emergency milk

I'm not sure which ng to ask this question in, but it's related to homes but not to repair and it's related to food but not to cooking.

I use Costco milk and cream (the real stuff, 100% stuff, not the watered down stuff) for my ice cream and coffee.

I live a score of miles from the nearest grocery store (other than a 7-11 gas station complex about a dozen miles away at a highway exit), which makes a round trip for milk an hour in transit (there's generally no traffic unless there's an accident).

For emergencies for the milk for ice cream and coffee, I have resorted to canned milk (both types) but they change the flavor too much (they're not really milk at all, it seems).

Then someone suggested "powdered milk", which I went to the grocery store to buy, only to my horror to find that it's far more expensive than fresh milk! (About $18 for 20 quarts worth of the powder.)

Normally the "crap" solution is the cheapest, where I was in for a shock that the price for that crap powdered milk solution is more than twice the price for the fresh milk solution.

Why?

Do you find the same price disparity where you live? Is there any other "emergency milk" solution out there?

Reply to
Carlos Eduardo Vieira
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Do you have space to keep a cow ?

Reply to
""Retired"

I buy Saco Mix 'n Drink powdered milk for "emergency supply"; it is $3.99 for 3, one-quart packs at the supermarket I shop. Given it is non-fat, I can't see it being used for ice cream; but, for most uses I find it quite good. It doesn't have the strong caramel back-note that most canned or powdered milk products do - there's some, but not as strong as in other products.

Reply to
l not -l

No, 2 quarts of fresh milk here is $2 for the cheapest store brand. Powdered isn't much cheaper but it is not more expensive.

Reply to
rbowman

Whole milk is processed quickly and bottled in volume at large plant. Powdered and canned do not have the same volume and require more processing time, energy to dry and heat.

You can freeze milk but it will affect the texture.

We use very little milk. usually buy a quart for $1.19 at the supermarket. Monday I happened to be in WalMart so I figured I'd get it there. The do not carry quarts, but a half gallon there was only 80 cents.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

My mom used to feed us milk from powder in the 50's. It was cheaper, and I didn't like it, but it wasn't as bad when ice cold, and I guess it had the same nutritional value as milk. I think it was for about a year, and probably due to high milk prices. I only pay 2 bucks for a gallon of whole milk, so wouldn't even consider it now. This one has decent reviews on Amazon, but it's still about 4 bucks a gallon.

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Reply to
Vic Smith

I didn't know the Chinese were into milking cows...

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Advertised Prices for Dairy Products at Major Retail Supermarket Outlets ending during the period of 10/19/2018 to 10/25/2018

The national weighted average advertised price for conventional milk half gallons is $2.37

Is Walmart's milk like their meat -- 20% water added to enhance the flavor? I recall a First Communion primer illustrated adultery as a man in a mask pouring water into a milk can. I guess for that age group it was better than discussing the sex habits of presidents.

Reply to
rbowman

I live in the wrong place. 80 cents a half gallon, $2 for a gallon... The USDA says the national weighted average advertised price for conventional milk half gallons is $2.37 this week so I guess I'm lucky to pay $1.98 a half gallon.

Reply to
rbowman

UHT, ultra high temperature, pasteurized milk. Sold in a box container, but whole and non-fat varieties. Does not need refrigeration until opened. Might be hard to find--last seen at the dollar store. Tastes far better than reconstituted powder milk, but not quite as good as fresh.

Dietitian made us switch to almond milk. More expensive than dairy milk, but with a substantially longer shelt life.

m
Reply to
Fake ID

There was another name for that, also, ???, but it seems to have faded away and your name is all that I can find. Requires no refrigeration.

I've had canned condensed milk and powdered milk once or twice. I was amazed at how little they tasted like milk.

Can't you just get your milkman to leave both milk and cream?

Reply to
micky

I buy Saco Mix 'n Drink powdered milk for "emergency supply"; it is $3.99 for 3, one-quart packs at the supermarket I shop. Given it is non-fat, I can't see it being used for ice cream; but, for most uses I find it quite good. It doesn't have the strong caramel back-note that most canned or powdered milk products do - there's some, but not as strong as in other products.

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We don't drink milk so I keep dried in.

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It is excellent for my purposes. I see it is fine to feel infants over 12 months so can't be bad:)

Might be worth a try?

Reply to
Ophelia

It is excellent for my purposes. I see it is fine to feel infants over 12 months so can't be bad:)

Might be worth a try? ============

OMG It is fine to FEED infants - before the sick mob get stuck in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply to
Ophelia

You surely don't drive 40 miles just for milk? Get milk while buying other food supplies. Refrigerated milk stays fresh for a week.

Cost of processing, and volume of wet milk required.

UHT longlife milk. Still tastes different from fresh, but better than canned or dried. It's wet milk and a sealed pack keeps for 6 months, unrefrigerated.

Janet

Reply to
Janet

It takes a lot more milk to reduce it to a powder, however it is they do it. Evaporation, for starters.

I did look at the price of powdered milk once, don't know why because I loathe the stuff, but it was quite pricey.

People freeze milk, then shake it once it thaws, I've never tried that, myself.

nancy

Reply to
Nancy Young

I tried a teaspoon of it (the powder) in coffee one morning. Thought it might do like the powdered Coffee Mate. No. It wasn't good at all. You need to rehydrate it first before using in coffee.

I buy half gallons mainly for morning coffee and occasional cooking. First thing I do when I buy a new one is to freeze a few small containers (6-8oz) just for emergency coffee milk in case my main bottle starts to go off before I get to the grocery store. It's fine for that use and probably for cooking too.

I've even added a TBS of vanilla ice cream to coffee for emergency dairy a few times. lol

Reply to
Gary

Back when I was a widdle wun (the 1960's), powdered milk was about 1/2 the price of regular.

We'd (or rather my parents) would add it to macaroni and cheese and it was ok for that.

About a decade ago I priced it at the market and saw, like you did, that it's more expensive.

I have absolutely no idea why and how this was and is the case. There's so much gov't price fixing and support in milk pricing that there's plenty of questions involved...

Reply to
danny burstein

TetraPack is what I always called all those liquid products that are sold in what looks like a fancy cardboard box. It hasn't faded away, it's readily available in the supermarkets here, including milk. It would be my solution if I wanted milk on the shelf for an emergency, when I run out. Now that I think about it, wish they made half-n-half in TetraPack, I'd keep it on hand. If anyone does, I haven't seen it, but then I haven't really gone looking for it either. I will now.

I see the TetraPacks for milk, juice, soups, tomato juice, etc.

Reply to
trader_4

When we ran out of milk, my mother would occasionally whip up some powdered milk. We all hated it so she didn't bother too often.

I figure do the math and see how much milk it would make when reconstituted. In the end it's probably quite a bit cheaper than fresh milk.

nancy

Reply to
Nancy Young

You'd think so, and again, that was the case a, err, well, half century ago.

But no more. The powdered milk, per quart equivalent, is more expensive nowadays.

(At least in the multiple areas I've checked. Given the very convulted price fixing, etc., there might be sections of the country which are different).

Reply to
danny burstein

You've led some kind of over-sheltered life if your idea of an emergency is running out of milk ;-)

Reply to
Piso Mojado

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