l8 days).

 

[Amboman]

I get half & half atSams cheap & it;s ultra pasteurized & last a long time for coffee.

 

[XERTYX]

Pasteurization is a wonderful thing. It kills me however that the state of Georgia has required for many years now that the mountain apple houses pasteurize their cider. Tastes no where near the cider I drank til I got the runs as a kid. Sigh.

No taste difference eh? I'll look for ultrapasteurized milk and give it a shot. I'm sure I've had milk not many hours from the cows teat before but I barely remember when we had cows and horses. So I dont remember what raw milk tastes like. If it's the same taste as regular pasteurized milk I'm sure it would suit my needs well. Thanks.

 

[B and C]

I have had the ultra pasteurized and can't tell the difference other than costs a little more. If you were throwing out milk though, this could be cheaper.

 

[XERTYX]

I have had the ultra pasteurized and can't tell the difference other than costs a little more.  If you were throwing out milk though, this could be cheaper.

That's my line of thinking exactly. Pay 20% more and have 50% less waste seems a winner for me. I buy lots of things on markdown as I love to save money but I never buy markdown milk unless I'm almost positive I'll use it all within a day or maybe 2.

I would rather pay more in some cases than to waste food. Not so much of a stretching the useful life of things but rather a moral objection to wasteful living. My karma is bad enough without my pouring out 30 gallons of milk a year. I've been hungry before. Without resources. Then I see some ******* take 3 bites of a quadruple cheeseburger and 3 fries and throw it in the ******* trash. That infuriates me.

Anyway. I figure the least I can do is to make a concerted effort to lessen the burden I put on the world by being here.

 

[jacqueg]

I can't digest milk, nor most milk products. Lo-fat is actually harder on me than heavy cream, because I apparently have issues with both the lactose and the casein. For any given amount, there is a lot less lactose and casein in heavy cream. I can tolerate the cream in small amounts, whereas half and half will provoke a negative reaction pretty quickly.

I've used a lot of soy milk, and like it fine. But my favorite these days is hemp milk. It has a bit more of a creamy mouth feel, and it is rich in omega-3s. Spendy, but I only eat it on cereal, and I don't eat cereal every day. (It's possible to DIY hemp milk, but I haven't tried it yet.)

 

[maki2]

my friend had milk digestion issues, he put apple juice on his cereal. I tried it, not bad at all, good on hot oatmeal too.