View Full Version : what kind of milk?
I drink cows milk. Except I don't usually drink it as a glass of milk very often. I use it in tea, iced drinks, soups, as an ingredient, mostly. My question is, if I switched to another kind of milk, what are the benefits? Do they taste good? Better for you? How do they work as an ingredient? Mouth feel? Do they taste 'funny'. 'Beany'? 'Pastey'? Does being refrigerated in the dairy section and paying triple the cost of those boxed in the dry shelf section matter? I'd like to hear.
We use unsweetened soy or almond milk.
They taste different from cow's milk, but they are not cow's milk, so that is to be expected. If you switch, you'll adjust quickly, or at least that is my experience.
For a nutritional comparison, compare the labels in the store. Fewer sugars (because of the lactose in milk), fewer calories. Comparable in calcium and other nutrients. Better for you? Search the internet, and you'll find any answer you want for that, even if you limit your reading to blogs by medical professionals.
We don't drink any kind of milk, but use it as an ingredient sometimes - so a half gallon lasts us about 2 weeks, even if I make yogurt. I think that since you say you also use it as an ingredient, you would be less likely to notice the taste difference.
I just use half-and-half in my coffee, so no help there, but I've tried almond milk a couple times (on cereal) and it was pretty tasty.
We make almond milk and it's really delicious. Different, yes, but still really good. My husband also likes coconut milk (in the refrigerated section) a lot. It hasn't completely supplanted cow's milk in our house, but it's made for a better balance for us.
Local, organic cows milk, organic soymilk, and organic coconut creamer for coffee. All yumm!
IshbelRobertson
7-10-11, 5:47pm
Local, organic cow's milk only in our house!
I haven't tried it since I was a child, but I remember goats milk as being absolutely gross. Of course, I've never even been fond of cow's milk.
It all depends on what you use "milk" for. If you don't drink it straight, but use in eating/cooking: on cold cereal/oatmeal, in mashed potatoes, cream-style soups, etc., I've found the taste of soy milk is easier to take. I can't drink soy straight, it tastes like chalk to me.
I use soy milk on cereal. It looks odd but tastes okay.
I haven't tried it since I was a child, but I remember goats milk as being absolutely gross. Of course, I've never even been fond of cow's milk.
Goat's milk is best ultra fresh - consumed the very day it's gotten from the goat -and what she eats will affect the taste profoundly.
I've tried goat's milk (very rich), almond milk (didn't like), coconut milk (yummy, and so's the "ice-cream"), but my day-to-day milk is regular soy-milk, which is sweetened somewhat. I have drunk it straight and quite like it that way, but typically use it in tea, over cereal and (occasionally) in cooking. The only thing it does NOT do at all well is English-style custard. Somehow using it for making custard just intensifies what is usually a fairly mild "beany flavor" into something resembling thickened left-over chickpea cooking water.
But for all other purposes it's great. Almost any brand will do, though I generally suggest people new to soy milk start with Silk's vanilla (providing you're not making soup with it). It's improved vastly since the 80's when every brand I tried was chalky, beany and just plain gross.
I notice the difference between the refrigerated milks and the non refrigerated are really huge. Yes, I guess if I got a flavored, (I'd tend to go vanilla), I might not like that in a soup. I notice nobody has mentioned rice milk.
Yes, I'm agreed on getting the refrigerated soy milk.
ApatheticNoMore
7-10-11, 10:41pm
Coconut milk isn't bad, it works in coffee and black tea but I don't drink those regularly. I don't usually cook with dairy. So I seldom ever have milk.
Local organic cows milk for us.
loosechickens
7-11-11, 2:10pm
unsweetened soymilk in the square aseptic packages from Trader Joe's, for pretty much everything. I do keep a container of Organic Valley organic dried milk, for the occasional time I need "real" milk for something....I've noticed that my homemade chocolate pudding is improved by adding a spoonful of the dried milk to the soymilk in it. There just must be something in the cow's milk that gives a better texture if there is a bit in the pudding, but in general, it's been many, many months since we bought dairy milk at all. When we did, or if we do in the future, definitely only organic milk.
treehugger
7-11-11, 2:31pm
unsweetened soymilk in the square aseptic packages from Trader Joe's, for pretty much everything.
That is my absolute favorite soy milk, and therefore, milk-like product. I don't like the sweetened or flavored ones, and I've never been a fan of the taste of cow's milk. I stopped buying it last year due to budgetary concerns and I miss it. I hope they never stop selling it (as TJ's does with one's favorite items!).
Kara
Well, for about the past 6 months I've been drinking only soy milk but most recently spoke with lady at a health foods store who scared me away from it, so I'm once again back to 1% cows milk. (Stay away from everything genetically modified).
I am not sure if I'd go with Soy anyway. Doesn't seem like you're supposed to if you have a hypo thyroid.
We primarily buy a local, organic milk from grass fed cattle. It's not homogenized, so the cream floats to the top. Mmmmm! Almond milk and coconut milk are okay, but soy just absolutely kills me. The only form I can eat without being doubled over in pain is edamame and then only in small quantities.
