Milk hacks!

Sara's good sense tips for keeping milk on hand and at the ready:

We are pretty dependent on milk in my household. Here are two hacks to help if you are too:

1) I keep a package of the UHT milk boxes (Horizon Organic) in my pantry for "milk emergencies" -- when you run out of milk or get back in town late at night. (Soymilk in shelf-stable boxes can serve the same purpose. As does nonfat dry milk in a pinch. -- Ed.)

2) If you read the labels carefully, you can occasionally find milk that is "ultra pasteurized." I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I do know that ultra pasteurized milk lasts a *lot* longer than normally pasteurized milk, so it's great if you are leaving for a long weekend and want to make sure your milk is good when you get back.

Related: Shelf-stable milk boxes are ideal for taking along

Comments

[MidlifeMidwife]

Ultra-pasteurized milk is heated to a very high temperature quickly and then cooled quickly. More bacteria are killed, which is why it lasts longer. I've never thought about keeping boxes of organic milk in the house, but it's a wonderful idea for those mornings when the milk has gone sour.

[Carrie]

I bought a set of those tiny reusable/disposable tupperware cups(I think they might be Glad brand?) We use them for EVERYTHING. The kids use them as condiment cups, but they are also the perfect size for single servings of Goldfish crackers, etc. We tend to buy in bulk and portioning can be a problem when the kids just reach into a gargantuan bag of something, so we portion almost every snack in those little cups. It really helps when the kids insist they want a "full" cup of something. We've had the same set for months and months so they last great, even with daily runs through the dishwasher.

[theclevermom]

I don't know if Americans get bagged milk, but we Canadians do. Since I have a 1 year old, we have to keep two sets of milk going - Homo and 2% or 1% depending on my mood. Since the 2% is only drank by my son, or used in baking, since my husband and I can't stand milk, we keep it fresher, longer, by keeping a chip clip over the cut end.

[Annette]

Lactose-free milk also lasts much longer than regular milk for some reason, which is just about the only benefit of being lactose-intolerant.

[Rose]

I wanted to give two warnings for ultrapasturized milk.

- I believe the ultra only protects the milk while it is sealed in the container. Once you open it the milk is exposed to the air and other contaminates so it's only good for the normal 7 days of already open milk. (http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/f01chart.html) So if you leave for a week your open milk should still be tossed.

- Ultrapasturization does change the structure of the milk proteins because they are "cooked" at a higher temp. Some people claim it makes it taste funny. It also makes it impossible for most cheese making. There are claims that makes it unhealthy.... and other claims there is nothing wrong with it. It probably depends on your comfort with your food being modified from the original.

[Stacy]

I discovered Horizon milk one day when I was out with my boys (one sippy cup user and the other is a "big boy",he doesn't need a sippy cup). It was a day that we were at a starbucks and I didn't have a sippy cup with us; however, we needed a drink on the run. I noticed these great boxed milks that they sell and to my surprise it's straw system is better than the typical juice boxes as it stays in so much better. So from now on we are able to go through drive-thru at starbucks and everybody is content with new drinks in hand and I'm not worried about spills.

[Bev]

UHT milk is very common in the UK. It doesn't taste quite the same as normal milk, but it's close enough to use in an emergency. We tend to keep a box or two in the back of the pantry for those days when we've run out of real milk.

[Katherine]

Lactose-free milk lasts longer because it's ultrapasteurized. I must be extra sensitive to the taste of milk, because I was expecting this post to be full of comments pointing out how gross ultrapasteurized milk tastes. :) To me it tastes exactly like thawed frozen milk -- which is another good way to make sure you never run out of milk, if you can stand the taste.

[therapydoc]

When I was a kid and we had a dog, one of the brands of cookies we bought him was Milk Bone. He never liked them very much.

[Jess]

We use milk boxes when traveling, they are great for hotel rooms(cereal or drinking) or times when you may not have the kind of milk you need on hand when you arrive at the Grandparents house. They are easy to pack and are quite durable. We have even shipped them to ourselves on vacation.

[Debra]

I, too, keep some Horizon milk boxes at home for emergencies, but I keep them in the fridge. It's definitely come in handy when we pour the last milk at night and don't feel like making a grocery run for the morning!

One caution about the milk boxes, though - the packaging (at least on the large multi-pack) indicates the milk should be stored at temperatures under 80 degrees - which means the milk may not be great to keep in a hot car while running around or traveling in the summer.

[Big GUM]

Just be warned, many people (myself included) think ultra-pasteurized milk tastes "off".
My sons do like the little Horizon shelf-stable ones as a treat, but only in the flavored varieties; the plain one tastes nasty.
I tried and tried to like the U-P milk because for quite some time it was the only organic milk available. Thankfully, we can now buy regular organic milk which tastes exactly as you expect it too. Phew!

[Tiffany]

I'm glad to hear so many people found that it has an odd taste. My son - who is a modern-day Mikey, he'll eat (or drink) anything - didn't like the plain flavor Horizons when I put them in his lunch box either. The chocolate and the vanilla were a go, but not the regular. That was odd for him, but I guess he's in good company.

[Christel]

They don't sell the plain Horizon milk boxes by me, only the strawberry and vanilla which have a TON of added sugar. I used to always keep the Parmalat milk boxes on hand for those types of emergencies, but from what I can tell they don't sell shelf stable milk in the US anymore (according to the Parmalat website, they don't sell *anything* in the states anymore).

[Rita]

I've been able to find the parmalat at Super-Walmart. We keep it on hand for when we run out, too. There is a picture of a chocolate cookie on it, so my 4yo calls it "cookie milk".

[Jeff L]

I drink Lactaid mainly because it's last so much longer than regular milk. No taste difference to me, but the wife says she notices one.

I'd much rather have the small taste difference (if there is one) than have the smell of spoiled milk (which I seem to be very sensitive to - I can tell when the milk is going bad a few days before others it seems).

Are there other brands of ultrapasteurized?

[meggiemoo]

We use rice milk for our son because cow's milk constipates him. As long as it's unopened, it has a very long shelf life. You could easily keep a few cartons in your cupboard for emergencies. It's a bit thinner than cow's milk, but I think it tastes fine (and I'm very picky about how milk tastes).

[Jim Jones]

When I lived in Germany as a child, all our milk came in unrefrigerated boxes that we kept on the shelf until we were ready to drink it.

I don't know what was in that stuff, but a childhood friend who came to visit and was lactose intolerant could actually drink it. It was the only milk (and it wasn't soy) that he was ever able to have.

We just thought it was magic.