List of different types of milk

Do you still get your milk delivered on your doorstep by the milkman?

I have to go the refrigerated dairy section of the supermarket to get my milk or I have to stand in the milk aisle figuring out which milk I want to stack in my pantry so I don’t have those unexpected trip to the convenience store just to get milk.

Milk is often referred to as complete food and it is one of the most widely used ingredients.

Cow’s milk remains the most popular type, because it is slightly sweet, mild and subtle in flavor. Most of it comes from Friesian cows, but milk from Jersey and Guernsey cattle is also available.

• Pasteurized - most of the milk that we buy has been pasteurized. This means that it has been heated to a temperature that eradicates any potentially dangerous bacteria, but does not affect the flavor of the milk.

Pasteurized milk will keep fresh for 2-3 days in a fridge. This is the kind of milk most often used for drinking, on cereals and in cooking.

• Unpasteurized - also known as raw or untreated milk, is becoming increasingly available as people acquired a taste for untreated products. Herds used to provide untreated milk must always be certified. This involves the farms being stringently tested to ensure no dangerous bacteria are present.

It is recommended that babies, young children, the elderly, pregnant women and anyone with an impaired immune system should avoid drinking unpasteurized milk.

As the name suggest it is simply the fresh milk from the cow, with nothing added or taken away, although it is usually pasteurized.

During the summer when pastures are lush, the cream rises to the top but come winter, the creamy top of the milk becomes less apparent.

With the growing concern about the effects of saturated fat and cholesterol, full-creamed whole milk has become less popular.

 This is milk from which part or almost all the fat has been removed.

• Semi-skimmed (low-fat) milk has a fat content of 1.5 -1.8 per cent and skimmed milk has a maximum fat content of 0.3 per cent although 0.1 per cent is more usual.

• Skimmed milk contains half the calories of full-cream milk and only a fraction of the fat, but nutritionally it is virtually on a par, retaining most of its vitamins, calcium and other materials. However, removing almost all the fat also removes the fat-soluble vitamins A and D. As a result, skimmed milk is not suitable for young children. Fortified skimmed milk with added vitamins and calcium is available.

When milk is homogenized the fat particles are broken up and dispersed evenly throughout it. The cream is blended into all of the milk, instead of floating to the surface, which it does when it is left to its own devices. Homogenized milk has a richer flavor that is not to everyone’s taste.

• Long - life - milk labeled as long-life has been pasteurized, homogenized and then kept at a high temperature for long enough to destroy bacteria. The process gives the milk a rather odd burnt caramel flavour, but is nevertheless a useful stand-by as it will keep unopened for at least a week. However, once it has been opened, keep it in the refrigerator and treat as you would a normal milk.

• UHT( ultra-heat treatment) milk will keep, unopened, for even longer than long-life milk. This milk has been heated briefly to a high temperature (132⁰C / 270⁰F). Although the taste is affected, it does not have quite the same caramelized flavor as long-life or sterilized milk. Unopened UHT milk can be stored, without refrigeration for up to three months. Once opened store in the refrigerator and treat it as fresh milk.

Dried Milk – can be sold in tins, packets or plastic bottles, in powdered form. The water is removed and the dry powder will keep for a long time. Dried milk may be whole dried milk with its full fat content, or it may be skimmed to remove the fat before drying.

Evaporated - sold in cans and available whole or skimmed, evaporated milk is simply homogenized milk with considerably reduced water content so that it is almost twice as concentrated as ordinary milk. It is most useful for making desserts and sweets, either diluted with water or straight from the can. The high heat applied during processing gives it a very distinctive flavor. As the milk is sterilized in the can, it can be stored and unopened, almost indefinitely.

Condensed milk - is simply evaporated milk to which sugar has been added to thicken and sweeten it. It is mainly used for making desserts and sweets. You can buy it in can and in tube, it keeps for a long time as there is so much sugar in it.

• Always check the label when buying fresh milk. Manufacturers and retailers are obliged to give a best before or sell by date on the carton. Unpasteurized raw milk has a green foil top.
• Always store milk in the refrigerator, where it will last for 3-4 days . Stored outside the refrigerator, especially if the room is warm, it will sour very quickly.