Compare the sugar levels if you look at soy milk. A lot of them have a good deal of added sugar because straight soy milk is gross. My dad has to limit his lactose intake, so we had soy milk around for years. Then he started developing a sensitivity to soy (not that uncommon), so we switched to rice milk. They all taste fine as long as you don't expect them to taste like cow's milk.
What's motivating you to think about switching?
Sorry, I missed the second page of this thread. Looks like you already eliminated soy milk!
We have our own milk goats so this is all we drink. I am not a big milk lover but this milk is rich and creamy.
What other species drinks milk beyond infancy, and which other drinks the milk of another species of animal? It just doesn't make sense to think that we were intended to drink milk throughout our lifetimes. That's my excuse for disliking the stuff, anyhow. Yeah, I know; it didn't work with my mom either.
What other species drinks milk beyond infancy, and which other drinks the milk of another species of animal? It just doesn't make sense to think that we were intended to drink milk throughout our lifetimes. That's my excuse for disliking the stuff, anyhow. Yeah, I know; it didn't work with my mom either.
See, I find that's at the bottom of that milk hatred thing--people who don't like it are on a rampage to disparage it, and in that role, make it out worse than it is.
Don't like it? Don't drink it. Hey, I'm not gonna make you! Just more for me.
DH being Swiss believes it is in his genes to drink milk.
Compare the sugar levels if you look at soy milk. A lot of them have a good deal of added sugar because straight soy milk is gross. My dad has to limit his lactose intake, so we had soy milk around for years. Then he started developing a sensitivity to soy (not that uncommon), so we switched to rice milk. They all taste fine as long as you don't expect them to taste like cow's milk.
What's motivating you to think about switching?
Good question. Nothing really. Maybe just to have less dairy.
What other species drinks milk beyond infancy, and which other drinks the milk of another species of animal? It just doesn't make sense to think that we were intended to drink milk throughout our lifetimes. That's my excuse for disliking the stuff, anyhow. Yeah, I know; it didn't work with my mom either.
My problem with this logic is: What other species cooks their food? What other species has recipes! What other species has agriculture? What other species ferments foods or makes cheese? I like milk. I was just considering not drinking it. But really, I drink and use so little, it doesn't matter much. Yogurt. I eat yogurt. and cheese. What other species makes yogurt? Or Sourdough?
The past few months I've been using almond milk - mostly in blender ice creams. For years I had a dairy allergy but it seems to be gone, but the years of counter-conditioning remain. I wish there had been the great variety of non-dairy milks when I was 'suffering'.
The almond milk I really like is Trader Joes in the dairy case. It costs $2.99 for 2 quarts compared to TJ's brand in the box for $1.99 for 1 quart. I also just picked up some of their coconut milk in a box, and will probably try both rice and soy, depending on their nutritional content. I really do like the almond milk however. Unsweetened/vanilla. I have a nice coupon for a Silk almond milk, so I'll try that too. :)
This thread prompted me to try soy milk again. I like it, but it is too sweet. It tastes sweet and nutty to me. I used the unflavored Silk brand. I can imagine what Vanilla flavored soy milk tastes like--yuck.
I will probably switch off with skim milk. I love skim milk and don't like the heavy milks so much ('though I use DH's full fat milk in coffee.)
Maxamillion
8-1-11, 2:27pm
I love cow's milk and wish I could find a local organic source. I've tried rice milk and it's okay. The only time I tried goat's milk was the canned kind and it was some of the nastiest tasting stuff I've ever tried, right up there with limburger and robitussim. I tried the unrefrigerated soy milk one time and just couldn't drink it, it had a chemical taste I just didn't like.
I use only skim milk and have for years. Anything else tastes odd. I use it exclusively in cooking also. Works just fine and is easier on my gall bladder too.
I like it, but it is too sweet. It tastes sweet and nutty to me. I used the unflavored Silk brand.
Unflavored might not mean unsweetened. Check the ingredient list. I was just looking at Silk almond milks yesterday in the store, and they didnt use the word 'sugar' but rather something like 'cane pressings'. The ones (almond milks anyway) that are not sweetened have 'unsweetened' prominently on the label.
I just tried some TJ's coconut milk in a quart box, and it was OK. I doubt I'll get that again unless I'm making something coconutty. I also purchased some Silk unsweetened almond milk with a coupon but haven't opened it yet. It's regularly much more $ that TJ's, so unless it's really good, I doubt I'll get it again.
loosechickens
8-3-11, 3:38pm
That Trader Joe's unsweetened organic soymilk with the pictures of the green soybean pods on the packages is just perfection, to me. We use it for everything.....literally everything........nothing but organic soybeans and water. Perfect.
I mostly use cream or half and half rather than milk, but I regularly alternate unsweetened Almond Breeze and unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk (which is nothing like coconut milk in the can) for smoothies and coffee drinks.
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